Denis O'Riordan
| Farmer | Denis O'Riordan |
|---|---|
| Location | Bantry, Co. Cork |
| Farm Description | Hill grazing (271 ha) on commonage with 60 ha of fenced off hill grazing and 8 ha of enclosed ground. Hill sheep enterprise and suckler cow beef enterprise. |
| Teagasc Advisor | Michael Connolly |
Documents
- Denis O'Riordan Hill Farm Walk Booklet 2018 (PDF)
- Hill Sheep Breeding Event, September 28th 2016 (PDF)
Farm Plan
A detailed farm plan was drawn up for the farm and reviewed annually. A summary of details of the plan are laid out below:
Breeding policy
- Compare traditional Blackface rams used with Swaledale’s & Lanark's
- Breed bottom 25% of ewes to Suffolk rams
- Try and breed ewe lambs at 18 months versus 30 months
- Target output 1.10 lambs weaned/ewe joined
Flock management
- Start scanning ewes and separating twins for late pregnancy
- Introduce balanced ration to ewes for last month of pregnancy
- Heavier lambs (30kg+ by end of August) sold as stores
- Looking at finishing lighter lambs on farm
Grazing management
- Soil fertility being addressed across the farm
- Strategic use of grazing of enclosed land
- Increase grazing divisions
Health
- Implement flock health plan