At the heart of our dairy systems, grass is the foundation of a profitable, resilient, and sustainable business. That’s why this year’s Dairy Conference is all about unlocking the full potential of your pastures to power productivity and profitability.
Join us for a day packed with practical insights, research-backed strategies, and inspiring stories — all focused on making simple, grass-based systems work harder for your bottom line.
What we’ll cover:
Taking stock and moving forward: Review of 2025 & Industry challenges for the year ahead.
Getting back to growing 14-15T/DM/Ha : Teagasc experts will focus on maximizing pasture growth as the foundation for profitable, sustainable dairy systems..
Farmer-led talks sharing real experiences and lessons from successful grass-based dairy farming.
Panel Discussions led by Financial Expert to include career start-ups, preparing for investments and financing opportunities.
Farmer-Led Sessions
At the heart of the conference is a line-up of forward-thinking dairy farmers who’ve built profitable careers by focusing on grass. Hear their journeys — from the challenges of starting out to the lessons that made the biggest differences on their farms.
Expect open, honest conversations around:
Embarking on a dairy career
Making grass the most valuable crop on the farm
Balancing simplicity with scale
Lessons learned in managing people, land, and profitability
These sessions are about real farmers, real numbers, and real systems that work.
Dr Laurence Shalloo
Laurence Shalloo qualified from UCD with a BAgrSc in1999, and he went on to complete his PhD in 2004 on the development and use of the Moorepark Dairy Systems Model to analyse institutional and technical changes in dairy farming. He joined Teagasc in 2004 and is currently head of the animal and grassland research and the innovation programme at Teagasc. Laurence kicks of the conference with a comprehensive look back at 2025—reviewing what the year taught us and identifying the key industry challenges we face in 2026. This session isn’t just about reflection; it’s about setting the stage for action. Laurence will discuss market trends, policy, financial and environmental factors that will shape the dairy landscape for 2026. This session will be chaired by Aidan Brennan, Dairy editor in the Irish Farmers Journal and promises to be a lively and engaging debate as we start out the new year.
Dr Michael O’Donovan
Michael is head of the grassland science department at Teagasc, Moorepark. He graduated from UCD with a degree in Agricultural Science in 1995, after which he completed his masters in 1998 and a PhD in 2000. He leads a grassland research programme on innovating pasture-based dairy production systems, focusing on grazing management, incorporating clover into grazing systems, and oversees the Pasture Profit Index and PastureBase Ireland. Michael has over 25 years of experience in grassland research and has been instrumental in developing tools and technologies that enhance grass utilisation and profitability on Irish dairy farms. He coordinates the PastureBase Ireland programme, which underpins national efforts to improve grazing efficiency and herbage production. Widely published and an active collaborator across international grassland networks, Michael plays a key role in bridging scientific research and practical application for the benefit of farmers and industry. His work continues to shape Ireland’s direction in pasture-based livestock systems.
Kevin Moran
Kevin Moran began farming in 2013 when he leased his uncle’s 40 ha farm in Caherlistrane, Co. Galway milking 72 cows. Kevin is now farming 105 ha with 260 cows in a spring calving grass-based system. Kevin runs a simple system with two full-time labour units, with a clear focus on milk solids from grazed grass while maximising profit in both an environmental and economically sustainable manner. Kevin has placed a huge focus on improving and maintaining soil fertility on the farm over the last number of years, which has resulted in producing 15 t DM/ha on average over the past 5 years, with 16 t DM/ha grown with 560 kg MS/cow in 2025. This has all occurred while reducing chemical fertiliser inputs to < 180 kg N/ha over the past 4 years, by incorporating white clover into the grazing swards on his farm. Clover not only offers environmental advantages to farmers, but also a financial return through increased animal performance and fertiliser savings.
John MacNamara
John MacNamara alongside his wife, Olivia, farm in Knockainey Co. Limerick, with their four children, Caoimhe, Conor, Ailbhe and Padraic, who all contribute to the running of the farm. He is milking 220 spring calving dairy cows on a 76 ha milking platform with another 38 ha on the outside farm which is 6 miles from home for silage and heifers. John is also the chairman of Teagasc’s Grass10 programme. John places a huge focus on grass production which is been achieved through excellent grassland management, maintaining optimal soil fertility, the incorporation of clover through consistent reseeding and over-sowing and aligning chemical nitrogen use. In 2025 the farm produced >15 t DM/ha, feeding less than 550 kg of concentrates per cow with 165 kg of chemical N/ha spread, all while maintaining production at over 520 kg of milk solids/cow, with farm growing >14.8 t DM/ha of grass on average over the previous 5 years. John’s aim is to run an enjoyable, profitable, efficient, sustainable dairy business, while also enjoying a good work-life balance.
Donal Whelton
Donal Whelton is AIB Head of Agriculture, Food & Fishing. Originally from a dairy farm in Barryroe West Cork, Donal holds a BAgrSc degree from UCD and is a qualified financial advisor. Donal joined AIB in 2000 and began his career in the bank’s commercial lending department before joining the AIB agri team in 2005. Having led the AIB southern agri team, Donal was appointed to his current position in 2021.
Katie O’ Toole and David Fogarty
Katie O’Toole and David Fogarty
Katie O’Toole and David Fogarty operate a 500-cow jersey/friesian cross spring-calving dairy enterprise as part of a partnership on a fully leased farm near Kilkenny city. The aim is to build a system that prioritises simplicity, grass utilisation, and long-term business sustainability. Neither David nor Katie come from farms but both studied Ag Science at 3rd level and spent time farming in New Zealand. Katie completed her master’s and worked with Teagasc for a period of time before opting to go farming full time. David managed farms after coming home from New Zealand and gained some very valuable experience. They set their sights on farming together and went about finding a suitable opportunity which took quite a while. Important factors were scale, existing infrastructure, business model, potential returns, location and the people they were going to be working alongside. Cantwellscourt ticked a lot of the boxes and they took over the running of the farm in August 2024. It has been a steep learning curve but also a very enjoyable experience so far, say Katie and David.
Christopher Cahill
Christopher Cahill hails from Co. Cavan where he picked up his Grá for dairying while helping on his uncle’s 45 cow dairy farm. He completed the UCD dairy business degree, and subsequently a master’s degree in sustainable agriculture. He spent 2013 working in New Zealand where he encountered the concepts of share farming and contract grass measuring services. Following this Christopher worked with Lakeland Agri for 6 years as an animal nutritionist and gained a huge wealth of experience in this role. In 2021, with help from Macra’s Land Mobility Service, Christopher formed a farming partnership with Tony McCormack, a dairy farmer from Co. Westmeath where Christopher provides the cows and labour, while Tony provides the land and infrastructure. Christopher is also the director of Cavan Grassland Consultancy Ltd, a company he established to provide grassland measurement and management services.
Join us at the 2026 Dairy Conference & Social Night on January 8 and 9 at the Charleville Park Hotel, Co. Cork. It kicks off with the Gala Dinner and an engaging chat between Paul Hyland and Michael Ward, followed by a full day focused on maximising grassland productivity for profitable, sustainable dairy farming. Keynote speakers include industry leaders sharing cutting-edge research and practical strategies. Don’t miss this prime event to connect, learn, and enhance your dairy business!
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