The 2024 Farming for a Better Future Teagasc open day focused on building resilience on farms and farming in a more sustainable and efficient way.
The open day took place yesterday (Tuesday, July 16) at the Teagasc Environment, Soils and Land Use Research Centre at Johnstown Castle in Co. Wexford.
Minister of State at the Department of Justice, James Browne opened the event at the first stand.
On the day, the key benchmarks and key performance indicators (KPIs) for sustainable farming systems, and how Irish farms can reach these were discussed.
Teagasc director, Prof. Frank O’Mara said: “Teagasc has identified the technologies and farming practices that are important to help farms to become more resilient in the face of a changing climate.
“Technology will play a very big role in meeting the challenges, and there is a large research programme at Johnstown Castle and other Teagasc centres to develop and adapt the technologies.”
All the latest research and advice to support farmers on their journey to more sustainable farming were displayed. There were many actions for sustainable and resilient farm systems that could be adopted on to your farm operation.
Teagasc open day
Topics such as soil health; soil fertility; soil carbon sequestration; biodiversity, gaseous emissions and water quality were discussed at the open day.
Acting head of the Teagasc Environment, Soils and Land Use Research Centre, Dr. Karen Daly said: “All of the actions are scientifically robust, to give farmers the confidence for adoption out on their own farms.”
Among the stands on the day were focus areas, as follows:
- Livestock production systems;
- Greenhouse gas emissions;
- Reducing nitrogen fertiliser use;
- Carbon farming and sequestration;
- Water quality;
- Biodiversity.
All of these stands focused in on the theme on the day of trying to incorporate these focus areas to build a resilient and sustainable farming system.
Enterprise Leader at Johnstown Castle, Dr. David Wall said:
“We are asking each farmer to identify and implement the best solution for their farm business from a range of possible measures and look at the supports available from the Teagasc Advisory Service and other professionals.
“When we talk about resilience, it also applies to things like ensuring you have enough fodder for the winter and extra buffer, that is building resilience.”
Emissions
Continued improvements in grazing management, breeding of efficient animals, reducing the age of slaughter and increasing home-grown feed supplementation will lead to further reductions in emissions.
In addition to these proven technologies for improving livestock production systems, newly emerging technologies are being tested for Irish systems such as feed additives for reducing biogenic methane.
The target of a 25% greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target will be “extremely challenging” according to Dr. Daly and the recent emissions increase will have to be reversed.
Dr. Wall said on the day that “We need to measure to manage and turn these challenges into opportunities.”
The breeding of lower methane emitting animals in future, hold the potential to reduce emission further over time, which was highlighted by Teagasc dairy specialist, Stuart Childs at the Teagasc open day.
Water quality
Agriculture has a significant role to play in helping achieve good water quality targets and the Teagasc Better Farming for Water campaign has a clear objective to reduce nutrient and sediment loss to water.
This is done through its 8-Actions for change focusing on nutrient management, farmyard management and land management.
Good nutrient management planning is a major corner stone to reducing diffuse nutrient losses.
We need to reduce purchased N and P surplus per hectare, along with getting our soil fertility at optimal levels among many other actions to be taken.
It was made clear on the day that every farmer can play a role in protecting and improving water quality by focusing on the 8-Actions for change.
Head of environment knowledge transfer, Pat Murphy told attendees that there is “a wide range of supports to help us farm in a more sustainable way and you need to ask yourself what your priorities are and of the 80 stands here, pick one or two that suits you and your farm”.
“There is an overlap in challenges, so by choosing one action to implement on your farm, it will impact another,” Murphy added.