The 2013 Teagasc National Liquid Milk Conference and farm tour kicks of tomorrow in Navan, County Meath. This year’s event will include a morning seminar in the Ardboyne Hotel Navan, followed by an afternoon visit to the farm of Kevin Meade, Stackallen, Slane.
A range of topics will be discussed during the morning seminar. These will include cash planning; liquid milk and getting the basics right, from farm to fridge and high quality grass silage. Speakers will also be talking about the facts on feeding fibre at grass indoors, and for dry cows and farm business, among many other subjects.
Joe Patton, liquid milk specialist with Teagasc, told Agriland, “It will be for farmers and those involved in the wider industry.”
“Dairy quotas will be a major issue to be discussed,” he says. “As it stands for the average liquid milk supplier, around 50% of their production is for fresh consumption. In the new context there may be significant expansion which will dilute the proportion of fresh milk. Many farmers will have to look at their whole system to take advantage of the quota abolition. We will be asking what liquid milk production will look like in the context of expanded industry because it does create issues on how dairy farmers run their business.”
A number of industry leaders will be speaking at the event including: Zoe Kavanagh, CEO National Dairy Council; Padraig O’Kiely, Eva Lewis and Joe Patton all of Teagasc and Pat Butterly of AIB Drogheda.
The afternoon session will include a review of host farm system and targets. Practical aspects of management for winter milking herds will also be highlighted. Areas such as balancing energy and protein in the winter milking diet, decision rules for grazing liquid milk herds and submission rate- the key to improving calving will be discussed.
The conference which is sponsored by AIB starts at 10.30 am in the Ardboyne Hotel. For more information please see www.teagasc.ie/events or contact [email protected]. Agriland will be giving a full report from the event as it happens.