In his opening remarks, Teagasc director, Professor Frank O’Mara said: “2024 was in many ways another tough year for dairy farmers, albeit it is ending on a good note with increases in milk prices and good autumn grazing conditions.
“Bad weather in the spring which continued into the summer led to a tough year for grazing and for conserving winter fodder. All in all, 2024 should see a good recovery in dairy farm incomes from the lows of 2023. Our economists will present their estimates for 2024 farm incomes next week.”
Professor O’Mara continued: “Another important area is climate change, and some good progress is being made in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture.
“The EPA reported that emissions from agriculture fell by 4.6% in 2023, and that trends in Q1 2024 indicated a further drop of 2.4%.
“It is important to recognise that the actions of farmers have had a big effect.
“Chief among these are the reduction of 30% in chemical nitrogen usage over the last two years and the switch to protected urea, with indications suggesting it made up about 27% of straight nitrogen usage in 2024.”
The Importance of Clover
The Teagasc director also addressed the ongoing work in Teagasc on incorporating clover in grassland swards to reduce chemical nitrogen applications.
He said: “Clover is a big part of our advice to farmers who wish to reduce chemical nitrogen without impacting on pasture production.
“Over the last 15 years or more, Teagasc has been researching the role of clover, and indeed multi species swards, in dairy systems at Moorepark, Clonakilty, Ballyhaise, Solohead and Johnstown Castle.
“We now have a large bank of data accumulated on which to base our advice for farmers, from across different systems, sward types, soil types and agro-climatic conditions.
“To ensure we are getting the most from these data, and that our advice is consistent with the research, we are commissioning an external peer review of our work on clover and multi species swards.
“This will help to ensure we maximise the potential from our research programme and help to identify gaps where further research is required.”
Addressing the conference, Dr Áine Murray, a Teagasc researcher based at Moorepark, said: “Grazed grass remains the cheapest high-quality feed that can be offered to dairy cows. Achieving grazing targets will ensure that grazed grass intake is maximised in the diet.
“Stocking rates on farms should be set based on whole farm pasture growth in order for the farm system to be financially robust and self-sufficient for feed.”
Dr Patrick Forrestal, Teagasc researcher based at Johnstown Castle, spoke about the performance of different nitrogen fertiliser types in terms of grass growth.
He said: “Across multiple sites and years, there was no difference in grass yield from using protected urea versus using CAN as the fertiliser nitrogen type.
“However, there tended to be a reduction in grass growth when using standard urea.
“Protected urea usage on farms reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to CAN, and ammonia emissions compared to standard urea.”
Meeting the Water Quality Challenge
Professor Pat Dillon, director of research in Teagasc, addressed the challenges faced by agriculture to maintain and improve water quality.
He said: “Water quality in Ireland is relatively good in a European context, but there are significant opportunities for improvement. The primary actions required at farm level to reduce nutrient loss to water are; increased slurry storage capacity, reduced point source loss from yards and roadways, increased use of over-winter green cover on tillage farms, and greater efficiency in the use of organic manures from intensive farming systems.
“A river water catchment approach will optimise Ireland’s ability to target mitigation strategies, which are pertinent to the specific catchment and take cognisance of the current ecological status, known pressures and range of farming systems.”
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