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.

Checking autumn-calving cows ahead of breeding
Checking autumn-calving cows ahead of breeding

The breeding season on the majority of autumn-calving dairy herds will be starting in early January 2023. Ahead of the...

Winter milk: Have you calibrated your feeders yet?
Winter milk: Have you calibrated your feeders yet?

At the recent winter milk events held by Teagasc it was said that the cost of feeding a winter milk...

Taaffe Auctions dairy sale brings top price of 3,500gns
Taaffe Auctions dairy sale brings top price of 3,500gns

On Wednesday (December 7) Taaffe Auctions conducted its monthly dairy sale at Carnaross Mart, which had 150 lots on offer....

Implementing the use of SDCT on Irish dairy farms
Implementing the use of SDCT on Irish dairy farms

Selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) is being used on many farms for the first time this year, following the introduction...

Black and White sale brings top price of 14,000gns
Black and White sale brings top price of 14,000gns

The 36th Black and White dairy sale took place on Saturday, December 3, at Borderway Mart in Carlisle, England. The...

Dairy Conference: 1 to 6 rule for feeding calves this spring
Dairy Conference: 1 to 6 rule for feeding calves this spring

The Teagasc National Dairy Conference, which returned to an in-person event this year for the first time since 2019, has...

Cost of production predicted to reach €2,331/cow in 2023
Cost of production predicted to reach €2,331/cow in 2023

The cost of production of dairy farms is significantly higher than previous years, with the increased cost of inputs the...

Preparing for the arrival of calves in the spring
Preparing for the arrival of calves in the spring

The drying-off of cows, for many, signals that the calving season is on the way. This is often when farmers...

How to collect a sterile milk sample
How to collect a sterile milk sample

Being able to collect a sterile milk sample is important so that farmers can ensure the correct bacteria is identified....

Why you should vaccinate your cows for Lepto
Why you should vaccinate your cows for Lepto

Leptospirosis (Lepto) is a bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals, caused by the bacteria genus Leptospira. Like a number...

Maintaining hygiene standards during the housed period
Maintaining hygiene standards during the housed period

Dairy herds are now fully housed for the winter period, with a focus now on maintaining hygiene standards. For the...

Strong trade at Enniscorthy’s calf sale
Strong trade at Enniscorthy’s calf sale

The calf sale at Enniscorthy Mart, which took place on Wednesday (November 30), had 130 entries this week. Speaking to...

Milk Price Tracker: Prices continue hold for October
Milk Price Tracker: Prices continue hold for October

The latest Milk Price Tracker – brought to you by Agriland and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) – details milk prices from the most...

Managing the silage pit over the winter months
Managing the silage pit over the winter months

On the vast majority of farms, the silage pit has now been opened and the feeding of cows for the...

Assess BCS of autumn calvers ahead of the breeding season
Assess BCS of autumn calvers ahead of the breeding season

Breeding in most autumn-calving dairy herds will begin in early January and before this takes place, farmers should assess the...

Mixed outlook for spring-calving heifer trade
Mixed outlook for spring-calving heifer trade

Late-November and into early December in recent years is often when dairy farmers begin to source spring-calving in-calf heifers. The...

Dry period: Grouping cows to monitor BCS
Dry period: Grouping cows to monitor BCS

One of the main reasons why cows are dried-off early is due to body condition scores (BCS) being too low....

Drying-off: Checking cow for signs of mastitis
Drying-off: Checking cow for signs of mastitis

The first few weeks post-drying-off are considered to be a high-risk period for cows picking up mastitis or an infection....