Brian McDonnell

Brian McDonnell Profile Picture

Technical Dairy Specialist

Brian McDonnell is from Raheny, Co. Dublin. He has an honours degree in Sustainable Agriculture from Dundalk IT. He has worked on dairy and beef farms in both Ireland and the UK, including Teagasc Grange and a large-scale 650-cow dairy farm which also had a 1,200 animal youngstock-rearing farm in Scotland. He has a keen interest in agriculture and particularly the dairy sector and in his spare time is active in local rugby and golf.

How to make the most effective use of spring N

Dairy

How to make the most effective use of spring N

Weather and ground conditions have halted or delayed the spreading of slurry in the two open zones. But once conditions...
What are the changes to nitrates derogation you should know about?

Dairy

What are the changes to nitrates derogation you should know about?

Continuous declines in water quality and increases in greenhouse has (GHG) and ammonia emissions will make it more difficult to...
Spring fertiliser prices – what to expect

Grass

Spring fertiliser prices – what to expect

Chemical fertiliser is one of the biggest expenses on many farms across the country, with prices expected to rise. Due...
Dispersal sale of dairy herd receives top price of €2,930

Dairy

Dispersal sale of dairy herd receives top price of €2,930

The introduction of Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions led to marts moving to fully online sales – which has caused many...
Calving statistics: 11% increase in dairy calf births

Dairy

Calving statistics: 11% increase in dairy calf births

The recent weather makes it hard to believe that spring is just around the corner, and over the next few...
Milk Price Tracker: Which co-op topped the charts for December’s milk supplies?

Dairy

Milk Price Tracker: Which co-op topped the charts for December’s milk supplies?

The latest Milk Price Tracker – brought to you by AgriLand and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) – details milk prices from the most...
Young cows and heifers commanding high prices

Dairy

Young cows and heifers commanding high prices

The tail end of 2020 saw dairy stock in high demand in marts and sales across the country, with heifers...
Improve your calves’ saleability this spring

Dairy

Improve your calves’ saleability this spring

The 2021 spring-calving season is kicking off on dairy farms across the country, with calves beginning to be presented for...
Avoid using water when cleaning the calf shed

Dairy

Avoid using water when cleaning the calf shed

The first of two webinars as part of CalfCare virtual week took place Monday, January 18. The webinar focused on...
Udder scoring for OAD milking herds

Dairy

Udder scoring for OAD milking herds

At the recent Teagasc once-a-day (OAD) milking conference, Dr. Nick Sneddon from New Zealand spoke about the established OAD research...
Dairy advice: It’s time to get grazing ready

Dairy

Dairy advice: It’s time to get grazing ready

It is hard to believe with the recent bad weather that the grazing season on farms will be starting again...
What should I look for in a calf ration?

Dairy

What should I look for in a calf ration?

With calving due to commence on many farms in the coming days and weeks, the importance of correctly feeding the...
The 2 pillars for avoiding sick calves

Dairy

The 2 pillars for avoiding sick calves

Preventing calves from becoming sick is one of the many challenges faced by farmers during the busy spring period. As...
Ballyjamesduff Mart holding an on-farm dairy dispersal sale

Dairy

Ballyjamesduff Mart holding an on-farm dairy dispersal sale

The tail end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 has seen a strong trade for dairy stock – with cows...
Milk fever: Disease associated with calving that farmers will be trying to avoid

Dairy

Milk fever: Disease associated with calving that farmers will be trying to avoid

With calving having already started on some farms and it being just around the corner on many other dairy farms,...
Protected urea: Reducing emissions doesn’t have to affect production

Dairy

Protected urea: Reducing emissions doesn’t have to affect production

Agriculture is often categorised as a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Ireland, with farms coming under increasing...
You can’t manage what you don’t measure

Dairy

You can’t manage what you don’t measure

During the Irish Grassland Association (IGA) dairy conference, on Wednesday, January 6, Dr. Deirdre Hennessy, a Teagasc grassland research officer based in...
Reducing chemical inputs with multi-species swards

Grass

Reducing chemical inputs with multi-species swards

With the increasing pressure on the Irish agricultural sector to reduce the level of chemical nitrogen (N) applied on farms, the...
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