Are improved environmental efficiencies compatible with farm profit?

Joe Patton, Teagasc’s Head of Dairy KT, joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge, to consider whether improving environmental efficiencies on Irish dairy farms is compatible with profitability. In order to reduce environmental emissions, Joe encourages farmers to reduce crude protein content of dairy rations when cows are at grass, increasing days at grass and monitoring replacement heifers to ensure they are on target to calve down at 24 months. He also highlights that high levels of grass utilisation, coupled with grass growth and appropriate stocking rate, continue to drive profitability on Irish dairy farms and he quantifies the target milk solids of 85%+ of cows’ liveweight. Hear more from Joe at the Teagasc National Dairy Conference which is taking place on 23rd and 24th November. You must register in advance here: https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/dairy-conference/ For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com