In a matter of weeks, the busy spring calving season will be well underway on many Irish dairy farms and, with that in mind, there are some areas to highlight for 2026.

Michael Donoghue, Teagasc dairy adviser has highlighted areas that will require attention over the next few weeks before cows start calving.

Up until August last year, base milk price was running around the 50c/L mark, but the last few months have seen cuts of 10-12c/l..

While this has been a significant drop, the reality on most spring milk farms in 2025 was that it was a profitable year, as most of the year’s milk was processed during the period of higher prices.

However, in 2026, with a likely base price of around 38c/L to start the year, it will be far more challenging, Donoghue has outlined.

He said that there are no "silver bullets" to address a price reduction of this scale.

However, focusing on the basics of farm profitability is key to keeping the farm business healthy.

Grass

The graph below highlights the strongest link to farm profitability in Irish dairy farming. The more grass a cow eats, the more profitable your business will be.

The graph is from this year’s Teagasc Dairy Conference. Each dot represents a farm, showing its profitability and grass utilised.

41% of the difference in profitability is due to cows eating more grass, making this the biggest driver of farm profitability.

There are two important aspects to increasing grass utilisation by the cow.

The first is growing more grass, and the second is encouraging the cow to eat more of it, the Teagasc adviser has emphasised.

Walk your farm

While things are quiet on the farm now, Teagasc is advising farmers to take the time to walk the milking platform and complete a closing farm cover.

Ideally, the average farm cover (AFC) should be about 700-800kg DM/ha. This will vary depending on how dry your farm is and your calving profile.

As you are walking the farm, start to think about the paddocks that should be grazed first in the spring.

These will be drier, have good access, and have a cover of 500-600kg DM/ha on them now.

Soil sampling

Soil sampling is essential for any grass farmer, both from a regulatory and a financial point of view, the Teagasc adviser has said.

Regulations dictate that any farm stocked over 130kg N/ha must have valid soil samples that are no older than four years and represent no more than 5ha.

Otherwise, the farm will be deemed to be P Index 4, effectively meaning there will be no chemical P allowance.

From the farmer’s own financial perspective, if soil fertility is below par in terms of lime, P or K, nitrogen use efficiency can be reduced by 30-40%.

Feeding the grass plant in spring

Slurry can be spread from January 16 once conditions are suitable. This should be targeted mostly at silage ground, although some will be spread on the milking platform.

An application rate of 2,000 gallons/ac will supply about 18 units of N/ac. From February 1, chemical fertiliser can be spread again.

The advice is to wait until soils are starting to warm up, above 6°C, ground conditions are good and no rain is forecast.

Once these boxes are ticked, protected urea should be targeted at suitable grazing land at a rate of 20 units/ac.

Clover

If you have not already done so, Teagasc is urging farmers to take the opportunity in 2026 to look at, and possibly start, the clover journey.

Clover has the potential to provide 150kg N/ha while also increasing pasture quality.

There are challenges with persistence, and some farmers have experienced bloat issues, but clover is working and delivering both financial and environmental benefits on Galway dairy farms, Donoghue said.

Farm roads

If farm roads have not been maintained or resurfaced already, make sure to get this done as soon as possible so they have time to settle.

This will ensure freshly calved cows have a kind surface to walk on. If cows become lame in the first few months at grass, it can have very negative effects on milk yield and their ability to go back in calf in May, according to the Teagasc adviser.

Mindset

"Feeding cows quality grass is every farmer’s goal, but it will not happen by itself," Donoghue added.

"Time must be made in the spring, even when you are very busy, to check whether land can take cows for a couple of hours, followed by setting up wires so they have a fresh break.

"This does require a change in mindset, but it is what will drive the profitability of your farm business."

The above topics are the key areas that will drive the profitability of the dairy business in 2026, according to Teagasc.

While the adviser acknowledged that there are more areas that need to be addressed, he said that if the above are done correctly, the cornerstones will be in place to survive what is likely to be a challenging milk price in 2026.