Скачать или смотреть Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards 2025 - Mark Lonergan

Mark Lonergan is a dairy farmer from Tipperary. Mark was shortlisted as a finalist in this years awards.

This 61.11-hectare dairy farm operates at a stocking rate of 2.27 LU/ha, producing 535 kg milk solids per cow. The herd has high genetic merit, with an EBI of €252, supporting both efficiency and sustainability and producing 535 kg of milk solids. The carbon footprint is 0.79 kg CO₂eq/kg FPCM.

Grass growth is central, with 12.6 t DM/ha produced. Nitrogen use is carefully managed, with 191 kg chemical N/ha applied, reducing N use by 4–5% over three years, 95% as protected urea. Nitrogen surplus is 87 kg/ha, while soil fertility shows 58% at optimum pH, 79% at P index, and 78% at K index. Slurry is spread entirely via Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS), supported by additional storage for timely application.

Environmental measures include hedgerow management on a three-year cycle, retention of mature trees, 10 m slurry and 3 m fertiliser buffers, and 15.84% of the farm dedicated to space for nature. Clover swards now cover 34.5% of the farm, reducing chemical N use, while lower-protein concentrates reduce organic N excretion.

Solar panel array was installed on the milking parlour to reduce milk cooling cost and reduce reliance on Electricity from the grid. My Cost for electricity was 0.76c/l which when compared to my local discussion group was 1.05c/l.

Future plans focus on reducing meal supplementation, increasing clover, improving lime status, and maintaining high grass DM production.

The Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards aims to promote environmentally sustainable farming. The awards highlight the progress farmers are making to lighten the load of farming on the environment, while continuing to produce high quality, nutritious food, in a profitable manner #TeagascFBDSustainability25