Teagasc Past
Training
In the beginning
When the Department of Agriculture was established a century ago, one of the functions it assumed was the administration of the Board of Education grant-in-aid for technical and scientific instruction, along with responsibility for the Albert Agricultural College, the Botanic Gardens and the Munster Institute. At the same time, the local authorities were given the power to levy rates on agricultural land to finance county committees of agriculture which, in turn, were obliged to provide technical instruction to young farmers and to stimulate rural industry. The Department also became active in encouraging programmes of basic agricultural education throughout the national school system.
Later on, the Department financed training for agricultural instructors employed by the county committees and by 1913 over 1,200 farmers were attending a programme of agricultural day classes delivered by these trainers during the winter months. Over time, the emphasis shifted to the provision of night classes, which by the 1930's attracted a larger attendance.
The establishment of agricultural colleges
From 1900 to 1975 agricultural colleges were established throughout Ireland for training young farmers. Basic training was also carried out at local training centres. This dual delivery system was valuable at a time when demand for courses was buoyant with colleges full to capacity and unable to cater for the full annual cohort of trainees.
ACOT
A new semi-state organisation, the national advisory and training body (ACOT) was set up in 1980 to provide training and advisory services for farmers. It took over the functions and personnel of the five state colleges (Athenry, Ballyhaise, Clonakilty, Kildalton and the College of Amenity Horticulture) previously operated by the Department of Agriculture.
It also took over responsibility for the state funding of the private colleges. In 1981, an ACOT Expert Group undertook a major review of agricultural training policy. Its report was the first to recognise that agricultural training had developed in an ad hoc manner and that a degree of co-ordination and standardisation was needed. Following this review, ACOT initiated the Certificate in Farming, a comprehensive training programme for young entrants to farming.
Certificate in Farming
It was introduced in 1983. It has been the key training programme for new entrants to farming. Since its initiation over 11,000 young people have completed the programme. Of these 72% are in full-time farming and a further 20% are in part-time farming. Most of the remainder are in agriculture-related employment.
The Certificate in Farming has recently been replaced by the Vocational Certificate in Agriculture, Level 3, which places emphasis on the development of business and management skills and in developing proficiency in dairy, drystock or crop production.
Farm Apprenticeship Board
The Farm Apprenticeship Board (FAB) has had responsibility for the training of farm managers through a three-year course and apprenticeship-based programme. The functions and staff of the FAB are being absorbed into Teagasc in 2001.
Teagasc
In 1988, Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, was established as the national agency with overall responsibility for the provision of research, training and advisory services to the agriculture industry. It subsumed the training functions of the national advisory and training body (ACOT). The rationale for this was that considerable benefit could be derived from the co-ordination and integration of the training service with the research and advisory services.
Student Numbers
In line with the continuing decline in farm numbers and increased off-farm employment opportunities, the numbers of young people enrolling in Teagasc courses has declined by around 40% in recent years. The national certification of all courses and the upgrading of some courses to third-level status is aimed at arresting this decline and ensuring that an adequate number of well-trained young people will take up careers in farming over the coming decades.
Advisory
Prior to the establishment of the national advisory and training body (ACOT), each of the 27 county units (local authorities) provided separate advisory services under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture. Under this structure it was difficult to ensure a consistent standard of service, staff training and development was inadequate and the service lacked a cohesive programme and strategic direction. Each agricultural adviser operated on a geographic area and dealt with all agricultural enterprises in that area.
ACOT
Set up in 1980, the national advisory and training body (ACOT), was responsible for establishing a regional management structure, together with a team of specialists at each region whose job it was to provide the programme leadership for each enterprise, in-service training for staff and technical support when dealing with difficult problems.
The specialists also had a major role in linking the advisory service with research services, from the point of view of the transfer of research results to advisers and through the advisers on to farmers. They were also a mechanism for feeding problems back to the researchers.
It became apparent, with the increasing level of specialisation and intensification of farms following on from Ireland's accession to the EU, that enterprise specialisation was essential if the advisers were to remain relevant to better farmers. Specialisation of front line advisers in all of the major enterprises and their deployment into local district teams was completed in 1983 and was an immediate success.
At the beginning of 1987 the Irish Government decided that charges for advisory services had to be introduced. There was little opportunity for any extensive market research amongst the farming population but we did examine how the advisory services in countries such as England and Wales (ADAS), Scotland and New Zealand were facing a similar challenge.
It was decided to operate a basic advisory charge for a standard annual advisory contract and also to offer a variety of advisory packages in addition to the basic service. A strategic decision was taken to set changes at a level which would ensure contact with the maximum number of farmers.
The charges were introduced in July 1987 and current income for the fee paying clients accounts for 30% of the overall cost of the advisory service.
Charging has lead to a more businesslike relationship between the farmer client and the adviser and the development of services that are focused on the needs of the client. Successful advisers are more confident about the value of their service to farmers. Willingness to pay places value on the service received.
Staff Numbers
Advisory Staff Numbers
Advisory staff from 1980-1999 (excludes 100 contracts REPS advisors)
The number of advisors fell from over 600 in 1980 to 350 in 1993 due to the cutbacks in funding in the late 1980's, which resulted in the discontinuation of some services and the non-replacement of staff who retired. Additional funding throughout the 1990's led to a recovery in advisory staff numbers to around 450 plus 100 contract Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) advisers.
Research
The Agricultural Institute
This was established in 1958 during a period of revolutionary thinking in national economic policy. Whitaker's Economic Development and the highly innovatory First Programme for Economic Expansion, both published in 1958, accorded priority to productive investment in agricultural development and saw the agricultural sector as being of prime importance in promoting economic and social science.
The Agricultural Institute put in place a national programme of agricultural research, which underpinned dramatic developments in Irish agriculture and enabled it to benefit from access to new markets following accession to the EEC (now EU) in 1973.
While maintaining close contact with the industry, the Institute, from the beginning, emphasised the importance of developing a comprehensive science base and scientific skills. In this regard, it placed particular emphasis on recruiting high quality scientific and technical staff and developing national and international scientific linkages.
At the time of its establishment over 60 % of Irish exports were agricultural and the level of agricultural production had been relatively static for a considerable period. It set to help solve the practical problems facing Irish farmers at the time, to help them increase productivity and income.
Milestones in Development
|
Year founded |
Research centre |
|
1959 |
Dairy Research Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork Animal Production, Grange, Co. Meath |
|
1960 |
Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford transferred to the Agricultural Institute Tillage Research in Oakpark, Co. Carlow |
|
1962 |
Economics & Rural Welfare, HQ, Dublin |
|
1963 |
Kinsealy Horticulture Centre, Co. Dublin |
|
1972 |
Belclare Sheep Research, Co. Galway |
Teagasc
In 1988, Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, was established as the national agency with overall responsibility for the provision of research, training and advisory services to the agriculture and food industry. It incorporated the training functions of the Agricultural Institute. The rationale for this was that considerable benefit could be derived from the co-ordination and integration of the research service with the training and advisory services.
Achievements
Beef
The Agricultural Institute from the beginning gave a high priority to livestock research, reflecting its importance to the Irish economy. Virtually all aspects of a modern beef enterprise had their genesis in research findings from the National Beef Research Centre at Grange, Co.Meath.
A wide range of prototype beef production systems have been evaluated in terms of practicality, market suitability and biological, technical and economic efficiency. These systems have served as demonstration units for farmers as well as research resources for experiments.
Many aspects of calf management have been studied including calf house design, calf nutrition and the control and prevention of parasitic infections.
Developments in feeding have led to the widespread uptake of silage making technology, together with the strategic use of high levels of supplementary concentrates. Grange research has allowed greater precision in predicting the response of silage-fed growing and finishing cattle.
Other strong areas include the effect of farm production on carcass composition, cow reproduction and grassland management.
Dairy
When the Agricultural Institute was founded the dairy industry was primitive by today's standards. Since then there has been unprecedented growth and development, paralleled by a dynamic and always relevant research programme at Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork
Research in production systems has lead to 'a Moorepark blueprint' for intensive
output of milk from pasture. Dairy herd profits have increased by 44 % due to the higher level of milk produced from grazed pasture.
Experiments on type of cow have shown that milk yields of 6,400 litres per cow can be achieved with a stocking rate of 2.75 cows per hectare, with 50 % to 60 % Holstein.
In 1961 infertility was responsible for half of all cows culled; heat detection was the single most important factor. Tail paint has proved to be the only useful heat detection aid. It is now used widely in commercial dairy herds.
Moorepark contributed to improving dairy hygiene through its involvement in devising various cleaning systems. Pioneering research has also taken place in the area of milking machines and milking systems.
Researchers at Moorepark designed, built and evaluated the tank that was to become the prototype for a large manufacturer supplying all dairying countries throughout the world.
Research work on milk quality resulted in up to 90 % of milk having a bacterial count of less than 100,000 in the late 1980's, which compares with the best in the world.
Most co-ops today are using milk testing equipment, which has been recommended, modified and calibrated at Moorepark.
Research at Moorepark developed a practical control programme to deal with mastitis. Research has contributed to a reduction in losses through cow lameness, as well as providing guidelines to reduce calf mortality levels.
Sheep
Research made it possible to farm sheep at an intensive level.
The research was carried out at Creagh, Co.Mayo and Belclare, Co.Clare and integrated into a production system at a test farm at Blindwell, Co.Galway.
Genetic resources were identified and developed, which could be used to raise the number of lambs reared per ewe to the ram by 30%. Genetic studies on the relative importance of ovulation rate and embryo survival in determining litter size, and successful selection for ovulation rate and litter size, led to the development of the Belclare breed.
There were considerable developments in grassland utilisation including stocking rate, silage and fertiliser inputs. Research activity showed there were significant gains from grazing cattle and sheep together. Research on grass clover in the 1980's showed the value of clover swards for sheep-only grazing.
Other areas included parasitology, disease control, including roundworms and fluke and reproductive physiology incorporating out-of-season breeding and puberty, synchronisation and immunisation to increase ovulation rates.
Pigs
Startling changes have occurred in the pig industry. Intensification, specialisation and efficiency have increased. Sow productivity has risen, with Ireland having one of the highest outputs per sow in the world (22 pigs per sow per year). The efficiency of feed utilisation has improved dramatically.
Research by the Agricultural Institute/Teagasc in Moorepark during the 1960's and 1970's made an enormous contribution to our understanding of sow nutrition. The importance of feeding in determining sow fertility has been established, with the emphasis on lifetime sow nutrition rather than one cycle or part of a cycle.
Also the interaction of pregnancy and lactation has been researched, with the studies from Moorepark on factors controlling appetite in lactating sow still among the most quoted in literature reviews.
Tillage
Tillage farming has changed from a labour intensive occupation to a mechanised and sophisticated business enterprise. Developments have resulted from the combined efforts of the Agricultural Institute/Teagasc, industry and well-trained enthusiastic farmers in adopting new technology.
Research-based advances in the growing of sugar beet have been spectacular. Research carried out by the Agricultural Institute and the Irish Sugar Company in the 1960's succeeded in getting selective pre-emergence chemical weed control adopted for the first time. Dose rates and spraying techniques were established. Mechanical harvesting was also advanced during these years. Crop breeding developments, which climaxed with the monogerm seed, was the final link in the chain of events.
Research in winter cereals and spring barley had a major effect on maintaining grain out-put during a period when the area under tillage was reduced by 50%. Work in Oakpark on controlling the major root, stem, leaf and ear diseases has had a major impact. Research on the diseases', take-all and eyespot, has gained permanent international recognition.
In relation to potatoes, chemical weed control was developed in Oakpark in the early 1960's and this was adopted on virtually the entire crop within five years. The breeding programme has been very successful in producing varieties for the seed export trade and domestic market. Identification of the most effective chemicals and their use in spray programmes has been successful. Research on occurrence, behaviour and control of strains of blight, which developed resistance to some fungicides, has been of national and international significance.
Research on machinery has focused on larger machines, with greater output and reduced spray lift, which is now a very important topic in relation to human health and the protection of the environment.
Food
Food research and development is now an equal partner in a consumer-driven agri-food programme as opposed to its earlier days on the periphery of a production-driven agricultural programme. This growth is illustrated by the increase in staff engaged in food research from 6 % of total research staff in 1961 to 43 % in 1998. About half of this increase occurred since 1994, driven by large EU funding.
The growing interest in food research reflects the buoyancy of the food industry. Irish food companies have emerged as global players.
In the 1960's the emphasis was on the volume of production. In the 1970's this was extended to include the quality of Irish produce.
Early investigations at a fundamental level by the Agricultural Institute led to successful industry applications. For example, work on meat biochemistry in the 1960's led to the 'tenderstretch' process in the 1970's and in the 1990's the widespread adoption of this technology by Irish beef processors.
In the 1980's research on vacuum packs was developed along with the retail beef pack, both important for exporting beef cuts.
Growing consumer demand for foods that are pure, wholesome and chemical free has driven food safety to the top of the research agenda. The opening of the research abattoir in 1978 at Dunsinea, Co. Meath and in 1987 the establishment of the National Food Centre (NFC) at Dunsinea created a one-stop-shop for food research, consultancy and training, making food safety and wholesomeness a core activity in research.
The NFC has established food quality systems that have enabled hundreds of companies to meet market specifications. It has been responsible for developing technologies to control the pathogen E-coli 0157 and for establishing a national purity database for use by Irish companies.
Smaller food sectors have also benefited with technology to increase the shelf life of mushrooms and to improve the performance of flours in pizza bases.
Environment
The Soil Survey in the 1960's provided an essential framework for explaining the role of soil type in production responses and understanding the regional variability in land productivity.
During the 1960's and 1970's significant advances were made in identifying the drainage problems and solutions for extensive areas of wetlands.
A major component of soil fertility research was devoted to a better understanding of the chemistry of our soils and later their phosphorus (P) and potash (K) releasing powers. This led to national lime and fertiliser recommendations, rotation theories and the identification of areas of the country with trace element deficiencies.
The grassland programme at Johnstown Castle provided the basis for establishing herbage production and stocking rate targets for specific areas.
With agriculture under environmental scrutiny Teagasc prepared codes of good practice for farming to ensure that agriculture would not cause pollution of soil, water and air. Highlights here include the evaluation and development of improved slurry spreading technologies, the development of a blueprint for environmentally compatible dairy farming, for hardwood farm forestry and the establishment of technical/economic basis for organic sheep/cattle systems.
Horticulture
The programmes in Kinsealy, Co. Dublin over the years have contributed significantly to providing technical requirements for progress.
New cultivation technologies and weed control programmes have been established.
There has been research on year-round production of many crops using module transplants. There have been developments in disease control strategies. Cultivars for Irish conditions have been identified.
In protected crops research into a wide range of greenhouse food and ornamental crops, especially tomatoes was performed. Biological control systems for major pests were introduced. This, along with disease-resistant varieties and better environmental controls, has resulted in a reduced usage of pesticide in crop production.
Kinsealy research paved the way for today's major success in the mushroom industry. The crop is now valued at €114 million and 85 % of its output is exported. The development of a production system using plastic bags and polythene tunnels, together with central composting, gave Ireland a significant advantage over its competitors.
The Kinsealy capillary bed system was devised to provide improved irrigation. Other work has led to specifications for peat physical properties for nursery stock.
Research pioneered the use of herbicides to eliminate the need for cultivation in apple trees, cane fruits and strawberries. The flavour of Irish strawberries is now superior to imported produce and significant import substitution has resulted.
In farm forestry research there have been many developments, mainly those of immediate interest to farmers, who are the major planters of broadleaf species.