My new study manual has 436 pages. It is called Irish Dairying – Innovating for the Future and I got it at the Teagasc National Dairy Open Day in Moorepark. I will dip in and out of it for the next couple of months.

It was a given that we’d be travelling to Moorepark to determine the direction of our dairy business for the future. We met lots of people from all over the country and the catch-up was lovely.

There is something very special about a successful Moorepark event. Farmers respond to solid information and the opportunity to interrogate the research being presented on the day.

The days that follow can be stressful when everyone gets home with their particular take on the information. The healthy debates have not stopped in this house and with the neighbours. In a way, that must be the result that the researchers and advisers want; to stir the pot and get farmers animated.

My daughter-in-law, Aileen and I had a great conversation. We were majorly impressed with the way the researchers were turned out in uniform. The model of presenting the information is second to none. We pipe dreamed about a similar open day for education and how that might look.

The team programme was evident and this in itself was symbolic of how our farms should work as a team in harmony. That means that all conflicts are resolved. We distilled the take home messages as we saw them – reduce meal feeding. Amounts of concentrate being fed on farms has increased considerably.

Focus on soil fertility

Deirdre Hennessy informed us that only 24% of farms have optimum soil fertility. I think farmers were shocked to learn this figure. That has to be corrected for consistent growth to take place. Grow more grass, the target being 15 tonnes of dry matter/hectare, she advised.

Abigail Ryan also told us that only one in five farms are in a discussion group. We have always found these groups very valuable for ideas, problem solving and for moral support too

Continue with the clover programme but realise that each field will be different with different percentages of clover in them. Aim for eight grazing rotations and put the nitrogen out early in the season to grow the grass as the clover won’t be fixing nitrogen until later in the season.

Michael O’Donovan said that 20% clover in the sward is expected to fix 70-100kg nitrogen/ha. Furthermore, the percentage of heifer replacements on farms has dropped. We are not generating enough to maintain the national herd.

Abigail Ryan also told us that only one in five farms are in a discussion group. We have always found these groups very valuable for ideas, problem solving and for moral support too.

An extra board

I’ll be honest and say that on a lot of the boards we were ticking off items achieved – as I’m sure many farmers were. We’ve talked about the need to reduce meal feeding before Moorepark. We’ve a drought-prone farm. Production cannot be allowed to drop. And so, the research- based science will continue to inform our decisions on the farm.

Saying that, there was a huge amount of information to take in, and inevitably, some questions arose. Where did multi-species go? Grass covers seemed higher than we would estimate at home. Cows will not graze as tight as a mower. We would love to see older swards (fields not plots) containing clover at Moorepark.

One of the problems highlighted was generational renewal. The four main boards were full of information and we ticked a lot of boxes.

What if there was a fifth board focused on young people, featuring innovative thinking and informed projection of what a future family farm dairy business might look like? Work-life balance and the ability to generate profit are important factors.

Encouraging young people into farming is done by positive messaging from both family and professionals.

Well done to all for a most informative day out.