Latest news with #AgriSearch
Agriland
2 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Almost 200 attend webinar launch of NI NAP impact calculator
Almost 200 farmers and other stakeholders from the agri-food industry attended an AgriSearch webinar this week to launch AgriSearch's NAP (Nutrient Action Programme) farm impact calculator. Opening the webinar, AgriSearch vice-chair Ian McCluggage outlined the considerable amount of work that AgriSearch had done in a relatively short timeframe to respond to the NAP consultation. This included presentations at an AgriSearch event at Balmoral Show. The vice-chair thanked Dr. Sinclair Mayne for the considerable amount of work he had put into helping AgriSearch respond to the consultation including an in-depth critique of the science behind the proposals. AgriSearch was coordinating its actions with key industry stakeholders. NAP farm impact calculator The NAP farm impact calculator has been developed by AgriSearch to help farmers assess the impact of the measures proposed for the 2026-2029 Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) NAP. The calculator is now available to download from the AgriSearch website. During the webinar AgriSearch strategy manager, Jason Rankin outlined the calculations that the tool performs and gave a practical, step-by-step guide on how to download and use the calculator and interpret the results. This includes a calculation of the organic nitrogen loading (using the updated figures for dairy cows) which will determine if a farmer falls into the 'intensive' category or will require a derogation. The calculator also determines the farm's proposed allowance for chemical N fertiliser and indicates if this is above or below the farm's current usage. Finally, the calculator works out the farm's phosphorus balance and indicates how many extra hectares or the extent of the stocking rate cut needed to achieve both the 10kg P/ha and 8kg P/ha limit. Rankin then went through a number of dairy farm case studies illustrating how different types of farm might be impacted by the NAP proposals. AgriSearch's agriculture manager John Morrow went through two examples of beef and sheep farming systems, which was followed by a questions and answer session. Closing the webinar Ian McCluggage said that AgriSearch would be working with industry partners to gather a number of farm case studies from across the ruminant livestock sector. These will be used as part of a wider economic impact assessment. He encouraged farmers to participate if approached and emphasised that all such case studies would be kept anonymous.
Agriland
28-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
AgriSearch to host webinar on NAP farm impact calculator
AgriSearch will be hosting a webinar next week to assist farmers across Northern Ireland to make the most of its new Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) farm impact calculator. The calculator is being developed by AgriSearch to help farmers assess the impact of the measures proposed by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) under NAP for 2026 to2029. This includes a calculation of the organic nitrogen (N) loading, using the updated figures for dairy cows, which will determine if a farmer falls into the 'intensive' category or will require a derogation. AgriSearch The calculator will also determine a farm's proposed allowance for chemical N fertiliser and indicate if this is above or below the farm's current usage. Finally, the calculator will work out the farm's phosphorus (P) balance and indicate how many extra hectares or the extent of the stocking rate cut needed to achieve both the 10kgP/ha and 8kgP/ha limit. The calculator will be available for download from the AgriSearch website from Monday evening (June 2) just ahead of the webinar which takes place at 8:00p.m. AgriSearch said the webinar will offer a practical, step-by-step guide on how to download and use the calculator and interpret the results. This will be followed by a question and answer session. The event is for farmers, advisors, and industry stakeholders looking to understand how the proposed NAP proposals could impact farmers and the wider industry. Those who want to register for the webinar can visit the AgriSearch website. Earlier this month, the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, launched a public consultation on the NAP for 2026 to 2029, which he said contains 'additional measures which have been developed based on scientific research'. The main additional measures include further restrictions on use of chemical phosphorus fertiliser and a farm phosphorus balance limit for more intensive farms.
Agriland
16-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
AgriSearch to seek a doubling of its levy rates
AgriSearch is to seek a doubling of the farmer levies that fund the organisation, with the process to make this happen now underway. Details of the increase to the levies were discussed at a breakfast for farming stakeholders hosted by AgriSearch at this year's Balmoral Show. AgriSearch, established in 1997, provides a vehicle through which beef, dairy and sheep farmers in Northern Ireland could have a direct involvement in production-orientated research. The levy system currently generates a total funding stream of just over £400,000 for the organisation. Total funding generated over the past 28 years has amounted to some £10 million. This, in turn, has been used to pump prime research projects with a total value of £70 million. Levies AgriSearch general manager, Jason Rankin, outlined the reasoning behind the levy increase. He said: 'Our levies have remained unchanged for many years. In the meantime, the scope of the organisation has increased dramatically. 'What started out as one-man operation now comprises a management team of nine people. 'In tandem with this, our research outreach has increased in a corresponding manner.' Rankin also spoke of the organisation's goals for the future that will require additional resources. 'We have plans to further expand the scope of AgriSearch significantly during the periods ahead. Making this happen will require greater levels of funding,' he said. The AgriSearch representative recognises the need to get buy-in from all relevant stakeholder groups to secure the envisaged increase in levy rates. 'This is a process that may take up to a year to complete. But Balmoral Show was the obvious starting point.' AgriSearch recently launhced its new five-year strategy. It is centred around equipping farmers to face future challenges and placing producers' needs at the heart of research and innovation in Northern Ireland. Rankin said: 'Farmers continue to experience unprecedented challenges. AgriSearch has a crucial role to play in helping Northern Ireland farmers to succeed in economic, environmental and indeed social growth. 'This new statement of strategy has been developed by the AgriSearch Trustees to ensure that we continue to deliver for our farmer levy payers.' AgriSearch research funding The past 28 years have seen AgriSearch support funding 25 PhD scholarships. Last year marked the 25th anniversary of the organisation's landmark GrassCheck service. On average it costs £135,000 to fund a PhD research student. Looking ahead, AgriSearch will be actively seeking ways to ensure that the knowledge amassed courtesy of this work can be better made available to farmers. One way of achieving this would be for graduate students to commit an additional year with AgriSearch, post the completion of their doctorate, during which time they would actively communicate the significance of their research work with farming organisations and groups.
Agriland
28-04-2025
- Health
- Agriland
Modern dairy cow output equal to '19 finished cattle'
A Co. Antrim veterinarian has likened the modern dairy cow to a thoroughbred racehorse in terms of her metabolic ability to produce milk. Nial O'Boyle spoke at the recent AgriSearch 'High Output Dairy Herds – Profit from Performance' conference in Armagh. He said that a cow yielding 50L of milk per day was producing the equivalent muscle dry matter (DM) contained within 26.5kg of beef. This assertion was based on milk containing 13% DM (6.5kg), which can be multiplied by a factor of four to equate with the DM muscle content of a standard beef carcass (26.5). This extrapolates through to the equivalent bodyweight of the Irish rugby player, Bundee Aki, every four days. O'Boyle said: 'A 12,000kg cow produces the equivalent of 6,240kg of beef. This equates to the total carcass output of 19.1 finished cattle. 'These figures very clearly show the significant abilities of modern cows to convert feed into milk. 'Making all of this happen required the dairy cow to expend 50,000 calories on a daily basis. This is the equivalent of running a marathon per day,' he added. O'Boyle said that most of this activity is taking place in the udder. 'Towards the end of her lactation, the cow will start to redirect a lot of this energy intake towards the laying down of fat and other body tissues,' he said. Looking to the future, O'Boyle highlighted the need for research to help identify ways by which the reproductive lifespan of the modern dairy cows can be increased. AgriSearch survey Meanwhile, AgriSearch is inviting all dairy farmers in Northern Ireland to take part in a survey on the research and innovation needs of the sector. The organisation's strategy manager, Jason Rankin said: 'It has been over 10 years since AgriSearch last undertook a significant survey of dairy farmers. 'There have been many changes in the sector since that time and this survey will give us an invaluable insight into how AgriSearch can best meet the present needs of the sector. 'The first of our objectives in our five-year strategic plan was to place the farmers needs at the heart of research and innovation in Northern Ireland. 'We will use the findings of this survey to articulate farmers' research and innovation needs to government and academia.' Confirmation of the survey coincides with the launch of AgriSearch's new five-year strategy. 'Farmers continue to experience unprecedented challenges. AgriSearch has a crucial role to play in helping Northern Ireland farmers to succeed in economic, environmental and indeed social growth. 'This new statement of strategy has been developed by the AgriSearch Trustees to ensure that we continue to deliver for our farmer levy payers,' Rankin said. The survey can be found on the AgriSearch website and will be open until Monday, May 5.
Agriland
22-04-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Will robotics open up new opportunities for dairy farmers?
What might the immediate future hold for dairy farmers when it comes to robotics? Some experts believe that automated milk extraction is almost the last item in a long list of benefits that robotics can bring to a modern dairy farm. Leading the catalogue of advantages to be gleaned is in fact the more effective use of manpower, combined with the greater space and time that is afforded to those working within a dairy farming business. These were among the key positive outcomes from automating the business raised by Keith Gue, from Huddleston Farmers Ltd, in his presentation to the recent AgriSearch high input-high output dairy conference. The Huddlestone dairy farming herd comprises 700 high merit Holstein cows, located across two sites in the south of England. Owned by the Gue family, the business also comprises arable and livestock enterprises with additional land farmed in Scotland. The Huddlestone herd is currently averaging 12,000L at 4.6% butterfat and 3.5% protein. This works out at a total 3.1kg of fat and protein per cow per day. Robotic technology Staff management within the Huddlestone business is critical, with Gue pointing out that the investment in robotic milking has delivered an improved decision-making process right across the dairying operation. Gue said: 'We have gone from a scenario which saw six people working 10 hours per day on a three times daily milking routine to one which sees the equivalent of three and a half people working 8 hours per day since the introduction of the robots. 'In the meantime, milk outputs have risen by 10%.' Meanwhile, herd breeding decisions at Huddlestone are very much Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI)-focussed. Gue firmly believes that genetics and the environments within which cows operate must complement each other. 'Our diets are very much grass silage-focussed. This is in total contrast to the situation in the United States where the likes of alfalfa is included within almost all dairy cow rations.' According to Gue, using elite quality semen is the best decision any dairy farming business can make. He pointed to the myriad benefits that sexed semen continues to bring, from a dairy breeding perspective, in securing the elite replacement heifers required from the minimal number of dams. In addition, Gue said the rising value of beef calves in the UK and Ireland is further emphasising the advantages gained from sexed semen. But genetic make-up is one thing – animals being allowed to express this potential fully is another issue altogether. According to Gue, the facilities – including robotics – available on dairy farms must be fully compatible with the genetic profile of the animals living in them.
