The National Dairy Conference kicked off this morning in Co. Cork, featuring a panel of experts in dairy both in Ireland and abroad.
Opened by Billy Kelleher, Teagasc’s regional manager for Cork, the first of two morning sessions was chaired by Teagasc chairman Liam Herlihy.
The first conference morning session incorporated talks from: Albert McQuaid, the global chief technology officer for Kerry Group; Joe Patton, dairy grassland specialist with Teagasc; and Michael Dineen, who is currently completing a PhD in Cornell University in the US.
McQuaid’s presentation highlighted the Kerry Group, its origins and its growth to where it is today, noting its focus on value-added ingredients for global markets.
The technology officer underlined the importance of Kerry’s innovation model, including elements such as: consumer market insight; food and beverage consumer products; product technology and process expertise and applications, to deal with an evolving market.
Patton focused on dealing with weather risks going forward and learning from the extremes of 2018, highlighting a number of key lessons, which were often mentioned by 60 progressive dairy farmers from discussion groups around the country.
These included: building up reserves of forage; optimal stocking rates for farms; and not ignoring small deficits in one’s feed budget early on, among others.
Dineen outlined findings from studies into new insights to the feeding value of grazed pasture, undertaking a detailed observation of dairy cow production based on a variety of different diets to better understand how to complement grass-based systems.
Further talks will be held later in the day as the conference continues.