Irish Farmers Journal podcasts

The guests on this week’s Young Stock Podcast are three ag science graduates who represented their companies at the AgTag rugby charity tournament organised by the Agricultural Science Association (ASA) on Friday, 24 April.While the sun was splitting the sky, over 50 people from Ornua, Bord Bia, Diageo and the Irish Farmers Journal took part in an afternoon of networking, competition and fun. The proceeds raised from the event will be donated to Embrace Farm and the National Rehabilitation Hospital. Niamh Gunne, farm advocacy manager in the National Dairy Council, outlines what her role involves in working with dairy farmers to bridge the gap between the general public and farming communities. As a council member of the ASA, Niamh also speaks about the event and how it came about.  Hailing from a beef farm in Co Longford, Cáit Murphy joins the podcast to speak about her role as an internal communications executive with Ornua. She also outlines her education pathway, having originally studied business at DCU, specialising in marketing and communications and moving into the food and drink industry. The final guest, Eoghan Byrne, project manager with FRS Co-Op, outlines his role working across different business improvement and development projects. Diageo took home first place on the day, with Ornua coming a close second. The event was sponsored by the Irish Farmers Journal.

This week, Stephen and the panel discuss Leo Varadkar’s comments, Adam covers updates in the UK market, Aidan breaks down the latest milk price announcements, and Martin discusses all things Tullamore Farm. Stephen also talks to Peter Linden from Grassland AGRO about reseeding options.Join the Farm Tech Talk communityWe welcome any feedback and questions you have for the Farm Tech Talkteam. Please email farmtechtalk@farmersjournal.ie or send a text or voice note to our WhatsApp number 086 836 6465Click here if you would like a weekly email notification when Farm Talkis released https://share-eu1.hsforms.com/1LkIraRklQcK5mClBGXTpFgets9e Farm Alert is now available for beef and sheep farmers as well as dairy farmers. Manage your herd and flock health with ease by signing up at www.farmalert.ie. To get started, watch our quick guide on how to register and set up your account https://youtu.be/zZD-8C7X4LgLearn how to build your calendars to receive automated text reminders https://youtube.com/shorts/uPDisMFEY-k

The team discusses Leo Varadkar’s comments about rural Ireland, the next CAP budget and TB rules in marts.

On the first ever Inside Machinery podcast Gary Abbott and Peter Thomas Keaveney tell us all about what to expect at Grass 2026 the biggest machinery demonstration of the year. They have all the details and tell us about machines making their debut and travelling from Germany to make the show.Peter has an interview with Cork contractor Mark Troy as he prepares for silage season at a time of high fuel costs and Gary Abbott has all the information you need on wrap prices, markets and supplies.

Inside Dairy – Moorepark trial insights, spring workload and Lakeland’s 2025 performance  On this week’s Inside Dairy, Aidan Brennan and Daire Cregg dig into the latest results from the Moorepark next generation herd trial and what they mean for the future of dairy breeding. With weather conditions improving, they also run through the key jobs farmers should be focusing on right now– from grass management to breeding decisions.The pair break down the latest milk price announcements, Global Dairy Trade trends, and wider market signals shaping the sector.We also sat down with Lakeland Dairies CEO Colin Kelly to unpack the co-op’s 2025 financial performance, exploring growth areas like food service, strategies for adding value, and how Lakeland’s debt position stacks up.Plus, in The Breakdown, Aidan explains the rise of three-way crossbreeding systems and what farmers need to watch in the week ahead, including reducing supplements, managing heifers, and fertilising silage ground.

 For this week’s episode, Sarah McIntosh chats to Kaleb Cooper and others at the ‘Intro to Ag’ fair in the Aviva Stadium.Main: This week’s Young Stock Podcast was recorded live at the Aviva Stadium, where finalists gathered for the ‘Intro to Ag’ fair. The new ‘Intro to Ag’ Transition Year (TY) programme was developed by Agri Aware and the Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) two years ago to encourage students to consider studying agricultural science as a Leaving Certificate subject. Sarah McIntosh spoke to Gráinne McGrath, the LOETB training officer in Agriculture, about the programme's importance and its impact. Farmer and TV personality Kaleb Cooper joins Sarah to discuss the opportunities for young people in the sector and why farming is an essential job, as people need to eat three times a daySome of the students who were displaying their final projects on the day also chatted to Sarah about their topics and interest in agriculture. Martin Merrick joins Sarah to discuss rational and irrational fears, as well as what they are looking forward to at Grass 2026, the Irish Farmers Journal event taking place on Wednesday, 29 April in Co Kilkenny.

This week, Stephen chats with Adam about a BSE case and the fuel protests, Darren discusses a new dairy beef weighing scheme and the sheep trade, while Daire covers the milk price increase, and Lorcan looks at the energy markets. Join the Farm Tech Talk communityWe welcome any feedback and questions you have for the Farm Tech Talk team. Please email farmtechtalk@farmersjournal.ie or send a text or voice note to our WhatsApp number 086 836 6465Click here if you would like a weekly email notification when Farm Talk is released https://share-eu1.hsforms.com/1LkIraRklQcK5mClBGXTpFgets9e

On this week’s podcast we talk fieldwork and the struggle on farms across the country at present. We chat to fungicide expert Professor Fiona Burnett of the Scottish Rural College on resistance.We also run through feed and grain imports for 2025, look at the paper and have the grain trends and weather reports. The Tillage Podcast is supported by Bayer Crop Science.