The Irish Grassland Association will hold a farm walk on the farm of Geoffrey Wycherley in Co Cork, on Tuesday May 5.
Geoffrey has been dairy farming in Lislevane, Bandon, Co. Cork since 1989 and his spring-calving dairy herd sees the majority of the cows calving in February. He is currently milking 220 cows.
Geoffrey is also part of the Teagasc Catchment Programme; therefore, soil samples have been taken routinely for the last number of years.
As Geoffrey is already in a farm partnership, the setting is, according to the Grassland Association, the perfect to discuss the relevant topics with regard to the future of dairying.
With expansion in dairy farm occurring on various levels, one of the key areas that needs to be looked at is the efficient use of labour.
A number of areas need to be examined including, the employment of either part-time or full-time staff or creating a labour efficient farm using various labour saving devices.
Topics to be discussed on the day include the current performance of the farm, grassland management, breeding management and strategies, farm partnerships and managing cash flow.
A discussion forum will also be held on the topic of labour efficiency. Speakers from Teagasc and IFAC will attend.
The event is free and starts at 11am.