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Agriland
07-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
20 NI farmers visit The Netherlands to explore innovations
The College of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) has led a farm innovation visit of 20 Northern Irish farmers to The Netherlands, in an effort to learn about the innovations being implemented on farms there in a bid to reduce ammonia emissions. The visit comes after the Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs (DAERA) published its 'Environmental Improvement Plan', which sought to develop an ammonia strategy to deliver reductions in emissions from agriculture in Northern Ireland. According to Judith McCord, senior air quality technologist with CAFRE, this visit to the Netherlands represented an 'ideal opportunity' to learn about cutting-edge research on ammonia reduction, the adoption of these technologies on farms, and to facilitate knowledge transfer on the topic to the 20 Northern Irish farmers in attendance. Dutch innovation The first day included a visit to Wageningen Dairy Research Centre at Leeuwarden, looking at the continuing research being carried out there on ammonia emissions, the measurement of ammonia emissions, and the direction of future research. Later that day, the group visited Marijin Van Art, a farmer within the Dutch 'Network of Practical Farms', who is monitoring the impact of emissions, based on changes in farm management. The 'Network of Practical Farms' was developed and run by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality as part of its climate policy, according to McCord. Frank Verhoeven, director of Boerenverstand, an independent consultancy firm for regenerative farming, addressed the group that evening on the role of data and how, by using a nutrient cycling assessment tool called the Kringloopwizzer, farmers can measure sustainability across a wide range of metrics in assessing farm emissions. On the second day, the group visited two Lely factories at Lely headquarters in Maassluis. Here, discussions centred on how technology has developed over the years and where the future of technology and innovation lies in meeting sustainability targets. The final visit was hosted by Farm Nescio, who McCord said was the first farm to have a milking robot installed in 1992 and has since further retrofitted technology to advance their sustainable enterprise. McCord stated that this was an 'ideal' farm to look at how retrofitting innovative technology has improved production efficiency and helped to chieve the Dutch legislative targets for emission reductions.
Agriland
29-04-2025
- General
- Agriland
Weed control essential for sward productivity at this time of year
Usually as grass growth begins to takes off on farms and soil temperatures rise, weed control can become a difficult and sometimes overlooked task. The persistence of weeds like chickweed, thistles, or docks can be very damaging to the productivity of any sward, and is economically costly from a control point of view as well as in loss in production terms. Weeds will be in competition with grass for nutrients, light, and water, and will reduce the area available for grazing. If these swards are getting cut for silage or hay, the palatability will be reduced. Beef and sheep advisor at the College of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Jack Friar said, in relation to weed control: 'A good start is to walk the fields and assess them for signs of weed growth'. According to CAFRE, weed infestations should be measured. For every 1% infestation of the sward, such as thistles and docks, grassland productivity and forage quality will be reduced by 1%. Docks The best way to control weeds on farm is through integrated pest management (IPM), which is not only a more sustainable way of controlling perennial weeds, but is also a more cost-effective method. IPM is simply a way of controlling weeds through liming; crop rotation; drainage, and cultivation techniques, rather than using pesticides. To apply the principles of IPM to a dock infestation, the farmer should walk the fields to evaluate the following information: The level of dock infestation and other weeds; Stocking rate; Fertiliser application and type; Soil sample analysis; Silage cutting; History of dock treatment and products used; Poaching and supplementary feeding; Slurry application; Grazing management; Drainage. This will help the farmer to make the decision on whether they are going to go down the route of an IPM or the chemical route, or a combination of both. A farmer may take the option of selecting a herbicide and blanket spraying when the docks are green, growing, and are at the rosette stage. If it is an old pasture that is constantly giving trouble with weed infestation, reseeding is the best option, and preferably in the spring, rather than the autumn, as the grass seed establishment is supported with better weather. In terms of your chemical control, use herbicides to targets the docks and other weeds before they reach 10cm in height or five to six weeks after reseeding. Good fertiliser rates to match your stocking rate, rotational grazing, rotating silage fields for cutting, and topping fields when necessary, are good grassland practices that are needed to maintain a clean pasture. Late April to early May, or again in late August, is the best time to spray docks and products with active ingredients of fluroxypyr and triclopyr will give much better control and products like ProClova will control the dock while protecting the clover. Weed control Thistles are common in older swards that are low in nitrogen and phosphorus but high in potash and the best point of control is when the plant is actively growing at the full rosette stage. Products based on the active ingredients triclopyr and clopyralid will give a high degree of root kill, but it can be hard to kill thistles without impacting on the clover plant. Chickweed can also be a major burden in grassland swards and can completely smother the grassland if it is not controlled effectively. Products containing fluroxypyr will control chickweed when temperatures rise and these products will not stunt grass growth according to CAFRE. Ragwort is a poisonous weed to livestock and should be controlled immediately. If a few are appearing, they should be pulled from the ground, ensuring the full root is removed. However, if there is a large infestation of ragworth, spraying should be the protocol and should be carried out once there is active growth. Sprays such as MCPA, 2, 4-D (D50) and Forefront provide good control but measures must be taken to avoid stock eating any dying or dead ragwort present. It will usually take four to six weeks for weeds to decay. Before going out and controlling weeds in your swards, you should consult with your advisor what products will suit your needs.
Agriland
26-04-2025
- Health
- Agriland
Sheep: Factors to consider with ewes and lambs at grass
After a busy lambing season on farms, getting ewes and lambs out to grass is a welcome relief to farmers in reducing the workload, but key management tasks should also be kept in mind. Some of the key management tasks to monitor with ewes and lambs at grass include nutrition, minerals, parasites, lameness, and grass management. Meal feeding to ewes is generally phased out as they go to grass post lambing, but offering lambs a lamb 'creep' or forward grazing ration can help boost performance and weight gain. Where grass supplies are tight, supplementing lactating ewes with concentrate feed until grass reaches at least 4cm in height is advisable. 'Creep' grazing lambs is also an effective grazing management practice, with Teagasc trials showing farmers can increase lamb performance by 20-30g/head/day by this method. Example of a creep grazing set-up used for a sheep flock. Lambs can be fed concentrates in the next paddock and have access to better-quality grass While the focus for sheep flocks is on lamb performance, ewe nutrition should also be kept in mind. Some farmers also like to leave ewe and lamb mineral buckets in the paddock with ewes for 6-8 weeks post lambing to reduce the risk of mineral deficiencies in ewes. Internal parasites At this time of the year, the main cause for concern in terms of parasite burdens in lambs is the risk of nematodirus (battus) and coccidosis. Farmers should pay attention to the lifecycle of nematodirus, as it is different to other worms that can cause significant lamb-performance problems. According to College of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) beef and sheep advisor, Rachel Megarrell: 'The signs of nematodirus to be vigilant for are sudden onset of diarrhoea with faecal staining of the tail coinciding with a loss of body condition. 'Lambs will appear dull and gaunt and they will also exhibit signs of dehydration characterised by congregating around water drinkers.' Farmers should consult their veterinary practitioner to implement a lamb parasite control plan for their flocks. The CAFRE advisor also said: 'The signs of coccidiosis in lambs can be easily confused with nematodirus and both can occur simultaneously, making diagnosis more difficult. 'The risk period for lambs is between 3-8-weeks-of-age, and scour that is black in colour and blood may also be seen.' 'It is essential that you consult with your vet for accurate testing and diagnosis if coccidiosis is suspected and to determine the best course of treatment.' Sheep should also be closely monitored for flystrike in the coming weeks. Preventative actions such as shearing, crutching, dipping, or pour-on treatment at a suitable time are more advisable than reactive treatment for flystrike. Lambs should also be covered against pasteurella and clostridial diseases through a vaccination programme. Farmers should consult their vet for advice on the best course of treatment. Lameness Lameness in a sheep flock is an issue most farmers will be aiming to control rather than eliminate. The CAFRE advisor says that 'in most cases, routine foot trimming of all feet is unnecessary and can do more harm than good'. She instead suggested regular foot inspection with correct diagnosis and early treatment as the best control strategy. According to the Agricultural and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), some of the main types of lameness in flocks include: Interdigital dermatitis (scald); CODD (contagious ovine digital dermatitis); Foot rot; Toe granuloma; Toe abscess; Shelly hoof. CAFRE advisor Megarrell said: 'It is worth noting that controlling foot rot in ewes will help reduce the incidence of scald in lambs, as they are caused by the same bacteria.' 'Individual scald cases can be targeted with antibiotic spray treatment onto the hoof; however, this is labour-intensive, and you may find that the best option is to footbath the entire flock regularly'. Foot bathing is best carried out on a dry day with sheep feet as clean as possible. This is best achieved by placing a second foot bath, filled with water, immediately before the main treatment footbath. When foot bathing ewes, ensure the solution is mixed at the correct ratio, deep enough to cover the entire hoof,and that all feet are treated. Animals should be allowed to stand in the footbath solution for the recommended time, but this is more easily achieved with stand-in pens rather than walk-through baths. Sheep should then be allowed to stand on a hard, dry surface for up to one hour after treatment. After foot bathing, the advice is to move the sheep onto dry pasture that has not been grazed within the previous two weeks. Farmers should also remember to take care to dispose of the footbath solution carefully. After the hard work of delivering the 2025 season lamb crop, keeping on top of management tasks over the coming weeks will help keep mortality rates low and ensure good lamb performance.
