Suckler and beef farmers as well as key beef industry stakeholders from across Ireland and further afield are set to meet at Teagasc Grange in Co. Meath today (Wednesday, July 1) for the national biennial beef open day ‘BEEF2026’.

The first discussions are set to kick off at 9:00a.m and the event will continue until approximately 3:00pm, with industry discussion and the latest research on beef production systems in Ireland to be presented and discussed on the day.

The theme this year is 'Driving Sustainable Performance', and performance data relevant to all key types of beef production systems in Ireland will be focused on.

"This is an event not to be missed for farmers seeking to improve profitability, efficiency and sustainability," according to Teagasc.

The event is free to attend. All other key details is available to view here.

Central to the theme of 'Driving Sustainable Performance', the main discussions at the event will focus on the following three areas:

Beef cattle production in a changing landscape;
Suckler systems;
Dairy-beef systems.

For beef finishers, incomes and profitability of Irish beef cattle farms will be profiled, with discussions on achieving the right balance of productivity and work-life balance as well as meeting the consumer requirement for sustainable beef.

For suckler farmers, key performance indicators driving profitable businesses will be discussed in detail.

There will also be a focus on improving on-farm efficiency and output per livestock, unit as well as controlling costs to improve overall farm performance.

For dairy-beef farmers, practical technologies to improve system efficiency will be highlighted with discussions also on dairy-beef steer and heifer system profitability.

Panel discussions

Also on the day will be a series of panel discussions relevant to beef finishers, dairy-beef farms, and suckler farms.

At 12:30pm, Agriland technical beef specialist Breifne O'Brien will chair a panel discussion on driving sustainable calf-to-beef systems.

The panel is set to feature:

Dairy calf-to-beef and suckler farmer Amie Coonan from Co. Tipperary;
Certified Irish Angus Producer Group general manager Charles Smith;
Genetics operations manager at the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) Margaret Kellegher;
Teagasc DairyBeef500 programme coordinator Alan Dillon;
Feed For Growth nutritionist Liam Gannon.

All aspects of dairy calf-to-beef production will be discussed at the live event in what is expected to be a lively and engaging session.

Stay tuned to Agriland for further updates and information from today's event.