Cathal McAleer

Cathal McAleer is a grassland consultant working with individual farmers and facilitating discussion groups throughout Ireland. 087 160 2491 / 0044 7749 531679

[email protected]

Grass advice: Where to now?

April 9, 2018

Grass

As dairy farmers, we are great at knowing our targets: 90% submission rate within 21 days of breeding start date; 90% in calf…

Dairy advice: Taking stock and gearing up for 2018

December 23, 2017

Dairy

2017 is drawing to a close and – for spring-calving herds – the majority of cows are now dried off. We use selective…

Grass advice: Cleaning final heavy covers and keeping your cows healthy

November 2, 2017

Grass

What a difference a week makes. Although weather has got a lot cooler, ground conditions have improved greatly – allowing cows to return…

Grass advice: Don’t generalise your closing cover targets

September 25, 2017

Dairy

As we plan to extend the grazing season, increasing the average farm cover (AFC) is now on most of our minds. Wet weather…

Grass advice: Managing surplus grass and rotation length

July 31, 2017

Dairy

The nights are getting slightly longer as we have passed summer’s peak. However, grass growth rates are excellent on most farms due to…

Grass advice: Managing grass quality while the sun shines

June 20, 2017

Dairy

With the sun on your back – and on the cows’ – dairy farming has to be one of the best professions to…

Grass advice: Key breeding and management decisions for May

May 21, 2017

Grass

The first round of breeding has kicked off to a flying start, with excellent weather over the past few weeks. I observe the…

Grass advice: Making the most of your ‘cover’

May 1, 2017

Grass

A warm weather forecast for this week is going to drive up grass growth rates; it is much needed on some farms. Most northern…

Grass advice: Reaping the rewards of April grass and choosing fertilisers

April 14, 2017

Dairy

It’s mid-April and the sun is shining. Temperatures are varying quite a bit throughout the country but farms that got the target area grazed…

Grass advice: If the grass account runs out your bank account will suffer

March 30, 2017

Grass

A welcome stretch in the evenings is helping to dry things up a bit. There has been a lot of rain and sleety…

Grass advice: How to balance intake, utilisation and soil damage

March 10, 2017

Dairy

It is incredible how much people’s moods improve when there are a few hours of…

‘Fertiliser application in January is not a one size fits all decision’

January 31, 2017

Grass

There has been plenty of discussion around fertiliser application in January and it is not a once size fits all decision. Soil temperature,…

Grass advice: Nearing the end of the green stuff

November 11, 2016

Grass

North of the border most herds are now fully housed or on their last few days at grass. With frosty mornings setting in,…

Finding the perfect balance between grazing and condition score

October 12, 2016

Grass

As we enter into the second week of closing, the effect of grazing heavier…

Grass advice: Wet weather takes its toll, but conditions starting to improve

October 4, 2016

Grass

Ground conditions in the north and west of the country has made grazing extremely difficult over the past two weeks. The dry weather…

Plenty of planning to do for the remainder of the grazing season

September 21, 2016

Grass

As autumn draws in, there is plenty of planning to do for the remainder of the grazing season and indeed the wintering period.…

The day slurry goes from being a nuisance to a huge resource

January 21, 2016

Grass

From February 1 (on farms in Northern Ireland) or January 16 on farms in the Republic of Ireland, slurry goes from being a…

Grass advice: Closing up grass for spring 2016 has begun on some farms

October 6, 2015

Grass

Early October is upon us and closing up grass for spring 2016 has begun on some farms. The ‘start of closing’ date will…

Cathal McAleer

Thank You For Stopping By!