Sheep

How maternal genetic merit influences reproductive traits in ewes

Genetic indexes, as produced for sheep in Ireland by Sheep Ireland, provide producers with an additional tool when making informed breeding decisions. Fiona McGovern tells us more about the INZAC flock in Athenry and its role in investigating the role of ewe genetic merit for reproductive traits.
09 June 2023

Pay heed to grass and clover varieties when choosing multispecies swards

Numerous studies have shown the benefits of multispecies swards relative to a perennial ryegrass only sward. These include increased animal and sward performance, reduced requirement for artificial nitrogen application and reduced need for anthelmintic drenches.
08 June 2023

What's the impact of the difficult spring on lamb performance?

On this week’s OviCast, we talk to Dr. Frank Campion about the impact this spring has had on lamb performance.
06 June 2023

An update from Tomas O'Leary - BETTER Sheep Farm participant

Tomas O’ Leary, his wife Eileen and children Míchéal, Yvonne and Sinead farm approximately 40ha (adj.) in two blocks of land in Kerry.
06 June 2023

Previewing Sheep 2023

Sheep 2023 takes place on Saturday, June 17th and this will be the most important date in this year’s sheep calendar. Michael Gottstein, Teagasc Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer, previews the event in this article.
06 June 2023

Control and treatment of stomach worms in sheep

Grazing sheep are continually exposed to gastrointestinal nematodes (stomach worms). In the case of naïve lambs, heavy infection can result in a depression in appetite and increased protein loss from the gut, which results in ill-thrift and in severe cases even death.
03 June 2023

Weighing up early weaning

For this week’s OviCast, Ciarán Lynch caught up with Prof. Paul Keynon from Massey University to discuss the option of early weaning as a management tool for certain sheep systems.
31 May 2023

Blowfly strike: Why prevention is better than cure

The risk period for blowfly strike has begun and will continue through to October, and beyond, where conditions allow. Unchecked blowfly will cause welfare issues, production losses and mortality, Teagasc Sheep Specialist Ciaran Lynch tells us more.
30 May 2023

Tillage and sheep farmer to host first Growing Organics farm walk

The first of the Growing Organics monitor farm programme walks takes place on Friday, June 2nd at 12pm on the farm of Jason Stanley, Errill, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
29 May 2023

Des Powell - lambing went reasonably well this year

Des Powell, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, operates a sheep and beef farm in conjunction with his parents George and Frieda. Here he gives us an update on his farm for May.
24 May 2023

Shearing, training courses and wool challenges

With the shearing season underway, for this week’s episode we chat to shearer and Mayo native David Heraty.
23 May 2023

Blowfly strike prevention in sheep

Wesley Power, Elanco, discusses the causes of blowfly strike on farm and the preventative steps farmers can take to prevent a strike occurring.
23 May 2023

First 'Growing Organics' farm walk set for Laois

The first in a series of 'Growing Organics' farm walks takes place on the farm of Jason Stanley, Errill, Co. Laois, on the 2nd of June 2023. Marianne Mulhall, Specialised Organic Advisor, previews Jason's farming system and the upcoming open day in this article.
22 May 2023

Cobalt supplementation - effect on ewe and lamb performance

The productivity of Irish lowland flocks is low at approximately 1.3 lambs reared per ewe joined, and has remained relatively static for the last 40 years. In this article, Dr. Tim Keady, Teagasc Athenry, looks at the effect of cobalt supplementation on ewe and lamb performance.
21 May 2023

Safety during silage season

Francis Bligh & John McNamara, Teagasc Health & Safety Specialists, highlight what you should keep in mind this silage season to ensure safety on farm
17 May 2023

Establishing and managing companion forages in a sheep sward

For this week’s OviCast, we chat to post-graduate student Lisa McGrane about some of the factors influencing the establishment and persistency of companion herb and legume forages in sheep swards.
16 May 2023

Grass growth and lamb performance on the BETTER sheep farms

Frank Campion of the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway reports on grass growth and lamb performance on the BETTER sheep farms.
15 May 2023

Salesian Agricultural College launch organic conversion plan for drystock enterprise

The Salesian Agricultural College’s proposed conversion of their beef and sheep unit to organic was officially launched at Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick today, Thursday, 11 May 2023.
11 May 2023

Grass silage feed value – a key factor influencing flock profitability

Grass silage feed value is the third most important factor influencing the efficiency of prime lamb production. Dr. Tim Keady, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc, Athenry, Co. Galway, explains why in this article.
09 May 2023

Farmer Focus: Aidan and Eddie Connell, Co. Offaly

This week on OviCast, Ciaran Lynch, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, sat down with father and son Eddie and Aidan Connell, who farm at Clonbullogue, Co. Offaly, and will host this year’s Irish Grassland sheep event.
09 May 2023

Sheep 2023 preview - the largest dedicated sheep industry event of 2023

Darren Carty, Sheep and Schemes Editor from the Irish Farmers Journal, is on this week’s OviCast to talk about the Sheep 2023, an industry event which takes place in Gurteen Agricultural College on June 18th.
04 May 2023

Adding clover into the grazing sward

On this week’s Beef Edge podcast, we’re joined by Ciaran Lynch, host of the Teagasc OviCast podcast, for a joint episode to discuss all things clover with Dr. Mike Egan, Teagasc Research Officer.
26 April 2023

Oversowing white clover in sheep swards

White clover has the potential to reduce the amount of chemical nitrogen fertiliser required for grass production and also has been shown to improve lamb performance when included in grazing swards.
25 April 2023

Teagasc Signpost Advisory Programme open to participants

Most of the actions you are being asked to implement to reduce emissions will also reduce costs, improve animal performance and increase farm profitability. It’s a win-win for your farm.
20 April 2023

Date set for Ireland’s largest dedicated sheep event

Anticipation is building for Sheep 2023, the major sheep industry event.
19 April 2023

Assessing the resistance status of your farm

The ability of wormers to work effectively is important for livestock production systems in Ireland. However, the continued use of wormers leads to the development of drug resistant worms, known as anthelmintic resistance.
18 April 2023

Getting grazing back on track

After a difficult number of weeks, conditions appear to be turning the corner providing an opportunity to get grazing back on track. On this week’s OviCast, we’re joined by Dr. Philip Creighton to discuss some of the steps needed over the coming weeks.
18 April 2023

Sheep advice: Grassland management, tetany control and drafting early lambs

Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer, provided advice on grassland management, drafting early lambs and grass tetany control in the April edition of the Teagasc Sheep Advisory newsletter.
18 April 2023

Playing a crucial role in the environmental and economic success of dairy, beef and sheep

Genetics is an essential field to the future of the farming industry in Ireland. With new environmental targets being set nationwide, predicting animal characteristics may prove instrumental.
14 April 2023

Unearthing best practices from New Zealand

Dr. Brid McClearn from Teagasc, a prominent member of the EuroSheep team, recently visited New Zealand with members from another EU thematic network - Sm@RT: Small Ruminant Technologies.
13 April 2023