Benchmarking: Focusing Efforts to Improve Farm Performance
Benchmarking helps farmers see where they stand and identify opportunities to improve profit and efficiency. For this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Michael Hennessy talks to Dr. Fiona Thorne, Teagasc Economist, and Ciaran Collins, Tillage Specialist, about the latest Cereal Enterprise Factsheet and how to use Teagasc Costs and Returns to measure real farm performance. They discuss the importance of calculating your own fixed costs, what sets top-performing farms apart, and how tools like the Teagasc Profit Monitor and Machinery Cost Calculator can help in assembling and analysing your figures. See more here:https://teagasc.ie/publications/national-farm-survey-enterprise-factsheets-2024/ For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com
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25:11
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25:11
Make every input count: adding to the bottom line
Professor Andrew McGuire from Washington State University joins Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to discuss how to assess the real value of crop inputs. Andrew discusses practical ways to evaluate new products, bio-stimulants, and other supplemental products, highlighting the importance of evidence-based decisions and on-farm trials. For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com
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21:42
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21:42
Digging into soil samples
We look at why improving soils is so important and how understanding the basics — from soil structure to nutrient interactions — can help you make lasting improvements. Dr. Veronica Nyhan, Plant and Soils Specialist with Teagasc, joins us on the Tillage Edge to discuss core soil tests, key soil properties, and how tracking changes over time can show whether your practices are really helping your soils. For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com
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24:29
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24:29
The benefits of pre-emergent herbicides
Planting of winter cereals is now underway, with good progress being made in the north-east, while things are moving a little slower in the south. As crops go in, attention soon turns to weed control. In recent years, growers have faced increasing challenges from grass weeds like annual meadow grass and Italian ryegrass, particularly as resistance to herbicides continues to develop. For this week’s Tillage Edge, Ciarán Collins is joined by Shay Phelan and Vijaya Bhaskar from Teagasc Oak Park to discuss how herbicide resistance is emerging, and to discuss the most effective control measures available to farmers right now. For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com
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20:14
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20:14
Rye margins are better than barley
As winter cereal planting gets underway, farmers are focusing on crop mix decisions and the impact on farm margins. For this episode of The Tillage Edge, we share the final talks from the Teagasc Crops Forum where Michael McKeon, Teagasc Pig & Poultry Specialist, highlights rye’s role in pig rations and the opportunities for home millers. Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Tillage Specialist, presents financial data on rye and its potential to improve profitability and diversify rotations. For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com
The Tillage Edge is Teagasc's weekly tillage podcast, presented by Michael Hennessy, bringing you weekly episodes covering the agronomy needs of crops throughout the season with input from Teagasc researchers and views from across the industry.
The Tillage Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com
New Zealand