The 2024 Teagasc National Beef Conference is set to take place on Tuesday, November 19, at the Landmark Hotel, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim. The event will commence at 5:00p.m.

The theme of this year's conference is 'Sustainable Beef Farming: Pathways to a greener future'.

The event will feature two sessions and a range of speakers discussing a number of topics that are relevant to the Irish beef industry.

The two sessions are titled as follows:

Session one: Innovating for Efficiency: Smart farming in the Irish beef sector;

Session two: Harnessing Innovation: Future proofing Irish beef farming.

Session one will be chaired by Teagasc dry stock advisor based in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, Tom Coll and session two will be chaired by deputy president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and member of the Teagasc authority, Alice Doyle.

Teagasc regional advisory manager, James Keane will welcome those to the event and the director of research at Teagasc Professor Pat Dillon will deliver the opening address.

The three presentations in session one are as follows:

Dr. Peter Doyle, research officer, Teagasc Grange: The impact of red and white clover on animal performance in suckler calf-to-beef production systems;
Dr. Patrick Forrestal, senior research officer, Teagasc Johnstown Castle: Practical nutrient management solutions that beef farmers can implement on their farms to increase efficiency, reduce costs and address environmental pressures facing the sector:
Dr. John Donlon, research officer, Teagasc Grange: Controlling pneumonia in suckler weanlings.

There will be a short break with complimentary refreshments before the second and final session of the event will commence.

Session two will focus on futureproofing Irish beef farming and will highlight challenges facing the sector as well as solutions to these challenges.

The three presentations in session two are as follows:

Dr. Eoin Ryan, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM): Bluetongue: What are the risks for Irish cattle farmers and what can we do about it?
Martina Harrington, programme manager, Future Beef Programme, Teagasc: Driving Sustainability - Innovations on Future Beef Suckler Farms;
Shane Pearson, Design Your Life Coaching: Staying Resilient on the Farm Through Stressful Times of the Year.

After the speakers in session two have finished their presentations, there will be a short discussion before the head of animal and grassland research and innovation programme at Teagasc, prof. Laurence Shalloo brings the conference to a close.