Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc, joins Stuart Childs on the latest Dairy Edge to preview the upcoming Dairy Conferences.
With sudden drops in milk price catching many farmers off guard and even many of those who work in the area of forecasting prices, Joe explains, however, that the best-performing farms remain the best ones regardless of price cycles.
Farmers shouldn’t overhaul their system each time the price rises or falls. Instead, consistent fundamentals — good cows, strong grazing management, stable stocking rates and control of costs are what carry farms through the lows of the volatility cycle.
High-margin farms succeed because they invest strategically rather than overspending on the back of a good year only to find themselves short of cash in a tight year. Joe emphasises the need for cash planning, avoiding impulsive “tax-driven” spending and having approximately €500 per cow available to get through to the next big milk cheques in late spring.
Joe also highlights the long-term value created by EBI-driven genetic improvement, the growing role of data (grass prediction tools, cost benchmarks), and the importance of collaborative farming and succession planning. These enable better decision-making, smoother transitions between generations, and continued productivity despite policy and cost pressures.
If you want to hear more on these topics, you are welcome to attend the National Dairy Conferences in either Clonmel or Cavan on November 26th and 27th and for more info, go to:
https://teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/events/
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/
The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.