The Pig Edge

The Teagasc Pig Development Department is internationally renowned for its research, primarily focusing much of our programme on conducting research that can produce tangible benefits for commercial farmers on the ground in Ireland. For this latest episode of The Pig Edge, Amy Quinn is joined by pig nutrition researcher, Peadar Lawlor, to look at the economic benefits of research. Teagasc Pig Open Day 2024 We are also delighted to invite all pig farmers and pig industry stakeholders to the Teagasc Pig Open Day 2024, on Wednesday May 22nd in the Paddy O’Keeffe Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork and Friday May 24th in Ballyhaise Agricultural College, Ballyhaise, Co. Cavan, starting at 10am in both locations. Please register for this event below or contact Niamh Allen at 025 42457 or niamh.allen@teagasc.ie Link to register for open day: https://us18.list-manage.com/survey?u=a7b8c417dc058d8eaf18cadc1&id=ce0969e986 For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Kieran Keane, Pig Research Technician specialising in nutrition, with the Teagasc Pig Development Department joins Amy Quinn on the latest Pig Edge podcast to discuss current feed ingredient prices, the new Teagasc pig feed lab and current and upcoming Teagasc pig nutrition research trials. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Fiona O' Meara, Commercial Pig Nutritionist with Inform Nutrition, joins Amy Quinn on the latest episode of The Pig Edge to discuss all things pig nutrition, from dry sow fibre levels to the aftermath of zinc oxide removal and finisher phase feeding. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Here in the Pig Development Department in Teagasc, our team carry out three key services in the areas of Research, Advisory and education which are co-ordinated to assist Irish farmers in maximising productivity and profitability, whilst operating to the highest standards. On the latest Pig Edge podcast, Amy Quinn is joined by Edgar Garcia Manzanilla, Head of the Pig Development Department, to talk us through what you can expect from the Pig Development Department in the year ahead. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

On this our 50th episode of the Pig Edge podcast, we reflect on the strengths of our industry and look to the opportunities that lie ahead. Heather Peppard, Nutritionist with Brett Brothers, and Roy Gallie, pig and tillage farmer and Chair of the IFA National Pigs Committee, join Amy Quinn to do just that. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The Teagasc Outlook 2024 conference took place on the 28th of November where an economic overview and outlook for the various agricultural sectors was presented by a number of leading Teagasc experts. Michael McKeon, Specialised Pig adviser with the Teagasc Pig Development representing the pig sector, reviewed 2023 and look ahead to 2024. So on this episode of the Pig Edge, Michael joins Amy Quinn to talk us through the main highlights and lowlights from the past year and to discuss his expectations for the industry for the year to come. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The majority of farms out there are operating on a weekly farrowing system but there is another option potentially worth considering: batch farrowing. It’s thought to have many labour saving and time management benefits for some farms and we are seeing it increasingly used. So on this episode of the Pig Edge podcast, Amy Quinn is joined by Tomás Ryan, the farm manager of the Teagasc Pig research facility which is a 3 week batch farrowing farm, to talk through the pros, cons and logistics to help you see if this system could be the right fit for your farm. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The Annual Teagasc Pig Farmers’ Conference will be taking place on the 17th and 18th of October, in Hotel Kilmore in Cavan on the 17th and in the Horse and Jockey hotel in Tipperary on the 18th . Head of Pigs Knowledge Transfer, Ciarán Carroll, joins Amy Quinn on the latest Pig Edge podcast to preview the conference and highlight some of the key speakers and topics where you will get the chance to hear the wide-ranging technical programme. The conference is also a great opportunity to catch up with fellow pig producers and the familiar faces in the Pig Development Department and to find out more go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/events/pig-farmers-conference-2023/ For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Minister Simon Harris recently announced the launch of new farm apprenticeships with these new programmes marking an exciting stepping stone for both farms and farm staff allowing the next generation of farmers access to the education they want and need, whilst still working on farm. These programmes will provide a career pathway for staff already working on farms and looking to upskill, school leavers, or those looking for a change in career or looking to get back to employment. So on this episode of the Pig Edge, Amy Quinn is joined by Marcella Phelan, National Apprenticeship Programme Co-ordinator with the Teagasc Curriculum & Development Standards Unit, to tell us what we need to know about the farm apprenticeship programmes and what exactly we need to do to get involved. The next step for interested farms is to register their interest without delay at this link: https://www.apprenticeshiponline.ie/#/employer/register For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Farm Safety Week took place from July 17th to 21st aiming to raise further awareness of farm health and safety, share stories and technology that can improve farm safety and challenge farm safety attitudes, as well as encouraging farmers to look after their physical and mental health. With this in mind we thought it would be a good time to revisit health and safety on pig farms. On this episode of the Pig Edge, Amy is joined by pig specialised advisor, Michael McKeon, who has a particular interest in farm health and safety to discuss the main issues and best practices from what he sees on the ground out at farms, plus the main supports available to farmers. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

In 2016 Teagasc opened the Teagasc Pig Research Facility in Moorepark Co. Cork, a facility which many of you are familiar with. On this episode of the Pig Edge, Amy Quinn us joined by Tomás Ryan & Aisling Holmes who are in charge of the day to day running of the unit. They reflect on some of the changes they have made in the unit over the past number of years and their motivations as to why. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The 2022 Teagasc National Pig Herd Performance Report is hot off the press, showing some changes in our key performance indicators for 2022. On the latest Pig Edge podcast, Specialised Pig Advisor Ger McCutcheon joins Amy Quinn to discuss the report and interpret the figures and trends in more detail. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The Teagasc Pig Open day is just around the corner, taking place in Teagasc Moorepark Fermoy, Co. Cork at 10am on Tuesday May 9th and in Ballyhaise Agricultural College, Ballyhaise Co. Cavan at 10am on Thursday May 11th. The pig development department will be showcasing the results of the comprehensive research programme undertaken here in Teagasc, giving you the chance to interact with our researchers, advisors and postgraduate students. With this being a brand new event, Ciarán Carroll, Head of Knowledge Transfer in the Teagasc Pig Development Department, joins Amy Quinn on the latest Pig Edge podcast to preview the event and explain what those attending can expect. To register in advance for the event go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/national-events/events/pigopendaymoorepark.php https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/national-events/events/pigopendayballyhaise.php For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The Spanish pig sector has sparked a lot of interest here over the past number of years, for a lot of reasons. It’s shown impressively fast growth to become the largest pork producer in Europe. It’s demonstrated remarkable resilience during the recent financial crisis, with only a slight reduction in herd size. Plus there’s the scale of its vertically integrated systems, as well its continually strong pig prices. As a result, representatives of the Teagasc pig stakeholder group recently travelled to Spain on a study trip to find out first-hand what we need to know about the industry. Jason McGrath is a pig farmer from county Waterford who was on the trip and Amy Quinn spoke to him for the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to find out more. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Ger McCutcheon, Specialist Pig Development Officer with Teagasc, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to discuss the environmental sustainability of pig production and the value of pig slurry. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

With the current situation of energy costs on pig farms, Louise Clarke, Specialist Adviser at Teagasc Ballyhaise, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest Pig Edge podcast to discuss the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) and other energy cost-saving measures. Louise first explains the financial help available to pig farmers via TBESS and the criteria to be eligible for it. Plus she also highlights how to best monitor and control energy costs on farm including possible cost-savings that can be introduced. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

2022 has been described as the toughest year in a generation for pig farmers but what does 2023 have in store? Michael McKeon, Teagasc’s specialist pig development officer, joins Ciarán Carroll to look back on the year that was, discussing the main issues and difficulties, as well as highlighting the positive news on the horizon. 2023 will be brighter, says Michael, with a shortage of pig meat on the European market expected in the second quarter and the expectation of a good harvest to come will start to reduce feed ingredient prices. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Teagasc Pig Advisor, Emer McCrum, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to discuss some of the main topics and talking points from the 2022 Teagasc National Pig Farmers’ Conference. Producers, farm staff and industry colleagues were welcomed back to an in-person event this year, the first since 2019 due to Covid 19 restrictions. However, the conference was set against a very difficult backdrop for producers who by that point had endured 14 months of a crisis, the likes of which have been the worst in living memory. The conference therefore, was built around the current climate with papers covering the technical to the financial all relating back to topical issues within the pig industry. Emer and Ciarán discuss the key points of interest that can be taken from the conference for producers and staff. All conference presentations can also be accessed at: https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/national-pig-conference/ For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Dr. Ruth Hamill, Senior Research Officer at Teagasc Ashtown, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest Pig Edge podcast to discuss Value Added Pig meat. Traditionally Irish pig meat is seen as a commodity product, with little focus on value added. However, if we look at our exports, while value added pig meat only accounts for 20% of total volume sold, it accounts for more than 40% of value of exports. Ruth discusses the value of pig meat in our diets, what we can learn from research on other meats and the variety of value added pig meat products abroad, thus presenting opportunities for Irish pig meat in the future. For more information: https://www.teagasc.ie/food/research-and-innovation/research-areas/food-quality-and-sensory-science/meat-technology/ For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Teagasc Health & Safety Specialist, Francis Bligh, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest Pig Edge podcast to discuss tips and advice for health and safety on-farm as well as improving indications for the latest trends. Podcast Survey In order to understand the aspects of podcasts which are most appealing and beneficial to you the listener, it would be appreciated if you could take 3-4 minutes to complete the following survey to give your feedback: https://forms.office.com/r/mDZTE9zPy4 For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com