On this episode we are joined by 3 more of our 6 Professional Work Placement Students.
They are Edmond Casey, James Downey and Sean O'Sullivan.
These students got to be engrained within Grassland Agro and got to be involved in all aspects of the business, from farm visits and advice, internal training, factory tours and projects.
The three students on this episode all hail from County Cork and do Agricultural Science in University College Cork under Professor Frank Buckley.

On this episode we are joined by 3 of our 6 Professional Work Placement Students.
These students got to be engrained within Grassland Agro and got to be involved in all aspects of the business, from farm visits and advice, internal training, factory tours and projects.
the three students who join us are Laoise Cullen from Wicklow.  Laoise is in DKIT doing Sustainble Agriculture and will start her masters in September.
We also have Sean Keane from Mayo.  Sean is doing Animal and Crop Production in UCD.  And the third participant on this episode is Ciara Collins from Tipperary.  Ciara is doing Environmental Science and Agriculture in TUS Thurles.

On this episode we are joined by Dr. David Wall.  David is a soil scientist, biochemist and enterprise leader with Teagasc based in Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford.
David gives a passionate debate about the future development of Irish agriculture and bridging emerging knowledge gaps and demonstrating the full potential of Irish farming systems to deliver multiple services for farming families and wider society.  He is also a huge advocate of soil health, structure and biology.
David also talks about the importance of soil pH and the importance of your liming programme.

On this episode we discuss reseeding grassland.  Reseeding is done for many reasons.  The main ones are to increase productivity of the farm and carry more stock per acre.  It helps increase the live weight gain and creates faster regrowth.  Its helps to increase silage quality and palatability.
The first stage of carrying out a reseed is to take soil samples from the area to be reseeded. One soil sample should be taken from every 5 hectares planned for reseeding, the samples should be representative of the entire field/paddock.
Soil tests are crucial to find out what levels of Lime, Phosphorous and Potassium are needed at reseeding.
Grazing during the summer and autumn months and resting over the winter will have the best possible results for the reseed and mean it will increase grass production on the farm immediately for the years to come.

On this episode we are joined by Simon Delaney.  Simon is a Technical Agronomist with Grassland Agro for four years, working in the North and East Cork region.  A proud Tipperary man from Cashel, Simon gives us an insight into his role as a technical agronomist with Grassland Agro.
Simon talks about what he sees on farms every day and also gives us an insight into the farming partnership he entered with his Dad, Richard and uncle Eamonn.
They combined their two herds which are now all milked in Clonoulty and their next steps for reseeding and soil health.
This story also ties in lovely with some of the topics covered on the last episode in relation to social sustainability.
Mind yourself out there, farm smart, farm safe.

On this episode we look at farming for a socially sustainable standpoint.  We look at it from a dairy, beef and tillage point of view.
The role of the farmer can often be a solitary position, so we discuss items that can help increase social contact, and increase work life balance.
Sustainability in farming has three key pillars;  Environmental, Economic and Social.  The third is often overlooked.  
Social Sustainability is defined as;
‘The extent to which social values, social identities, social relationships and social institutions can continue into the future’ 
The three key subgroupings in social sustainability are the farmers wellbeing, the animals wellbeing and the community wellbeing.
Mind yourself out there, farm smart, farm safe.

On this episode we discuss biodiversity.
We couldn't kick off before congratulating Dr. David Corbett on the successful completion of his PhD, a shout-out to James on his 40th birthday in Paddy Ryan's Listerlin, not to mention the big GAA debate about the Munster hurling championship and Ulster Gaelic football.
Eventually we get to biodiversity!
We cover the amazing Burren in Co. Clare, hedgerows, wildlife, insects and sustainable farming practices.

On this episode we are delighted to be joined again by Bernard Furlong, the Grassland Agro Consultant Vet.
And, Guess who's back, back again!? Davy's back, tell a friend

This a pica special from the point of view of the Vet.

Pica is a condition where cattle eat and / or lick items that have no nutritional value on the farm. The most common observation is cows licking stones. Other examples include licking clay, walls, posts, gates or urine.

The main drivers of this are Phosphorus deficiency, sodium deficiency or lack of fibre.
Bernard also talks about the impact that stones and other objects can have on the cows rumen.

On this episode we are delighted to be joined by Bernard Furlong, the Grassland Agro Consultant Vet.
We cover many topics, after an introduction to Bernard and his life story.
After a brief heated debate about Clare and Wexford GAA hurling we got down to the job at hand.
Bernard gives us a summary of what sort of things he is seeing on farms today from the vets perspective.
He also gives a great insight into Body Condition Scoring.  Body Condition Scoring (BCS) is a technique used to assess how thin or fat a cow is on a scale of 1 to 5.  It is measured in increments of 0.25, where 1 is extremely thin and 5 is extremely fat.
Bernard then moves onto Locomotion scoring.  Locomotion Scoring was developed to simplify the task of identifying affected animals.  It is a simple way of evaluating an animal’s back posture, both standing and walking, by assigning a qualitative score as an index of their ability to walk normally.
Bernard the Vet also covers a small bit on Pica and Phosphorus deficiency.   And finishes on smooth cow flow to help reduce animal stress, including roadways and infrastructure tips.

On this episode we discuss the Teagasc Grass10 programme and how to make good quality silage.
Grassland Agro are continued proud sponsors of the Teagasc Grass10.
Since 2017 the Grass10 campaign aims to promote sustainable grassland excellence on Irish livestock farms.
The primary objective of the Grass10 Campaign was to utilise 10 tonnes of grass DM/ha/year using 10 grazings per paddock on grassland farms in Ireland. As well as working closely with all partners and Teagasc advisory programme, the Grass10 programme worked closely with the Grassland Science Department in Teagasc.

The continued adoption of best grazing management practices at farm level will be critical in increasing the future sustainability of grassland farming in confronting future challenges with regards to climate change, ammonia emissions and water quality. Increasing nitrogen use efficiency on grassland farms will be a major objective.
The importance of first cut silage and resisting the temptation for going for bulk.  Testing the sugars and nitrates can give you such a bank of information on the quality of the grass.

On this episode we discuss clover, and some of the long and short term solutions we can take for reducing nitrogen application with its use.
In farming, white clover is the most commonly sown legume species in temperate grassland. White clover grows really well in association with grass. It is tolerant of grazing and can grow over a fairly wide range of climatic conditions.
 Red clover can be sown from April to late July. Sowing in the spring gives greater forage yields of up to 60% during the establishment year and the first harvest year than later sowing.
Unlike white clover which has a low, creeping growth habit, red clover only grows from its crown, and so requires careful management to protect the crown and ensure good persistence.
Clover is highly palatable and digestible for the animal and we discuss incorporating it into a reseed or over sown also.
Clover can be very tricky in heavier soils and needs that higher soil pH of 6.2 to 6.5.

On this episode we discuss grassland management and breeding preparation.

As we step into 2nd round grazing we cover some key points to look out for and tips to maximise this, including grass measuring weekly and getting out and walking your farm to visually assess growth rates and ground conditions. 
"Get down on your knees and grab the sward; two and a half fists is about a 1200 cover."
Breeding is one of the the most important 12 weeks of the farming year so we discuss rumen maintenance and mineral supplementation.  The key benefits of Body Condition Scoring is another big one.

On this episode we discuss some recommendations on how to maximise and best prepare for first cut silage.
Farming and agriculture is facing some huge challenges this year.  Managing the nutrient value of chemical fertiliser and slurry to maximise their use has never been more imporatant.   Also the benefit and importance of grazing out.  Phosphorus is so important for tillering.
We discuss the benefits of slurry testing, the roll of K and Sulphur, and milk fever.

On this episode we discuss bulk density and fertiliser calibration to maximise your fertiliser spreading ability.
Bulk density is a major factor affecting the spreading ability of a particular fertiliser product. Bulk density is the weight of a given volume of fertiliser and measures how heavy a fertiliser is. 
For example, urea has a bulk density of 0.76 (760 g per 1 litre of volume); CAN has a bulk density of 1.0 (1000g per 1 litre volume). Higher bulk density fertilisers are easier to spread at larger working widths.

Fertiliser calibration is a very important task to be carried out going forward given the price of fertiliser and mounting environmental and water quality pressures. Fertiliser calibration will ensure fertiliser is applied evenly and correctly, therefore ensuring maximum efficiency.
When calibrating the fertiliser spreader, it is important that flow rate of fertiliser from the machine is matching the desired flow rate.

We also have a video specifically on this topic;
https://youtu.be/C5u9VOIvFlQ

On this episode we discuss, The Grassland Agro soil sustainability programme.
We cover the steps to the programme from Soil Sampling, Fertiliser Planning, Silage Measuring, Soil Biology Assessment and Soil Structure Assessment.

Find out more about the programme here;
https://ie.timacagro.com/2022/02/18/soil-sustainability-program/

#FarmTheFuture

The Sod Pod, brought to you by Grassland Agro.

This is a prelaunch podcast to get to know the panel.  Over the season we will chat and debate many topics from, soil health, fertiliser, dairy, beef, tillage, sustainable agriculture, nutrient management, animal remedies etc etc.

Grassland Agro is a manufacturer specialising in soil, plant and animal nutrition / welfare.