Developments in Grassland Project by https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta Philip Donohues dairy farm en-us 2017-02-21 09:23:12 UTC 2025-11-18 03:18:34 UTC hello@padlet.com Intro mj_doran6 https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155088592
  • Importance of Grassland management
  • Ireland's grass growing advantage
  • Ireland's situation
  • Advantages of grassland management
    • ]]>     2017-02-21 09:26:33 UTC https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155088592     Farm Objectives mj_doran6 https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155102335
  • Focus on profit/ ha and build savings fund
  • Breed right cow for system with priority on fertility
  • Maximise grass grown & utilised
  • Have necessary infrastructure done safe and well
  • work smart not hard
    • ]]>     2017-02-21 10:43:13 UTC https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155102335     5 year plan mj_doran6 https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155104759 Year 1 (Current year)
    • Reset breeding goals for next 5 years
    • Complete paddock & roadway infrastructure
    Year 2
    • Calve down 180 cows 
    • Look into possibility of contract heifer rearing
    • Do some serious building of soil fertility
    Year 3
    • Hit 14 tonnes of DM utilised per hectare
    • Soil test whole farm and and evaluate how soil fertility building went

    Year 4
    • Repair and invest in new calf rearing facilities, if necessary
      • Evaluate how successful calf rearing has been the last 4 years
    Year 5
    • Set agenda for new 5 year plan
    • Compare profitability of last 5 years- what year went well and what year didn't- why?
    ]]>     2017-02-21 11:02:07 UTC https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155104759     Current management mj_doran6 https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155120393
  • On- off grazing practiced
  • Milking block being measured fortnightly 
  • Grass silage being fed to all animals
  • Fresh grass making up bulk of milking cows diet
  • 40 units of Nitrogen blanket spread on whole farm
  • Soil testing carried out in January
    • ]]>     2017-02-21 12:36:16 UTC https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155120393     SCOT Analysis mj_doran6 https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155124336 2017-02-21 12:55:18 UTC https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155124336 Conclusions & Recommendations mj_doran6 https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155124896
  • Run through what is done well and why it's done
  • Areas for improvement and why these areas mightn't be performing  to their potential
  • Run through external opportunities and potential threats
  • My recommendations for action on challenges the farm faces/ the SWOT analysis

    • ]]>     2017-02-21 12:58:08 UTC https://padlet.com/mj_doran6/830rituu1qta/wish/155124896