FARM FOCUS
Issue 88 – September 2024
In my first communication to you in Farm Focus as your Co-op’s CEO, I would like to say how honoured I am to have taken on this role in recent weeks.
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish my former colleague, Jim Bergin, all the best for the future as he retires after 40 years with our Co-op.
As previously mentioned, we will be hosting Tirlán supplier open days at our Ballyragget plant on September 24 and 25.I would like to encourage as many of you as possible to join us. The open days will give you an opportunity to find out more about the facility and enjoy a guided tour.
You will be able to meet with the teams throughout the open days to see the process involved in transforming the milk you supply into award-winning brands, nutritional and functional dairy ingredients that are enjoyed across the globe.
Online pre-registration is required and more information is available on our TirlánFarmLife website and on the back page of this Farm Focus edition.
Challenging Year
We’re past the mid-year point and so far 2024 has proven to be an extremely challenging year for farming. As you are only too well aware, there have been many challenges on farm with weather, the high-cost environment and difficulties sourcing additional labour. The wider macroeconomic environment has also proven difficult, with global uncertainty and disruption in policy, supply chains, energy and commodity markets.
We are very conscious of the high-cost environment on farms and our focus is on working to deliver the best possible returns from the marketplace for our milk and grains.
In recent weeks, we have seen an increase in prices paid with tighter global supply and poorer milk constituent levels across Europe
helping to lift butter and cream prices. This has translated into an uplift in the base price paid for milk supplied in July.
Supports
A number of support initiatives have been undertaken so far this year, with strong uptake of our most recent €30 per tonne GAIN dairy feed rebate to help our farmers in maintaining their constituents and to build and protect fodder stocks for the coming winter.
Milk supply continues to be back, compared with last year, and at this point, we expect supply to be down by 3 to 5% for the full year.
We are now in a different era and as an organisation we are looking at different ways to add value to our milk to ensure we maximise returns.
The teams are working hard as the commissioning of the new Kilkenny Cheese facility continues, with the aim of bringing our milk pool to new markets through our continental cheese varieties.
International
The Ingredients Commercial team have had a very busy year to date, with several senior customer meetings conducted in market in Europe, China, Japan and the US. We have also welcomed many strategic customers to Abbey Quarter and to the Innovation Centre in Ballyragget for ideation and innovation sessions.
We have participated in Trade Shows in Dubai, Geneva, and Shanghai focusing on promoting our range of value-add solutions and continuing to build the Tirlán brand in global markets. We worked with our key dairy customer Diageo to develop a new oat-based Baileys product which has launched in Germany with great success and will now roll out to further global markets.
The International Consumer Commercial team’s volumes are up 20% year-over-year in Asia and robust sales growth has been seen in the U.S. driven by the TGF brand. The TGF brand is now available in over 6,190 stores, with distribution continuing to expand. We’ve successfully launched Truly Family Farms and the Truly Gluten-Free premium Oat Drink range in this market.
Growth continues across the Middle East, Malaysia and Korea in Southeast Asia. We have welcomed numerous strategic customers and media representatives to Abbey Quarter and the Innovation Centre in Ballyragget for information and innovation sessions.
Cost Reduction
As announced earlier this year, Tirlán is continuing to deliver on its cost reduction programme. All businesses, be they family farms or globally-trading cooperatives, must continuously assess costs. Tirlán is no different. Our cost reduction programme to manage overheads in key areas is continuing.
Nitrates Derogation
Over the summer months, we have continued to work at every level to ensure we highlight the importance of maintaining our Nitrates Derogation and put our best foot forward to do so.
Work is continuing around our Farming for Water: River Slaney project and our advisory team are working with our farmers in our Slaney catchment and across our entire region to assess any measures that can be undertaken to further improve water quality on our farms.
Fodder Reserves
With evenings drawing in, we again ask that you plan for the winter ahead, that you ensure you have adequate fodder reserves. In this edition of Farm Focus there is a strong emphasis on securing fodder for the winter and we encourage you to take action now. Anyone requiring assistance should contact their local Milk Supply Manager.
We look forward to meeting with you in Ballyragget in September and ask that you continue to farm safely.
Tirlán’s stand at the Food Ingredients China trade show, the largest ingredients show in Asia
Seán Molloy CEO, Tirlán
Seán Molloy, CEO
MARKETS UPDATE
Dairy commodity prices remain relatively stable during the summer lull
By Paula O’Dwyer, Senior Business Intelligence Manager, Tirlán
Dairy markets are seasonally quiet, having experienced an increase in butterfat prices in May. The big driver of market dynamics in the coming months will be the ramp-up in southern hemisphere production.
The most recent Global Dairy Trade (GDT) events been generally lower on seasonally increasing offer volumes.
Chinese imports have been weaker than expected, despite a slowdown in their own domestic milk production. Milk prices continue to fall, which suggests a continuing oversupply of powders in the market.
Imports from other regions such as Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines) and MENA (Saudi Arabia, UAE) have performed well in the first half of 2024. This may indicate some stocking up of product earlier in the year.
Geopolitical risks remain high with on-going war in Ukraine, China threatening to levy additional tariffs on European dairy in retaliation for EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and US elections.
Moderate global milk production growth is forecast in 2024. Global milk supply has been constrained. Constituent levels of fat and protein in milk have struggled in Europe in recent months due to weather and feed issues.
US milk production continues to track below last year, with a number of factors impacting including HPAI avian flu, shortage of heifers, hot weather.
New Zealand milk production season is ramping up with weather a key variable in milk performance.
Milk prices have been increasing and with feed costs moving lower, margins have improved in the Northern Hemisphere. This should drive some milk production growth in the second half of 2024.
European butterfat and cheddar outlook remains robust on tight availability and solid demand. SMP remains flat with quiet end-user demand. Proteins such as caseins and whey proteins are firm.
TIRLÁN SUPPORTS EMBRACE FARM WITH €5,000 DONATION
Tirlán and its farmers have donated €5,000 to Embrace FARM to support their work helping families affected by farm accidents.
It’s the third consecutive year that Tirlán has provided financial support to the charity which was founded by Tirlán suppliers, Brian and Norma Rohan.
Accepting the donation, Catherine Kenneally said: "Embrace FARM supports farm families who are affected by sudden death or serious injury. Since its establishment in 2014, the organisation has supported almost 500 families from across the island of Ireland, providing both emotional and practical support so they can get the help they need how and when they need it most.
“Funding received from organisations like Tirlán means we can continue to grow and provide our services to at least an additional 50 families for 2024. In addition, it will help spread the word about what we do through targeted media campaigns with a national reach of approximately 15,000,000 by the end of the year through all media channels."
Tirlán Chairperson, John Murphy, said health and safety on farms is something that farmers and Tirlán work hard to prioritise. However, unfortunately families are impacted by both accidents and injuries on farm.
“We are proud to be able to support Embrace FARM on behalf of our farm families. The charity carries out important work, offering vital support and resources to farm families affected by accidents.
They always go the extra mile to provide counselling, advocacy, and community assistance. We feel it is important to back such a worthy cause that makes a real difference."
Embrace FARM was founded in 2014 and now helps over 400 families. To get in touch with Embrace Farm contact info@embracefarm.com or call 085 7709966 / 057 8510555
Pictured at the handover of the donation were Corporate Affairs Director at Tirlán, Pat O’ Keeffe; Embrace FARM Business Development Manager, Catherine Kenneally and Tirlán Chairperson, John Murphy
Tirlán unveils new Governance Academy
Tirlán has unveiled a new Governance Academy as part of our ongoing work to build a diverse and vibrant farmer representative structure for the future. The new, bespoke educational programme will set even higher standards for governance excellence for our farmer-owned co-operative.
Tirlán Chairperson, John Murphy, highlighted the important role the new Governance Academy will take in helping to build a deeper knowledge of the Tirlán organisation for the future.
“We’ve launched the Governance Academy to provide our members with the tools and knowledge they need to excel in their governance roles to represent their fellow farmers. By investing in the Governance Academy, we are strengthening our foundation for sustainable growth and innovation.
“It will offer educational opportunities for members that wish to fulfil governance roles within the representative structure and it follows the endorsement by Members last year for a series of proposals to enhance and modernise our Co-op, delivering greater gender-balance and involvement of our younger farmers.”
The exciting new collaboration between Tirlán, University College Cork (UCC) and the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) represents Tirlán’s latest step in fostering a culture of responsible governance and leadership excellence.
The Governance Academy is structured in Tiers which will facilitate a gradual entry / re-entry to study and encompass development up to and including Board level. It will provide the opportunity to achieve academic awards accredited by UCC.
The first intake of 25 farmers includes non-shareholders, primarily sons and daughters of existing shareholder suppliers. They were chosen from among over 100 expressions of interest for the inaugural programme.
The course involves a blend of in-person workshops, online webinars, interactive case studies and expert-led discussions to deliver a dynamic and engaging learning experience that encompasses key aspects of co-op governance.
Participants will also have access to industry-leading experts, thought leaders and peer networking opportunities, providing invaluable insights and perspectives on governance challenges and opportunities facing the dairy and grains sector.
Anne-Marie Doheny, Tirlán dairy farmer, said: “I’m delighted to be involved in Tirlán’s Governance Academy as I have recently joined my local regional committee, North Kilkenny. As both a dairy farmer and a lecturer in Agriculture, I know first-hand the power of education not only to develop knowledge and personal confidence but also to build a social connection amongst my peers. As one of the 11,000 shareholders that own Tirlán, I can’t wait to learn more about my Co-op.”
Pictured at the Tirlán Collaboration Hub in Abbey Quarter Kilkenny are Tirlán Representative Structure Committee Member Brendan Hayes; Former CEO, Jim Bergin; Milk Supplier, Anne Marie Doheny; Chairperson, John Murphy and Head of Talent Management, Karen O’Brien
Farming in derogation and achieving good water quality
Over 300 farmers attended the Tirlán and Teagasc ‘Farming for the Future’ water quality event on the farm of Donal & Fiona Kavanagh, near Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow. The event offered farmers action-focused advice and showed the significant efforts that farmers are undertaking to stabilise and improve water quality in their region.
It is part of Tirlán’s collaborative ‘Farming for Water: River Slaney’ project with Teagasc and the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) that is working to improve water quality and assist Ireland in putting the best possible case forward for retention of the Nitrates Derogation.
The event heard that a focus on nutrient use efficiency (NUE) on farm can deliver higher output at a lower cost. Teagasc Director Dr. Frank O’Mara highlighted that it is possible to farm in derogation at the current 220kg of organic nitrogen (N) per hectare (N/ha) and deliver good water quality.
Dr. Lisa (Elisabeth) Koep, Chief ESG Officer, said the turnout for the event on Donal Kavanagh’s farm showcases how focused the farmer-owned cooperative’s suppliers are on improving water quality, while also improving the economic sustainability of their farms.
“Farmers are truly committed to making the changes on their farms to address water quality challenges. Events like this are taking place all over the country and are hugely important. It showcases to all of the stakeholders that we are committed as an industry to improving our water quality.”
Agri Aware welcome over 3,000 people to Open Farm Event on Tirlán supplier farm
Agri Aware welcomed over 3,000 people to its Open Farm event on Tirlán suppliers, the Byrne family farm, in Co. Kildare across two days.
Stephen and Aine Byrne's dairy farm just outside Monasterevin was the location for this year’s event which saw people far and wide travel to learn about Irish agriculture and where they food they consume comes from.
Stephen and Aine said the schools day was of utmost importance to them, as no textbook will educate the next generation better on where their food comes from than seeing it in person and hearing about its production from industry experts.
The school’s day on Friday 14 June welcomed 450 primary school students from Kildare and Dublin, offering them a first-hand look at sustainable dairy farming.
The general public day saw just over 2,550 attend who were treated to a self-guided tour of the farm, cookery, milking and shearing demos, panel discussions, a machinery display, games for the children, tasty food and complementary Mooju milk drinks supplied by Tirlán.
Most importantly, attendees got a 360° of Irish agriculture on the day, seeing first hand where the food they consume originates from and how it is being produced in a sustainable manner on a farm that prides itself on the environmental measures it is implementing.
Speaking at the conclusion of the event, Agri Aware Chairman Shay Galvin said: “The schools day allowed primary schools children to get an understanding of just that and show them that it is on their doorstep – which can be forgotten about sometimes by many young and old."
“I’d like to further thank our sponsors The Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, The National Dairy Council, the Irish Farmers’ Association and Tirlán for their continued support of this event and all our patrons who contributed to the success of the event."
done to the team at Agri Aware for organising such a successful event and to Stephen and Áine Byrne for opening their farm to the public. This event exemplified our shared commitment to promoting agricultural literacy and connecting consumers with the origins of their food.
Well
Scan here to read more. #hereforgood
Pictured at the event on the Kavanagh farm were Sandra Hayes of Teagasc; Jim Bergin, Tirlán, and host farmer, Donal Kavanagh
A selection of the farm family suppliers gathered at information boards for the event
Pictured at the event were Dr. Frank O' Mara, Teagasc; Dr. Lisa Koep, Teagasc; Bill Callanan, Department of Agriculture; host farmer, Donal Kavanagh; Gerard O'Reilly, ICMSA; Mary Gurrie, EPA, and Tadhg Buckley, IFA.
Above: Joris Somers, Animal Health & Hygiene Manager, Tirlán, showing an aspiring young dairy farmer how to apply milking machine clusters to the demonstration model
Below: Pictured at the Avonmore Milk Bar are Marypaula Kelly and Caroline Brindley, Tirlán Corporate Affairs, with Larry Hannon, Tirlán Board Member
Left: Tirlán milk supplier and farm owner Stephen Byrne with Tirlán Board members Larry Hannon and John Murphy, Marcus O’Halloran (Agri Aware), Jim Mulhall, (IFA & Agri Aware) and Pat O'Keeffe (Tirlán).
High level of interest in FarmGen Solar PV
The FarmGen Programme team have been out and about, meeting farm family suppliers and held a number of Showcase events on farms in recent weeks. The information events were hosted on John Broderick’s farm in Waterford, Eddie Lanigan’s farm in Kilkenny and Michael & Conor Broderick’s farm in Laois, in conjunction with Tirlán’s project partners, PV Generation.
There was a high level of interest and interaction from farmers attending these events where the team demonstrated how FarmGen's Industry-leading programme is delivering both financial and energy savings across our family farms, while also delivering on Tirlán's Living Proof sustainability ambitions.
PV Generation delivered a great insight into all aspects of TAMS 3 grants, ESB connections and system sizing. The team was proud to note that the superior quality of PV Generations workmanship and installations were called out by farmers in attendance at all three events.
Roisin McManus from the Sustainability team spoke about the various measures in Tirlán's Sustainable Action Payment programme and assisted members attending in declaring their actions on the day.
Further FarmGen events will take place over the coming months and further details of these and handy information will be shared in weekly FarmLife ezines and across our social media channels.
For more info on FarmGen, please visit FarmGen.ie
Agri Show Highlights
This summer, Tirlán was proud to participate in several key agricultural shows, including the Bannow & Rathangan Show, Clonmel Show, Tinahely Show, Tullamore Show, Virginia Show and Iverk Show.
These events were not only an opportunity to showcase our products and services, but also provided a vital platform for our team to engage directly with our valued customers and shareholders.
Our Tirlán Business Managers and Milk Quality Managers were on hand to welcome visitors to our stand at the various shows, offering hospitality and facilitating one-on-one discussions. These interactions are invaluable as they allow us to gather insights and feedback directly from the people who are at the heart of our business.
Our Chairperson, John Murphy, and Board Member, Brendan Hayes, also had the opportunity to meet with Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, TD, at the Bannow & Rathangan and Tinahely Show. They took this opportunity to discuss and reinforce pressing issues facing our milk suppliers and customers, including concerns around Derogation.
On Sunday, August 11th, the Tirlán Twenty20 Beef Club team was proud to attend the Tullamore Show, which attracted over 60,000 attendees. The event provided a fantastic platform for our team to engage with the farming community directly and highlight the benefits of our innovative Calf-to-Beef programme.
Twenty20 Beef Club Programme Manager, Ross Brady, along with Business Development Executives, Kieran Bowe and Michelle Ward, had the honour of welcoming Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, to the Twenty20 Beef Club stand. During his visit, they discussed the fully integrated Calf-to-Beef Club, a key initiative that supports farmers in developing sustainable beef businesses.
Twenty20 Beef Club is helping to reshape the future of Irish beef production. The programme offers farmers access to leading genetics, which are crucial for producing high-quality beef efficiently. By focusing on shorter supply chains, the Club is also able to offer market-leading pricing, ensuring that farmers receive fair value for their efforts. Additionally, the programme provides robust technical support, helping farmers to adopt best practices and improve their operations sustainably.
A sample of the crowd assembled at one of the events
A sample of one of the rooftop FarmGen systems
Pictured on the Tirlán stand at the Bannow & Rathangan Show were Tirlán Board Member, Brendan Hayes; Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, TD and Tirlán Chairperson, John Murphy
Twenty20 Beef Club Programme Manager Ross Brady, Business Development Executives Kieran Bowe and Michelle Ward pictured with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, TD
Pictured at the Tinahely Show were Chris Fox, Tirlán Milk Supplier; John Murphy, Chairperson, Tirlán; Taoiseach, Simon Harris; Caroline Brindley Tirlán Communications Manager and Brian Brennan, Fine Gael
MILK QUALITY SEASONAL REMINDERS
by Fionnuala Malone, SCC Programme Manager
SCC Management
Autumn calving herds SCC
• Milk record before drying off cows;
• Dry off cows to give them at least 6 – 8 weeks of a dry period;
• Milk record once calved down within 60 days. This will help you work out if your dry cow management has been successful.
Spring calving herds
• Aim to milk record twice before drying off so you will have your baseline information on what cows are high in SCC and those that are low for drying off;
• Identify now cows that would benefit from a longer dry period –thin underconditioned cows, or cows with a high SCC.
CellCheck Top 500
Our 2023 winners have been notified – please return your consent forms as soon as possible.
Thermodurics
• Check your wash routine;
• Increase acid washing to deal with scale build-up;
• Water temperatures should be 55ºC at dumping and 75 – 80ºC when washing. Having lukewarm hot water will lead to build up of milk residue and scale;
• When acid washing , do short sharp washes of approx. 8 minutes long. Any longer and the water gets cool and the mineral build ups will redeposit on the pipework;
• You need at least three acid washes a week. Descaling once a week is not enough to keep the machine consistently clean. Ideally do an acid and detergent wash every day for best results;
• Check out our online video resources on our Tirlán FarmLife YouTube channel. This video features Lorna Twomey (Teagasc) https://bit.ly/3SDWufV and our full video resource playlist for Thermoduric investigations is available on http://bit.ly/3AeLIXb
Thermodurics- prevention and control
• Check your detergent drums are full;
• Check detergent hoses haven’t built up crystals;
• Use the strongest possible products;
• Check that your bulk tank has enough gas and is working well. Warm, humid weather puts it under pressure.
General
• Watch for symptoms of lead poisoning / botulism in autumn, especially where ground is being reseeded or tilled near the milking herd;
• Return your DAFM Animal Health Certificate to the Milk Office;
• Notify your Milk Supply manager of any disease outbreaks such as TB;
• Complete your Bord Bia audit in time to avoid losing certification.
Clodagh Sherman – farming in Laois on the family farm and also working with Munster Bovine.
“I have been working as a Milk Recording Coordinator and in 2019, we ventured into dairy farming and established our dairy herd. This year we decided to milk record for the first time as we have been aiming to improve our milk quality and put a greater emphasis on SCC.
"The milk recording process was very simple – we chose the electronic do it yourself (EDIY) method because we have no sampling equipment in our milking parlour. This involves an EDIY Technician dropping the meters and equipment on farm which gives us time to get set up and carry out the recording ourselves."
Milk Recording - The Future
The future of milk recording is changing with the potential for new technology to make the process easier. Changes in DAFM veterinary legislation also reinforce the need to milk record. The advantages are proven; the data gleaned helps encourage both higher adoption rates and gives better data on individual cows.
Why and when to milk record?
When you record for the first time you will be able to immediately identify cows that have problems, including cows that were under the radar but have high SCC and low components. Every time you milk record you learn more about individual cows.
When is the right time to milk record? It’s always the perfect time!
Carrying extra cows puts pressure on fodder stocks and stocking rates. You can use your milk recording to make better decisions on which cows are not as profitable as others. This is useful for breeding replacements, and to select which cows to keep longest in the herd. Milk recording also quickly highlights which cows have increased in SCC since the last recording, and those that are not improving despite treatment. It also isolates the cows that contribute the most to the bulk tank SCC level.
DAFM Veterinary Legislation
Selective dry cow treatment is a key strategy for all farmers to engage with to reduce blanket antibiotic use. This means selectively identifying individual cows in need of antibiotic treatment at drying off, and using teat sealer only to dry off those cows lacking evidence of mastitis.
Key DAFM veterinary legislation means that you must have individual cow information for your vet to accurately prescribe dry cow antibiotics. Milk recording gives you and your vet the most accurate information to make the right decisions.
Contact details
Progressive Genetics Milk Recording: 046 954 0606
Munster Bovine Milk Recording: 022 43228
Dairy Data Milk Recording (North Tipperary based): 087 6064344
Kevin O’Neill – Progressive Genetics
"As we head towards the back end of the year the third round of Milk recordings are well underway. For farmers who have already completed their third recording, a date for your fourth recording should be booked in with your recorder.
"For those of you still waiting to complete a second or third recording please contact your recorder so a schedule can be set out that will help you achieve your four tests before dry off.
"By completing four tests you will have fulfilled your requirement for the sustainability bonus should you have selected milk recording. You also require four tests to be eligible for an annual report once all cows have been dried off. Finally, the four tests will provide you and your veterinary practitioner with individual cow information to make informed decisions around drying off, including which cows to select for Selective dry cow therapy.”
Time to declare your actions to receive the
Sustainability
Action Payment in 2025
Secure your Sustainability Action Payment for 2025 by logging on to www.tirlanfarmlife.com and declaring your sustainability actions today.
Dairy suppliers in the Republic of Ireland are requested to declare seven on-farm sustainability actions, from a menu of 20 options. A number of changes have been introduced to the Sustainability Action Payment programme to enhance both the benefits for on-farm economics and for the environment.
• The purchase of Protected Urea now represents double or two of the seven actions required to receive the full payment.
• In addition, Participation in a Genotyping Programme and the Water Quality EIP Programme are two new measures introduced as options to help suppliers enhance on-farm performance.
Milk suppliers who have not yet logged onto www.tirlanfarmlife.com and declared their on-farm sustainable actions, are asked to click on the “My Farm” section on Tirlán FarmLife and declare their sustainability actions, to continue to receive their 0.5 cent per litre (including VAT) Sustainability Action Payment in 2025.
€1,000 education bursary available for
Co-op
family members
The Sustainable Farming Academy joint initiative between Tirlán, Baileys and University College Cork has seen incredible success over the past three years, with the Level 7 Diploma in Environment, Sustainability and Climate course oversubscribed every single year.
The success of the Sustainable Farming Academy Diploma is supported by a student-focused bursary aimed at assisting Tirlán farm family members who are interested in pursuing a Degree course in agriculture.
Bursary
This initiative offers a bursary of €1,000 to eligible candidates beginning their Degree studies in Agricultural Science in either UCD, UCC, Dundalk Institute of Technology or South East Technological University. It provided financial assistance to those who are passionate about sustainable farming and looking to further their education in this field.
Tirlán Members interested in being considered for a bursary are encouraged to submit an expression of interest and also a personal statement on behalf of their family member beginning their studies.
The content of the personal statement is important, as it will be used to guide eligibility. Eligible candidates will be entered into a randomised draw based on the college they are attending The closing date for bursary applications is 31st October 2024. Bursary winners will be announced in November 2024.
If you have any queries or difficulties with this form, please contact Matthew Moylan matmoylan@tirlan.ie or Caroline Brindley cbrindley@tirlan.ie
Pictured at the Sustainable Farming Academy event were this year's Bursary Award winners, Michael Ryan, Sinead Cusack and Joshua Mills along with Seán Molloy, CEO, Tirlán; Aine Kavanagh, Marketing Manager, Baileys Global Brand Team at DIAGEO; Aisling Gorman, Global Sustainability Marketing Director at Baileys and John Murphy, Chairperson, Tirlán
Demonstration Video 2024 Brochure
SOIL NUTRIENT FOCUS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR
By Sandra Hayes, Coordinator of the Teagasc Tirlán Future Farm Programme
Ever since the Minister for Agriculture announced there would be no change in fertiliser allowances during 2024, a lot of farmers have been contacting their advisors to review their fertiliser allowances.
Farmers that have a nutrient management plan/fertiliser plan/ derogation plan will know their chemical fertiliser limits in regards to Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash. These plans use the data from soil samples taken from the farm, plus the stocking rate on the farm and the application of all slurries/FYM spread back on the farm to work out what level of chemical fertiliser is allowed to be spread.
When these plans are followed, it concentrates the missing nutrients so that the target soil indexes reach index 3 or 4 for P and K and brings the soil pH to above 6.3. This then allows the optimum production of grass grown on the farm, while still reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the risk of losing nutrients to the water.
Once you know what quantities and type of fertilisers you have already spread this year, the balance can be worked out. Assuming appropriate soil temperatures and weather conditions going forward, we can anticipate a better response to nutrients spread in the coming weeks, rather than waiting until closer to the end of the spreading season.
All chemical fertiliser must be applied before the 15th of September. Teagasc research has already proven that for every 1kg of nitrogen applied, it gave a response of 27kgs for August, 19kg for September and 10kgs for October of grass. This means for the fertiliser you are going to apply for the remainder of the spreading year, you will gain a higher return if spread earlier rather than later.
Farmers have made great progress in regards to improving water quality and we know that Agricultural GHG Emissions are down 4.6% for 2023. With this in mind, we also know of lower grass growths this year and the importance of having enough fodder for the winter period. This gap in the fodder budget can be tackled by applying the correct fertiliser at the correct time.
Potash, K is known as a fertiliser for the second half of the year. With this in mind, one of the Teagasc Tirlán Future monitor farmers, Jack Kearney, who farms outside of Rathcormac, Co Cork has a plan to address this deficiency on their farm.
Jack’s overall soil fertility on the farm is optimum for 55% of the farm for P, K and pH. Jack knows he has no P allowance for the farm, but after reviewing his NMP with his advisor, he knows what N, K and lime is
required for the whole farm. He has looked at his NMP maps and knows what paddocks need to be targeted.
Jack will spread lime on paddocks that has a pH of lover than the optimum pH of 6.3. This means 0.5 to 1 tonne of lime will be spread per acre in the next few weeks. With having no P allowance the choice of fertiliser used will be 19-0-15 plus Sulphur. This fertiliser will be good to help build low K soils and also to optimise grass growth. Milk, meat and grass removes kgs of P and K and it is important to replace them.
It is also important to have your slurry tanks emptied before the end of September. Kearneys did not get an opportunity after 2nd cut silage to spread the remainder in the tanks. They have 50 units per acre of 19-015 spread for 3rd cut silage and the plan is to spread all the remaining slurry and FYM on this ground to replace any missing P and K, once the 3rd cut is removed.
The main advice for farmers for the remainder of the year is to:
• Know where the missing nutrients are required;
• Have a plan on how a combination of both chemical and organic fertilisers can optimise growth and replace missing nutrients;
• Adhere to the buffer zones beside your rivers/ streams;
• Maximise grass growth and minimise losses to any water bodies;
• Get a fodder budget drawn up for your farm.
If you require any further details on what your N, P, K and lime requirements for your farm or to have a fodder budget drawn up, please contact your Teagasc or agricultural advisor.
Animal Health
Reminders
By Joris Somers, Animal Health & Hygiene Manager, Tirlán
• Parasite control – First and second grazers have poor immunity to gut and lungworms. Monitor gut worm burden using weight gain performance and faecal egg count tests to make the correct dosing decisions throughout the grazing season.
• Salmonella vaccine – Late summer, early autumn is the greatest risk period for Salmonella abortions. Vaccination against Salmonella should be completed before the start of the risk period to protect your herd against disease and abortions.
• Liver Fluke – Use Herd Disease Screening to determine the herd’s exposure to liver fluke and plan the necessary fluke control at the end of the grazing season.
• Milk Recording – Plan in a milk recording during late lactation to have accurate data on full lactation production as well as the most up-to-date information on individual cow cell count ahead of drying-off. Selective Dry Cow Therapy requires recent individual cow SCC data and certainly no more than 30 days prior to dryingoff to avoid mistakenly using a teat sealer only on an infected cow.
• Mastitis – Use the Tirlán milk culturing service to identify bacteria and effective treatments.
• Prevent milk fever in autumn calving cows - The diet and mineral intake of autumn calving cows is often less controlled than in the spring calving herd mates, increasing the risk for Milk fever.
Faecal Egg Count testing service available through Tirlán
What is Faecal Egg Counting (FEC)?
Internal parasites, such as gut worms, are a common occurrence in livestock. Adult gut worms lay eggs, which are subsequently passed to the environment in the animal's faeces. By counting the number of eggs in the faeces, we are able to estimate how large the worm burden is. In young-stock, a FEC of greater than 200 eggs per gram indicates a worm burden high enough to affect growth performance, warranting a need to dose against gut worms using anthelmintic treatment.
FEC on dung samples taken before and after administering anthelmintic treatments is used to prove efficacy of wormers, in other words, provide evidence of anthelmintic resistance.
How does parasite infestation impact youngstock performance?
The negative effects of parasitic infestation can range from suboptimal performance to clinical disease. In young-stock, clinical signs caused by gut worms include diarrhoea and loss of condition. Reduced growth rates post weaning is the more common way in which parasite burden affects young-stock and often remains sub-clinical and therefore unnoticed. In replacement heifers, sub-clinical effects are reduced body weight at breeding and delayed age at first calving.
Faecal samples from 10 animals in the same age group should be pooled with similar amounts per animal collected. The faecal samples collected must be fresh, stored in a cool, dry area and tested within 48 hours after collecting the samples.
To check for anthelmintic resistance, a FEC reduction test can be carried out on a similar pooled faecal sample from the same group of animals, taken 14 days after treatment.
Do not create anthelmintic resistance or waste money by using unnecessary worm treatments. Talk to your Tirlán representative or visit tirlanfarmlife.com from more info on our FEC testing service.
Using a Pre-Housing Dose as youngstock parasite control strategy
Youngstock going into their first or second winter have not yet developed a strong immunity against lung and stomach worms and their performance and growth during the winter housing may benefit from an anthelmintic treatment at the end of the grazing season. Significant exposure to parasites during the grazing season is evidenced by:
1. Calves and yearlings not achieving weight targets;
2. Pooled dung samples showing elevated worm egg or larva counts;
3. Dirty tail heads, diarrhoea or coughing.
A Pre-Housing Dose is a strategy to control parasites in youngstock while still at grass and at the same time enabling a worm-free winter. The clear wormers, as pour-on or injectable, are the products of choice for the Pre-Housing Dose. These products are active against all the life stages of worms, including the ‘hibernating’ inhibited larval stage which is found in late autumn and during the winter.
Target ADG: > 0.7 Kg/day
When is the right time to do FEC within a herd?
First and second grazing season young-stock will be impacted the most by increased parasite burden. Faecal Egg Count
Testing provides a convenient and low cost way to identify gut worm burdens in grazing cattle. Faecal sampling can be carried out throughout the grazing season, with the most relevant results achieved starting 6 weeks post-turnout.
All of the clear wormers have persistent action, which means they will kill worms ingested by cattle for a number of weeks following dosing. Because of the persistent action, you have the option to dose grazing youngstock a few weeks before housing and they would still enter the housing period virtually free of worms. The best option for this would be products containing the active ingredient Doramectin or Moxidectin. These products can be given to youngstock 4 to 5 weeks before the end of the grazing season and will allow animals to recover from the effects of stomach worms and lungworm before being housed. This will result in improved weight gain at grass and a clean set of lungs better equipped to fight off pneumonia during the winter.
Securing fodder for the winter
By Elaine Brady, Ruminant Nutritionist, Tirlán
Last winter saw a lot of farmers across the country run tight or run out of silage reserves. Those who are at risk of running short this winter need to put a plan in place now and take early action.
A fodder budget will help you identify the extent of the shortfall, if any, giving you time to react and rectify the situation.
Our recommendations:
1. Estimate how much was harvested for 1st cut silage and 2nd cut by measuring the pit (Length x width x average height = total silage area ÷ 1.35 = tonnes) Bales, covert to equivalent of pit silage (multiply no. of bales by 0.9) = tonne
2. Where ground has been closed for 3rd cut, Include predicted yields
3. Compare current tonnage of silage on farm against demand for this winter.
4. To calculate the demand you need to estimate length of housing, stock numbers for the winter and how much each animal will eat each month.
Compare your fodder requirements (Table 1) with your current fodder stocks (Table 2) to assess if a fodder gap needs to be filled, the extent and allow for immediate action. Possible fodder budget outcomes and solutions:
Surplus
• Focus on extending autumn grazing to maximise grass in diet to optimise animal performance (milk solids production or average daily liveweight gain) to manage feed input costs.
Breakeven
Further extend the grazing rotation in September from 30 days to a 35 day rotation by reducing demand. Remove young stock or surplus stock from milking platform and supplement with concentrates and silage.
• Use an autumn grazing planner for the final rotation to help extend autumn grazing to save on fodder.
Deficit
Further extend the grazing rotation in September from 30 days to a 35 day rotation by reducing demand. Remove young stock or surplus stock from milking platform and supplement with concentrates and silage.
• Use an autumn grazing planner for the final rotation to help extend autumn grazing to save on fodder.
• Ensure a sufficient fodder reserve is included in the fodder budget to allow for unprecedented weather conditions either for the remainder of the grazing season or next spring.
Scan cows and heifers as soon as possible to identify empty animals and sell them and surplus stock early.
Ensure a sufficient fodder reserve is included in the fodder budget to allow for unprecedented weather conditions either for the remainder grazing season or next spring.
• Scan cows and heifers as soon as possible to identify empty animals and consider selling them early.
• Book/purchase straw early.
Book/purchase straw early.
• Source silage or hay for sale.
• Feed concentrates at grass to cattle that are close to finish.
• Purchase whole crop or maize silage.
• Purchase beet (where you have appropriate machinery to feed).
• Complete a cash flow budget and seek additional finance early.
For assistance on completing a fodder budget or for any feeding advice please do not hesitate to contact your local Tirlán FarmLife representative, branch or visit tirlanfarmlife.com
Cattle feeding on silage during the winter months
Table 1: Calculate fodder demand on your farm
Table 2: Calculate estimated available fodder
Multiply by 0.9 to convert to equivalent pit silage
Dates: Tuesday 24th & Wednesday 25th September
Dates: Tuesday 24th & Wednesday 25th September 2024
Venue:
Venue: Tirlán Ballyragget, Co. Kilkenny, R95 W3KD
Our Ballyragget site is the largest, multi-purpose integrated dairy plant in Europe. This event gives Tirlán milk suppliers a unique opportunity to visit the Ballyragget site. Each Open Day includes a 60 minute guided walking tour and exhibition at the Tirlán Experience Expo (three hours for total visit). The Tirlán Experience Expo will showcase the end-to-end process from farm gate to world markets. Suppliers will be able to discover for themselves how the milk they supply is transformed into
This
and