Brian McDonnell

Brian McDonnell Profile Picture

Brian McDonnell is from Raheny, Co. Dublin. He has an honours degree in Sustainable Agriculture from Dundalk IT. He has worked on dairy and beef farms in both Ireland and the UK, including Teagasc Grange and a large-scale 650-cow dairy farm which also had a 1,200 animal youngstock-rearing farm in Scotland. He has a keen interest in agriculture and particularly the dairy sector and in his spare time is active in local rugby and golf.

Over 360,000 passports issued from genotyping programme
Over 360,000 passports issued from genotyping programme

The National Genotyping Programme (NGP) is now in week 11, with 367,037 passports issued from the programme to date. The...

Calf sales ‘a game of two halves’ at Gortatlea
Calf sales ‘a game of two halves’ at Gortatlea

Gortatlea Mart manager, Maurice Brosnan described the calf sales over the last two weeks at the Co. Kerry-based mart as...

Are dairy farmers getting the message about dairy-beef?
Are dairy farmers getting the message about dairy-beef?

Over the last number of years, there has been a significant push to increase the number and quality of calves...

DAFM: Derogation application/banding declaration portals open
DAFM: Derogation application/banding declaration portals open

The 2024 nitrates derogation application system and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) portal for dairy farmers to indicate their nitrates dairy banding...

Pneumonia in calf sheds now becoming a risk
Pneumonia in calf sheds now becoming a risk

As calf sheds begin to fill on farms this spring, pneumonia can begin to become an issue on many dairy...

Research: Cost of additional slurry storage potentially €800/cow
Research: Cost of additional slurry storage potentially €800/cow

Farmers are being urged to “maximise slurry nutrient use” by having adequate slurry storage and only spreading it at optimal...

Post-milking teat disinfectant crucial during spring
Post-milking teat disinfectant crucial during spring

The use of a post-milking teat disinfectant is an important step in preventing mastitis and cell count issues within a...

Top dairy sire for 2023 revealed
Top dairy sire for 2023 revealed

The top dairy sire based on the number of calves registered to them in 2023 has been revealed by the...

Top price of €2,720 achieved at Donegal Friesian Breeders sale
Top price of €2,720 achieved at Donegal Friesian Breeders sale

The Donegal Holstein Friesian breeders club held its annual sale of calved heifers at Raphoe livestock mart on Wednesday, March...

Dairy advice: Time to complete a calibration of your feeders
Dairy advice: Time to complete a calibration of your feeders

Most dairy farms are now well into calving. With a good number of cows calved, an important job to now...

Calf registrations approach the €1m mark for 2024
Calf registrations approach the €1m mark for 2024

The total number of calf registrations up until March 8, 2024 has reached 874,561 head, based on data from the...

Are the days of early spring grazing over?
Are the days of early spring grazing over?

In recent years, the weather in February and March has had many farmers questioning whether early spring grazing is worth...

EDG Rubicon sired cow takes top price at Greenlawn sale
EDG Rubicon sired cow takes top price at Greenlawn sale

The Greenlawn herd of the Curtin family held its annual sale on Saturday, March 2 with over 86 Lots on...

Some co-ops ‘trailing along’ in Milk Price Tracker – ICMSA
Some co-ops ‘trailing along’ in Milk Price Tracker – ICMSA

The first Milk Price Tracker of 2024 saw an increase in the base price from all 15 co-ops included, but...

Well fed calves prove popular at Castleisland Mart
Well fed calves prove popular at Castleisland Mart

There were over 1,000 calves on offer at Castleisland Mart’s calf sale on Monday (March 4), with a strong trade in...

Over 300,000 passports issued for calves in genotyping programme
Over 300,000 passports issued for calves in genotyping programme

The National Genotyping Programme (NGP) is in its 10th week, with over 300,000 passports now having been issued. In the...

Dairy advice: Moving calves to OAD feeding
Dairy advice: Moving calves to OAD feeding

Calves on many farms are now old enough to transition to once-a-day (OAD) feeding, which can reduce the workload considerably...

Dairy advice: Treating a calf with scour
Dairy advice: Treating a calf with scour

During the calving rearing period, there is an increased risk of disease or sickness, with scour being the biggest risk...