Always a highlight on the IGA calendar and a great way to kick start the new year, our Gala Dinner and Social Night will be held in the Charleville Park Hotel in Co. Cork on Thursday 7th January in advance of our annual Dairy Conference on Friday 8th.
Tickets for the Gala Dinner can be purchased directly from the Charleville Park Hotel.
You can:
The 2027 Irish Grassland Association (IGA) Dairy Conference & Social Night will focus on the theme of Feed Security in Grass-Based Dairy Systems, examining how Irish dairy farmers can build resilience against increasingly variable weather conditions while maintaining profitable, grass-based production systems. The two days are sponsored by Yara and the Irish Farmers Journal are media partners. The events are scheduled for 7-8 January 2027 at the Charleville Park Hotel, bringing together leading researchers, advisers and progressive farmers to discuss practical solutions for securing feed supplies and sustaining farm profitability.
The conference will commence with a gala dinner and social evening on Thursday, 7 January 2027. Guest speaker arrangements are being finalised, with prominent sporting and business personalities under consideration. The evening will provide an opportunity for networking and discussion among farmers, industry leaders and IGA members ahead of the conference.
The conference will explore feed security through three complementary sessions designed to provide both scientific insight and practical farmer experience.
Chaired by Alex Sheehan, this session will investigate how improving the fundamentals of grassland management can increase feed production and reduce vulnerability during challenging weather events. Presentations from David Wall and Caitlin Looney will examine soil fertility performance, nutrient management planning, pasture benchmarking data and strategies for managing grass growth throughout the season. A farmer case study will demonstrate how these principles can be applied in practice.
Key discussion points will include soil fertility correction, silage ground performance, the role of lime, phosphorus and potassium investment, and determining the level of forage reserves required to protect farms against feed deficits during periods of weather stress.
Chaired by Brendan Horan, this panel discussion will explore practical options for maintaining feed supply when grass growth is restricted. Contributions from industry experts will assess the role of alternative forages, purchased feeds, stocking rate decisions and silage strategies in strengthening farm resilience.
Speakers including Joe Patton, Neil O’Sullivan and Ciaran Hearn will discuss the economics and practicality of alternative feed sources, balancing diets during feed shortages and developing forage reserves capable of supporting dairy herds through increasingly frequent weather extremes.
The final session will adopt a roundtable format to explore the different stages of a successful dairy farming career. Farmers at varying phases of business development will share their experiences and lessons learned, providing attendees with perspectives that are relevant regardless of where they are on their own journey.
The discussion will feature:
The session aims to highlight the common characteristics of top-performing grassland farmers while exploring how goals, opportunities and challenges evolve over time.
The 2027 IGA Dairy Conference will demonstrate that feed security is not simply about producing more silage or purchasing supplementary feed. Instead, it begins with excellent grassland management, strong soil fertility, strategic forage planning and informed business decisions. By combining scientific research with farmer experience, the conference will provide attendees with practical strategies to protect their businesses from weather volatility while maintaining the competitiveness of Ireland's grass-based dairy system.
Tickets are available online now and are currently discounted by 20% for those who book early up to 1st December 2026. Why wait around? Get your tickets booked today, to secure your money off!
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