There will be something of interest to all cattle farmers and those involved in the beef industry at the Teagasc BEEF2022 Open Day on Tuesday, July 5, at the Teagasc, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre in Grange, Co. Meath.
‘Supporting Sustainable Beef Farming’ is the theme for the open day, so there is a strong emphasis on the three aspects of sustainability – economic, social and environmental sustainability.
The focus is on the application of technologies that will help cattle farmers increase the profitability and environmental sustainability of their family farm businesses.
The BEEF2022 Open Day is an opportunity to see first-hand, the results of Teagasc’s comprehensive research and innovation programme and to meet Teagasc research, advisory and education staff.
Information will be presented in themed technology villages at the event.
Technology villages
The villages for the Teagasc ‘Future Beef Programme’ and the ‘DairyBeef500 programme’ will point the way forward for suckler beef systems and dairy calf-to-beef systems respectively. Both are new Knowledge Transfer programmes launched by Teagasc in the last six months, supported by industry partners, and are underpinned by relevant research programmes across the organisation.
The ‘Future Beef Programme’ village will look at cow type, sire selection and calf health and welfare for suckler systems. The results from the Derrypatrick suckler herd in Grange and the Newford suckler demonstration herd in Athenry will be outlined.
The ‘DairyBeef 500’ village will focus on how to improve calf quality, calf rearing and housing, and outline what is happening with the Teagasc Grange dairy calf-to-beef herd.
Farmer participants in both the Future Beef and the DairyBeef500 programmes will be available on the day to share their farming experience.
Environmental sustainability is one of the biggest challenges facing all farmers, not just in Ireland but internationally. Farmers will be able to see how to reduce emissions from their farms, how to maintain and improve water quality and how to take steps on their farm to improve biodiversity.
Pathways to carbon neutrality will be presented and the practical measures that each farmer can adopt to play their part in addressing the climate change challenge.
Through the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) and agricultural catchments programmes, farmers are working with scientists in different parts of the country to implement steps to improve water quality in our water bodies.
The Grassland village will display clover and multi-species pastures and how to establish them and manage them to maintain the diversity in the sward. With fertiliser prices at record levels, the ability of clover plants to provide nitrogen for the grass sward will become increasingly important.
The practical skills of grassland management and budgeting will be demonstrated, along with the latest advice on making high quality silage.
The ‘Growing and Finishing Cattle’ village will highlight grass-based and indoor finishing strategies for cattle. The opportunities to reduce the slaughter age of beef cattle will be explored, and its potential to improve both the profitability of the enterprise and to reduce the carbon footprint of the beef produced.
The Teagasc Knowledge Transfer Directorate will be marketing their Advisory services and Education courses offered. Pathways for a career in agriculture will be presented for young farmers to consider, while information on succession and inheritance will also be available.
On the policy side, the implications of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform for beef farms will be discussed.
Health and safety on beef farms is the priority message for farmers in the ‘Farming Lifestyle’ village. The steps that each individual farmer should take on their own farm to maintain the health and wellbeing of their farming family will be highlighted.
The factors that influence and affect meat quality will be outlined, along with the latest research in this area. The latest information on Grass-fed beef and Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) will be available in the Meat Quality village.
So the Teagasc BEEF2022 Open Day on Tuesday, July 5, at the Teagasc Grange, Co. Meath is not to be missed.
For more information on the open day, click here.
