BEEF2026 Knowledge Hub
All the research and findings from the Beef2026 open day are available in the knowledge hub below. The theme this year was Driving Sustainable Performance.
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Dairy Beef Systems
7 topics
Commercial Beef Value: making genetics work in the dairy-beef system
- Commercial Beef Value (CBV) allows beef farmers to purchase superior calves/store cattle.
Source: Teagasc
The principles of successful calf rearing
- Calf rearing is typically the most costly and labour-intensive stage of grass-based dairy-beef production systems.
Source: Teagasc
Understanding Summer Scour Syndrome
- Summer scour syndrome (SSS) is a novel digestive disorder affecting recently-weaned dairy-bred calves, typically two to six weeks post-turnout to pasture.
Source: Teagasc
Calf health from birth to the end of the first grazing season in dairy-beef systems
- Good health is critical for calves to achieve their genetic potential for growth.
Source: Teagasc
Tipperary dairy calf-to-beef demonstration farm update (Ballyvadin Beef Farm Ltd.)
- The core objectives of the Tipperary dairy calf-to-beef demonstration farm are to demonstrate (i) best practice technologies and management for profitable, sustainable and labour efficient dairy calftobeef production and, (ii) the benefit of dairy-beef integration through contract calf supply.
Source: Teagasc
An analysis of the 2025 Teagasc DairyBeef 500 Profit Monitor results
- Average net margins on Teagasc DairyBeef500 programme farms doubled between 2024 and 2025, reaching €1,465/hectare (excluding direct payments).
Source: Teagasc
Profitable pasture-based dairy-beef systems
- Pasture-based dairy-beef systems have been shown to achieve profits in excess of €1,000 net margin/hectare at both research and commercial farm level.
Source: Teagasc
Suckler Beef Systems
9 topics
Producing the future suckler cow: balanced genetics for profitability and sustainability
- Improving efficiency in Ireland’s suckler herd depends on breeding robust ‘balanced’ cows suited to grass-based systems.
Source: Teagasc
Calving at two years of age: identifying and rearing suitable replacement suckler heifers
- Replacement heifer selection is based on; visual assessment for functional traits, adequate weight-for-age and a ‘balanced’ Eurostar Replacement Index (maternal traits) that complements the breeding goals of the herd.
Source: Teagasc
Strategic use of oestrous synchronisation and timed artificial insemination in beef cattle herds
- Oestrous synchronisation, combined with timed artificial insemination (TAI) offers a powerful tool for herd management and genetic improvement of beef cattle.
Source: Teagasc
Weaning management of beef-suckler calves: health implications
- Weaning causes shortterm immune suppression, making calves more susceptible to respiratory disease.
Source: Teagasc
Infectious disease in the suckler herd
- Disease prevention measures are farm specific and often address multiple risk factors working together.
Source: Teagasc
Information on Bluetongue Virus (BTV) for Irish beef herd owners
- Bluetongue Virus (BTV) is a notifiable viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants, spread by biting midges.
Source: Teagasc
Newford suckler demonstration farm update
- Establishment: Set up in 2015 by Teagasc and Dawn Meats to demonstrate profitable, sustainable, grass-based suckler beef production.
Source: Teagasc
Future Beef 2026: demonstrating the path to profitable sustainable suckler farming
- The Future Beef Programme is Teagasc’s suckler demonstration programme showcasing profitable, sustainable systems.
Source: Teagasc
Suckler beef systems for profitable production
- Across suckler calf-to-beef systems, young bull production resulted in the greatest profit and lowest carbon footprint.
Source: Teagasc
Growing and Finishing
10 topics
First winter nutrition: silage digestibility and concentrate supplementation to maximise compensatory growth
- Grass silage dry matter digestibility is the main driver of winter-feeding strategy.
Source: Teagasc
Nutritional management of finishing beef cattle
- High-digestibility grazed pasture and grass silage reduce concentrate requirements and improve feed efficiency.
Source: Teagasc
Methane-reducing feed additive research in beef cattle
- Enteric methane from ruminal fermentation of ingested feed by cattle and sheep is Ireland’s most abundant agricultural greenhouse gas.
Source: Teagasc
Finishing cattle housing: space allowance and floor type
- Space allowance is a key factor affecting performance, behaviour and welfare of finishing beef cattle.
Source: Teagasc
Health management of purchased weanlings and store cattle
- Repeated animal movements are an inherent feature of Irish beef production systems; good management practices can help minimise impacts on cattle health and growth performance.
Source: Teagasc
Digital approaches for beef carcass characterisation
- The European beef industry is increasingly seeking to adopt automation in meat processing.
Source: Teagasc
Measuring beef quality: from EUROP grid to consumer-driven eating quality and emerging technologies
- The EUROP grid primarily evaluates carcass conformation and fatness, focusing on yield and commercial value rather than eating quality.
Source: Teagasc
Developing premium Irish beef through dry aging and novel processing technologies
- Dry aging enhances beef quality by improving flavour, tenderness, and overall eating quality through a combination of moisture loss, proteolysis and generation of flavour and aroma precursors.
Source: Teagasc
Market outlook for Irish beef and livestock, summer 2026
- Irish cattle prices have fallen by almost €0.70/kg since the beginning of the year and more than €1.00/kg since summer 2025.
Source: Teagasc
Growing-finishing beef cattle: national performance data and growth targets
- Approximately 1.2 million ‘prime’ animals (steers, heifers and young bulls) are finished annually.
Source: Teagasc
Grassland and Forage
10 topics
Lime – increases farm productivity while reducing fertiliser costs
- Correcting soil pH through lime application improves fertiliser efficiency and reduces costs.
Source: Teagasc
Sustainable use of nitrogen fertilisers on cattle farms
- Correcting soil pH will increase soil nitrogen supply by up to 70 kg/hectare /year.
Source: Teagasc
Management of red and white clover in Irish beef grass-based systems
- White clover (mainly for grazing) and red clover (mainly for silage) can reduce the need for fertiliser nitrogen and increase beef cattle performance (+ 0.1 kg/day) but need to be managed correctly to maintain a high sward content.
Source: Teagasc
Benefits of paddock grazing in beef systems
- Increased number of days at grass and high-quality pasture drive performance in beef systems.
Source: Teagasc
Making quality silage on beef farms
- Silage quality or nutritive value is currently lower than cattle requirements on many farms.
Source: Teagasc
Effective reseeding and use of the Pasture Profit Index
- Reseeding is a cost-effective method of increasing herbage production and nutritive value.
Source: Teagasc
Improving water quality in Irish agriculture – A shared responsibility
- Ireland’s response to challenges around water quality is set out under the River Basin Management Plan 2022-2027 whereby ‘areas for action’ have been identified across the country.
Source: Teagasc
Using AgNav to review the performance of the Future Beef suckler demonstration farms
- Progress has been made on Future Beef farms to adopt technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: Teagasc
Soil carbon on agricultural soils
- The Signpost Programme and the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory (NASCO) represent a national carbon monitoring network in Ireland, that aim to improve inventory refinement of soil organic carbon emission factors and land management factors in Ireland.
Source: Teagasc
Producing beef from grass-forage-based systems
- Maximising individual animal growth performance from grazed pasture is a critical component of profitable beef production systems.
Source: Teagasc
Advisory, Education and Opportunities
9 topics
The economic performance and the role for diversification on cattle farms in Ireland
- Irish beef farms demonstrated a competitive position equivalent to the average of all EU-27, based on cash costs of production, with costs as a percent of output equivalent to the EU average.
Source: Teagasc
Teagasc Grange Anaerobic Digestion Programme
- Anaerobic digestion (AD) can promote the circular bioeconomy in Ireland.
Source: Teagasc
Organic beef farming systems research: first insights from the Teagasc National Farm Survey
- Organic farming has expanded rapidly in Ireland in recent years, supported by CAP and national policy.
Source: Teagasc
Organic beef cattle research update
- The largest organic sector in Ireland is beef cattle production.
Source: Teagasc
Farming for the next generation
- European and Irish farming face a pronounced ageing problem.
Source: Teagasc
Education pathways for agriculture and the land-based Sector: Teagasc options for school leavers, adult learners and career changers
- Teagasc provides a range of courses in agriculture, horticulture, equine and forestry - some meet the requirement to become a ''trained farmer''.
Source: Teagasc
Teagasc land-based apprenticeships: earn while you learn
- If you are interested in learning about land-based enterprises and earning a salary while you learn, then check out the four apprenticeship programmes that Teagasc operate.
Source: Teagasc
Staying safe on a beef farm
- In 2025, twenty-five fatal accidents occurred associated with farming. An estimated 4,500 serious accidents take place each year.
Source: Teagasc
An overview of beef cattle farming in Ireland
- Beef farming in Ireland, derived from the progeny and unproductive animals of the suckler and dairy cow herds, makes a crucial contribution to agricultural output and exports.
Source: Teagasc