The Beef Edge

4.6 (19)
Government
Updated twice weekly

The Beef Edge is Teagasc’s podcast for all the latest news, information and advice for Irish beef farmers, presented by Catherine Egan. Visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/the-beef-edge-podcast/

2 days ago

Breeding, Silage and Beef Performance with Future Beef Farmer John Dunne

Future Beef programme farmer, John Dunne, from Co.Offaly is on the Beef Edge podcast this week to give an update into his suckler beef and dairy beef finishing systems, the breeding season, their grassland management and the upcoming National Beef Open Day taking place on 5th June. John farms alongside his son James just outside Portarlington, operating a highly profitable and progressive beef system, combining 79 suckler cows with a dairy calf-to-beef enterprise where 140 dairy calves are purchased annually and brought right through to finish or stores under 24 months of age . John discusses breeding season and the use of AI on the farm and the difficulty of managing grass in the current weather conditions. Silage will be harvested this week on the farm and John outlines the management of the dairy beef calves up to weaning and the importance of visually assessing calf health in addition to the management of health and nutrition on farm. The farm borders the River Barrow catchment area and John explains the range of key measures being adopted on the farm to improve water quality. The Future Beef National Open Day takes place on Friday 5th June @ 6:30p and fo further details go to: https://teagasc.ie/event/futurebeef-farm-walk-john-and-james-dunne/ For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

25 min
6 days ago

The Grass10 Monthly Management Tips

Grass10 advisor Nikki Kennedy has the monthly grass update from around the country and tips for the month ahead. Nikki highlights that drought conditions are being experienced in the east and she discusses management tips for grazing in the weeks ahead. With silage being harvested in the coming weeks Nikki describes the actions to ensure quality silage, whilst also assessing the categories of animals on the farm needing the different qualities. Finally Nikki gives her top tips for the month ahead and has details on the upcoming grassland village at BEEF 2026 taking place 1st July in Teagasc Grange. You can subscribe to the Grass10 newsletter here: https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/grassland/grass10/grass10-enewsletter/ For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

12 min
20 May

Inside John Pringle’s Suckler-to-Beef System

Future Beef Programme farmer, John Pringle from Co. Wicklow, joins this week's Beef Edge to give an insight into his suckler beef system finishing bulls at under 16 months, preparing for silage and the upcoming National Beef Open Day taking place on 29th May at 6:30pm. John details his sheep and beef enterprise and how the farm has evolved over the last number of decades. He describes the management of the bulls from weanling to finish on the farm and the plans for bulls being finished in 2026. The role of good health measures play an important factor in reducing stress and maintaining thrive. John is highly focused on efficiency and grass utilisation and describes how the system changed in recent years with improved utilisations, closing farm in the autumn and applying lime since joining the Future Beef programme. The plan is to harvest silage in the coming week with the target to make over 70 DMD. Breeding season has been going well so far and John has implemented a synchronisation protocol for the heifers for the second year in a row. The investment in sheep and cattle handling facilities along with a new shed has improved labour efficiency and health and safety on the farm. Join us on Friday, 29th May at 6:30pm for a Future Beef National Farm Walk on the farm of John Pringle, Kilacloran, Aughrim, Co. Wicklow. Eircode: Y14 PT99. For further details: FutureBeef Farm Walk - John Pringle - Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

21 min
12 May

Derrypatrick Herd Update

With breeding season under way, Teagasc researcher, Peter Doyle, joins this week’s show to give an update on the Derrypatrick herd. For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

20 min
7 May

Making Contract Rearing Pay: Lessons from Pat Joyce

Pat Joyce from Co. Galway, who operates a contract heifer rearing system, and his Teagasc advisor, Charlie Devaney, join this week’s Beef Edge to give an overview of the farm and the steps that Pat takes to make good quality silage. Pat farms outside Williamstown in Co.Galway; having previously operated a suckling system, he changed in 2017 to contract rear heifers for a dairy farmer. This system has grown and expanded to over 100 heifers bring reared in recent years on two blocks of land. Maximising weight gain as cost efficiently as possible is key, Pat advises, and this is achieved on farm by increasing grass utilisation through an extensive paddock system. Breeding is a labour intensive part of the system with close observation of heifers on the home block used to detect heifers, along with tail paint and scratchcards. The am/pm rule is used for AI on the farm. This year Pat has installed SenseHub to aid heat detection on the outblock. Managing costs on the farm is very important especially making quality silage which is something Pat has focused on a lot on in recent years. Pat has also red clover on the farm and he discusses how it is managed so far this year and the plan for the year ahead. Plus, Pat highlights a few tips for any farmer considering going contract rearing. Local Teagasc advisor, Charlie Devaney, concludes with advice for farmers making silage this year, particularly where ground hasn’t been grazed. If you missed the recent Silage Webinar, watch it here: Gearing up for Silage 2026 - Webinar For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

27 min
29 Apr

Transitioning Calves to Grass

DairyBeef 500 advisor, Tommy Cox, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss transitioning calves to grass. When calves underperform during their first season at pasture, it makes it difficult to achieve key performance targets, irrespective of systems further down the line. Failing to hit an average daily gain targets of 0.7-0.8 kg/day results in delayed slaughter, the production of lighter carcasses and/or the introduction of additional concentrates to try and recover the loss in performance recorded over the first grazing season. Therefore, ensuring calves perform to their optimum over the first 12 weeks of life is important. Tommy highlights the fact that the majority of calf-to-beef producers opt to wean their calves prior to moving them from the calf shed to the field. During this period, calves may suffer a post-weaning growth check and subsequently disease outbreak as a result of: the low intake of dry feed up until weaning; the high intake of low-energy, bulky forages; or stress when feeds are changed. He advises to feed concentrates before, during and after weaning to limit the level of growth check experienced. Calves should be offered concentrates (1-2 kg/day) for 2-3 weeks post-turnout. Concentrate supplementation provides the calf with adequate time to become accustomed to grazing before an all-grass diet is offered. For further information: https://teagasc.ie/animals/beef/dairy-calf-to-beef/dairybeef-500/dairybeef-500-factsheets/the-first-12-weeks-at-grass-for-dairy-beef-calves/ Subscribe to the newsletter here For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

16 min
22 Apr

Weed control & planning for the year ahead

On this week’s joint episode of the Beef Edge along with Ciaran Lynch from Ovicast, Chris Maughan Technical Manager, Whelehan Crop Protection, discusses weed control and planning for the year ahead. It’s been a cold wet start to year with grass growth hampered this spring and Chris outlines dock control options on grazing and silage ground. He also explains general weed control and ragwort control and where clover needs to be retained in established grassland and new sown leys, Chris outlines the range of options available. Plus, Chris discusses best practice relating to water quality and disposal of empty spray containers and highlights the importance of using the correct nozzles to reduce drift. For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

18 min
15 Apr

When Costs Climb: Protecting Profit on Beef Farms

With rising input costs and tighter margins, it’s never been more important to understand your costs of production and where your system stands. On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Teagasc beef specialist, David Argue, who has been working through a range of beef budgets for autumn 2025 and spring 2026, discusses everything from under-16 month bull systems, to forward store finishing, as well as dairy calf-to-beef enterprises, looking at the assumptions behind them and how they stack up financially. David also outlines the impact that increases in concentrate, fertiliser and contractor charges will have on break even and margin in the systems. Good health and management are essential as well and David discusses some of the opportunities to cut costs without affecting performance highlighting the importance of completing a budget for your farm and system. For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

15 min

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Trailer

Launching Dec 4th

The Beef Edge, Teagasc's new podcast for Irish beef farmers, is launching on December 4th and presented by Catherine Egan. With guest interviews, tips and advice, it will be bringing you all the latest information and advice to help you improve your beef farming. Subscribe and listen on Spotify or Apple and Google podcasts and never miss a show. The Beef Edge, for Irish beef farmers, live from December 4th. For more information, go to https://www.teagasc.ie The Beef Edge is produced by LastCast Media

26/11/2019

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29 sec

4.6

out of 5

19 Ratings

The Beef Edge podcast

15/02/2022

JF farming

Always very interesting and informative topics . Catherine Egan is an excellent presenter.

The Beef Edge is Teagasc’s podcast for all the latest news, information and advice for Irish beef farmers, presented by Catherine Egan. Visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/the-beef-edge-podcast/