Dairy
Now days all the talk ahead of the breeding season is about AI and sexed semen, but we cannot forget about the stock bull.
A lot of farms may be getting heifers out to grass, but it is still important to keep your eye on their condition as breeding edges closer.
Environment
A new European Innovation Partnership (EIP) focussing on soil health on the Loop Head Peninsula in west Co. Clare has been launched.
As the last of the cows calve down, identifying any high cell count cows will be critical in the lead up to the breeding season.
The total number of Irish calves registered in 2026 is running more 21,000 head above last years figures as of Friday, April 17.
The dairy trade is continuing to hold strong across the marts of Ireland this week, with prices up to €3,600 being paid.
Costs have skyrocketed in the first quarter this year, yet the money dairy farms are getting for their milk supplies is still bottomed out.
The whole spring grazing situation is still a mess, with some farms on their second rotations while others are still struggling to start.
A lot of dry farms will be starting or have already started their second rotation, meaning it's easy to see milk fat content drop back again.
Machinery
After a year of hard graft and daily use, the Guinan farm in Co. Offaly has handed back the keys to their Merlo Multifarmer 34.7.
With breeding kicking off in two weeks time, industry leaders are emphasising the key messages that will ensure a successful season.
With the breeding season approaching, it is important to understand what milk urea is and how it could be affecting your herds fertility.
In the build up to the breeding season, there will be a focus on keeping lameness to a minimum to ensure the oestrus cycle goes unaffected.
With the way fertiliser prices have gone since the war broke out in the Middle East, the importance of lime has once again proven itself.
Retained placentas are a relatively common occurrence during the calving season, which can in turn affect the upcoming breeding season.
Beef
Despite spring calving on the wind down, the total number of Irish calves registered in 2026 is barrelling towards 1.5 million.
Selecting twice the number of cows to put forward for semen could be costing you €20 in terms of your economic breeding index (EBI).
Ahead of breeding, a number of boosters may be required, as vaccinations play an important role on dairy farms.
Summer scour syndrome has become a real worry as calves get out to grass, especially when we do not know the exact cause of the condition.
According to ICBF, the top 75 bulls on the ICBF Dairy Active Bull List are all Irish-bred for the first time in the services history.
With such encouraging calf prices this spring, dairy farmers must be aware of what buyers are looking for before breeding commences this year.
Keeping mastitis out of the herd is crucial at this stage, as a lot of cows will be beginning to hit peak milk production.
Since the Middle East conflict unfolded fertiliser prices have rocketed, creating a danger of farmers substituting it for concentrates.
We are now in April yet a good number of herds have very little of the platform grazed, while some still have not seen any grass in 2026.
