Moorepark Open Day 2025 is a great opportunity for all dairy farmers to see the ongoing research, to explore best practices, and to question and challenge experts in different fields.

Taking place at the Moorepark facility in Fermoy, Co. Cork on Wednesday, July 2, gates will open at 08:30a.m.

The dairy industry has gone through a period of expansion after the abolishment of milk quotas in 2015, and is now entering what seems to be a period of consolidation.

So, what does that mean for dairy farmers?

Certainly, over the last number of years, cow numbers have increased, as have new parlours and cubicles at the same rate, but the industry now seems to be entering into a different era.

With uncertainty around the regulations on nitrates, environmental pressures, and the need to comply with both EU and national policy, consolidating the industry is now a must.

Farmers must now focus on reducing carbon emissions, improving animal welfare as well as water and air quality, and including greater biodiversity on their farms.

At the same time, dairy farms must generate financially rewarding career opportunities with a favourable work-life balance for an environment and life that is attractive for the younger generation.

All of his will be discussed in detail at Moorepark 2025 Open Day. Current and emerging technologies and practices designed to empower farmers to increase their economic, environmental, and social sustainability will also be showcased.

The open day is aimed at provided attendees with the opportunity to examine the results of the comprehensive, innovative research programme undertaken by Teagasc, and to engage with research, advisory, and education staff available on the day.

Over the last number of years, the average dairy farmer has been growing about 12t of grass dry matter (DM), which is well below the target of 14-15t of grass DM.

Some people may laugh at this target and think it is impossible, but there are a number of farmers achieving this feat - despite stricter chemical N requirements and usage,

Moorepark open day is going to explore how farmers can achieve this.

Boosting grass growth can be done through a number of measures, including soil fertility, grazing management targets, effective nitrogen input, and clover incorporation and reseeding.

The open day will help farmers turn their focus to grassland management, growth, and utilisation to drive a high-performing herd with lowered costs, inputs, and lowered farm gate N surplus.

The open day will also discuss the business of farming to maintain financial competitiveness, with the aim of preparing the next generation of dairy farmers and reduce the workload on farms.

The topic of generation renewal is a huge concern for the industry and is something that needs to be addressed with urgency to ensure that the younger people want to go farming, that they see a financial reward and viability from it along with a healthy working lifestyle.

There will also be discussions around the latest updates on the Economic Breeding Index (EBI), beef on dairy breeding, and the future of sexed semen in the industry.

A panel discussion will kick off at 3:00p.m, which will cover the current global trading scenario, policy implications for the future direction of the industry, and the key role of innovation in developing solutions for the challenges that lie ahead.

The different areas set up for the open day include:

Grass10 - Grazing Demo;
Business of Farming;
Grassland village;
Infrastructure village;
Breeding and Infrastructure village;
Dairy-beef village;
One Health, One Welfare village;
Working Effectively village;
Environment village.

There will be demonstrations taking place throughout the day on grazing management, reseeding, low emission slurry spreading, fertiliser type, white clover swards, and the calibration of fertiliser spreaders.

Other demonstrations will be on farm infrastructure, manure storage options, body condition scoring, milk quality, calf rearing, genetics, and health and safety.

If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest research in the dairy industry and take some of the best practices back to your own farm, Moorepark on Wednesday July 2 is a must.