To utilise novel strategies in relation to animal breeding, alternative forage use and supplementation of novel feed additives to improve the environmental sustainability of Irish pasture based dairy-calf to beef considering biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions and water quality to deliver environmentally and economically beneficial future dairy-beef production systems.
Ciaran 2024: To compare the performance of dairy-beef calves across multiple experiments, including varied planes of nutrition, levels of immune status, and weaning strategies, as well as reduce environmental impact through feed additives.
Ciaran 2025: To compare the performance of dairy replacement heifers and dairy-beef calves across multiple experiments, including varied planes of nutrition (both pre- and post-weaning), as well as the potential mitigation of methane emissions through the feeding of methane mitigating additives.PI: Dr. Alan Kelly, Staff: Ciaran McGee (PhD), Prof. Tommy Boland, Prof. Karina Pierce, Dr. Stafford Vigors