Salesian Agricultural College will host an open day on Saturday, November 18, to give prospective students an overview of the courses the college has to offer.
Situated on a 550ac farm at Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick, the college offers a wide range of practical training courses and programmes to the over 800 students currently enrolled.
The farm is home to a 460-cow dairy herd, a dairy calf-to-beef enterprise and a flock of 50 mid-season lambing ewes and modern machinery and workshop experiences.
All of these enterprises allow students to put the theory learned in the classroom to use in a practical or hands-on way with sustainability to the fore.
Salesian College offers students a number of courses including:
- Teagasc Level 5 Certificate in Agriculture;
- Teagasc Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (Dairy Herd Management);
- Teagasc Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (Drystock Management);
- Teagasc Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (Mechanisation);
- Teagasc Distance Education Green Cert (For award holders);
- Teagasc part-time Green Cert programme;
- Higher Certificate in Agricultural Mechanisation (TUS);
- Bachelor of Engineering in Agricultural Engineering.
The Green Cert training for adults is offered through the Teagasc Distance Education Green Cert Programme or the Teagasc part-time Green Cert.
Both courses are of 15 months duration and attendance in college is on Saturdays.
The next course begins in February 2024 with applications being accepted from December 1, 2023. More information can be found here.
Hands-on dairy experience
The college is home to a herd of 460 dairy cows, which currently sits within the top 1% of herds for economic breeding index (EBI) in the country.
Grazed under a spring-calving grass-based system, the dairy herd has an average EBI of €197 and consists of a mixture of Friesian and some Jersey-cross cows.
The dairy platform, which is laid out in 8ha paddocks, grew an average of 14.3t of dry matter (DM)/ha in 2022 and so far this year, has grown 14.7t DM/ha.
The students who attend Salesian Agricultural College will be trained in grass measuring and budgeting; a weekly grass budget is prepared using PastureBase as well as all farm management requirements.
Sustainability at Salesian college
Salesian Agricultural College – Pallaskenry is a national leader in the demonstration and adoption of practices that employ science-based solutions to support agriculture production in sustainable manner.
All straight nitrogen is applied as protected urea and this has been the case for the last four years.
Soil sampling is done annually, with the January 2023 analysis indicating 98.6% of the farm at or above a pH of 6.2.
Soil fertility is good with 98% of the farm medium to high for phosphorus (index 3 and 4) with the remainder low (index 2).
93% of the farm is medium to high for potassium (index 3 and 4) with the remainder low (index 2).
- All slurry is applied using Low Emissions Slurry Spreading (LESS), with a large percentage applied in the spring. This has been the practice for the last four years;
- Lower applications of N during the main growing season has allowed a lowering of total N use. This year, an almost 10% saving was achieved, with enough N left to cover the first application in spring 2023;
- Weekly grass measuring and the use of Pasturebase is resulting in over 15t/ha grass DM being grown annually;
- An annual herd health plan drawn up with the farm vet as well as Sensehub health and heath detection collars, as well as regular locomotion scoring is leading to healthy productive herd;
- Herd EBI is €225 with the 2022 and 2023 females at an average of €262 and €281 respectively;
- Milk solids (ms) are increasing annually as the herd matures, delivering 461kg ms/cow in 2022, with 10 in seven milking implemented from mid-July until drying off;
- All heifers calve at an average of 24 months and all replacements in the ewe flock lamb as ewe lambs at 12 months-of-age;
- Earlier finishing of beef cattle by selecting bulls based on the DBI (Dairy Beef Index) and using all AI;
- The percentage of clover in grassland is being increased through a combination of reseeding and oversowing clover into existing swards.
Agricultural mechanics
The mechanisation courses on offer are recognised widely within the industry as the most practical hands-on courses on offer.
The course content, experienced staff, student projects and placement with some of the best hosts in the industry makes the courses in Pallaskenry unique.
If you want a career in the mechanisation industry, then be sure to come to our open day.
New developments for Salesian college
The Farm Technician Apprenticeship is a two-year programme where apprentices will be in full-time employment with an approved SOLAS employer (farmer employer).
Apprentices will attend college for a total of eight weeks in each year of their two-year training programme. On successful completion, the apprentice will be fully competent in the role of a Farm Technician and will have ‘Trained Farmer’ status.
This is an alternative training option to the two-year full-time college programme that will continue to be offered.
The AGCO Technical Qualification Programme Ireland, in collaboration with AGCO and the Technical University of Shannon, is Ireland’s only manufacturer-led technical qualification programme.
AGCO’s commitment to the future of farming will see aspiring Irish agricultural technicians attain a Level 6 Higher Certificate in Engineering and Agricultural Mechanisation and progress into positions within the AGCO dealer network across Ireland.
This programme had its first intake of students in September 2023.
Meanwhile, our drystock enterprise (beef and sheep) starts organic conversion on January 1, 2024.
The conversion of the drystock enterprise to an organic system offers students learning experiences that will demonstrate an environmentally, socially and financially sustainable farming system.
There will be key learnings from this system of production that will be applicable to all students.
The college will host an open day on Saturday, November 18, at the Salesian Agricultural College, Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick.
The open day will run from 10:00a.m to 2:00p.m with tours of the campus taking place throughout the day.
For more information click here.
