Teagasc will be present in various areas across the event, including information on Teagasc Advisory. The focus of the Advisory stand at this year’s Tullamore Show is 'From Cow to Table, Nature’s Way'.

This year’s theme of the Teagasc Advisory stand at Tullamore Show is to showcase the positive contribution the cow can make to feeding the nation in a sustainable way.

There will be a range of products, both obvious and novel on display that are sustainably derived from the grass-fed cow, her milk, her meat, and by-products.

The advisory staff will be on hand at the stand located at L102 to answer any queries on the advice, training, and broad range of supports Teagasc provides.

In Ireland, organic farming is enjoying increasing interest from farmers in recent years with 5,700 farmers now farming approximately 5.6% of the utilisable agricultural area, according to Teagasc.

Organic farming can suit all systems, regardless of soil type or location and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has provided a financial incentive for organic farmers via the Organic Farming Scheme.

This is a five-year stand-alone scheme and supports farmers with per hectare payments as well as a participation payment.

To discuss if organic farming is an option for your farm, what the key factors to consider are, and what steps are involved when converting to organics, advisers from the Teagasc Organic Team will be in the NOTS (National Organic Training Skillnet) Organic Village at Tullamore Show.

The dedicated Forest and Energy Section has been a popular attraction at Tullamore Show since 2005 and has been coordinated by the Teagasc Forestry Development Department.

Teagasc forestry advisers will be on hand to discuss all aspects of forestry, especially in relation to forest creation and management of existing forests.

Teagasc research staff will also be there to discuss the applied projects that they are currently undertaking. On the day, there will be opportunities to engage with Teagasc at its dedicated stand and explore the many interactive props and information boards that will be on display.

The forest industry will be represented with companies from the afforestation, management, harvesting, and products sectors.

The Renewable Energy sector will also be well represented by companies from the biomass, renewable heating and solar energy sectors.

The Sustainable Livestock Village will see key agencies such as DAFM, Teagasc, Bord Bia, Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), Animal Health Ireland (AHI), Meat industry Ireland (MII), and Dairy Industry Ireland (DII) working together to deliver clear, practical advice to farmers in relation to sustainability practices that can be adopted on their farm.

Teagasc is once again partner in the Sustainable Livestock Village at Tullamore Show.

The Teagasc advisory and specialist team will showcase technologies that farmers can adopt to improve the environmental sustainability of their farms and improve their beef and lamb production.

This includes a demonstration of AgNav, the online platform that provides farmers with support to identify mitigation strategies for their farm to deliver on climate action.

This year, the Teagasc focus is on three areas:

Improving soil fertility using lime to correct soil pH;
Improving silage quality to drive animal performance;
Reducing the age of finish for beef cattle.

Videos of some of the award-winning farmers in the Teagasc/FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards will also be displayed and discussed.

Staff from both Teagasc and the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) will be available to discuss measures farmers can adopt to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and improve water quality respectively.

The Teagasc Biodiversity Display will also feature at the Sustainable Livestock Village and comprises Ireland’s native flora and fauna which are found on farmland.

Teagasc said that if we want to retain native wildlife in the Irish countryside, we need to allow space for nature on farms and maintain habitats to allow farming and nature thrive side-by-side.

The display also demonstrates Best Practice Management of the two hedge types in Ireland - treeline hedges and topped hedges – both of which are important for biodiversity and carbon.

The display this year will also include an archaeological exhibit from the Farming Rathcroghan Project (former EIP, now funded by Just Transition) to include Built Heritage with Natural Heritage on farms.

The following is the schedule of talks taking place in the Sustainable Village Speakers Corner: 

11:00a.m: Reducing your carbon footprint;

12:00p.m: Does younger finishing make sense?;

1:00p.m: Protecting water quality on your farm;

2:00p.m: Developing a sustainability plan for your farm;

3:00p.m: Nurturing nature.