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Rising costs of chemical nitrogen (N) fertiliser and increasing environmental restrictions have led to greater emphasis on reducing chemical nitrogen use in pasture-based systems.
Consequently, awareness of the role of legumes – particularly white and red clover – has grown significantly in recent years.
Reducing chemical fertiliser is essential to reduce the nutrient load as well as lowering greenhouse gas emissions, therefore offering clear environmental benefits.
On top of that, there are also major economic gains for grassland farmers who incorporate white clover into grazing systems.
The latest economic analysis from the long-term grazing study at Teagasc Moorepark shows that including white clover boosts animal performance by 32kgMS/cow/year, while reducing chemical nitrogen inputs by up to 100kgN/ha/year and maintaining herbage production (13.6tDM/ha).
This results in an overall increase in farm profitability of €504/ha compared to grass-only systems.
However, a key challenge remains in achieving and maintaining sufficient clover levels (average 20%) on farms to fully realise the associated production and economic benefits. The Clover150 programme has demonstrated that white clover can be successfully established on commercial grassland farms using a mix of reseeding and over-sowing.
On these farms in 2020, clover covered less than 10% of the milking platform, with chemical N application at 232kgN/ha, herbage production at 14.4tDM/ha, and a farmgate nitrogen surplus of 194kgN/ha on these farms.
By 2023, clover was on 65% of the platform with an average sward clover content of 23%, chemical N use dropped to 160kgN/ha, and herbage production reached 13.4tDM/ha. By the end of 2024, clover area increased to 75%, though average sward clover content declined to 20%; chemical N use rose to 190kgN/ha, herbage production held at 13.1tDM/ha.
A key outcome from the programme is that maintaining herbage production is critical when implementing clover and nitrogen reduction strategies.
This highlights the importance of targeted N reductions on clover paddocks to sustain overall farm productivity.
It is inevitable that there will be fluctuations in weather and subsequent clover content from year to year as evident in 2024, farm management (fertiliser and grazing) needs to adapt to ensure clover content can recover, but also that grass growth does not decline as a result of lower clover contents and reductions in N fixation.
Incorporating white clover into grazing systems offers clear benefits, but challenges remain in establishing and maintaining adequate clover levels. Maximising these benefits requires careful management. Key issues – such as sustaining optimal clover content, applying chemical nitrogen strategically, and managing competition between clover and grass – must be addressed to ensure long-term system performance.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are becoming an increasingly practical option for Irish dairy farms looking to reduce electricity costs and lower emissions. With high energy demand for milking, cooling and water heating, many farms are well suited to solar generation.
Research from Teagasc Moorepark and Munster Technological University shows that a typical 100-cow dairy farm using 25,000kWh of electricity annually can meet most of its needs with a 26kWp solar PV system.
Payback periods depend on grant support and whether battery storage is included.
The quickest return on investment was seen with a grant-aided system and no battery, paying back in just three years. With battery storage, the payback period extended to five years.
Systems without grant aid took longer to repay, with payback periods of seven years (no battery) and 10 years (with battery). Adding battery storage improves self-consumption, increasing from 27% to 41%, but requires a higher up-front investment.
If grid export capacity is limited, greater emphasis should be placed on storage and maximising on-farm use of generated electricity.
A 26kWp system can also reduce emissions by about 7.5 tonnes of CO2 per year, supporting progress toward climate targets and improving the environmental profile of the farm.
Overall, solar PV is now a viable and worthwhile investment for Irish dairy farms, especially where TAMS 3 grant funding is available.
The best returns come from using as much solar electricity as possible on site.
With the right system and setup, farmers can cut costs, reduce carbon, and gain more control over future energy needs.
Feel free to join us in the Infrastructure village at Moorepark 2025 where we will discuss the best options for you and there will be Department of Agriculture representatives present to talk about TAMS 3 options.
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