Sheep

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

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

Nematodirus challenge in lambs

Dr. Orla Keane is on this week’s OviCast podcast to discuss the challenge of nematodirus in lambs this spring. Orla first explains how the nematodirus challenge can carry over on farms from year to year.
11 April 2023

Nematodirus and coccidia in young lambs

The first two parasite challenges young lambs will face each spring is that of nematodirus and coccidia. This challenge occurs in lambs annually at a similar age and stage of the year, Ciaran Lynch, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, explains more.
11 April 2023

Counting sheep emissions

Experts at Teagasc have been using life cycle assessment, an internationally-recognised methodology, to calculate the environmental performance of average sheep systems in Ireland and to determine the effect of recommended practices.
06 April 2023

New study aims to get to grips with lameness

On this week’s OviCast podcast, we’re joined by Jake Delaney, postgraduate student, and Dr. Frank Campion, Teagasc Researcher, to discuss a new project that aims to examine lameness and associated issues on Irish farms.
04 April 2023

Tackling infectious lameness

With the majority of flocks experiencing cases each year, it’s unsurprising that infectious lameness is among the top health and welfare concerns for sheep farmers.
04 April 2023

TAMS 3: Animal Welfare and Nutrient Storage Scheme open

Applications are now open for the TAMS 3 Animal Welfare and Nutrient Storage Scheme (AWNSS), which provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holding.
31 March 2023

Dealing with the current adverse weather conditions

Conditions during March have been difficult and has thrown up many challenges for farmers.
30 March 2023

Measuring physical and financial flock performance

The Teagasc eProfit Monitor is a unique tool that allows farmers and their advisers to analyse both physical and financial data on the farm enterprises, Damian Costello, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, tells us about the tool.
28 March 2023

Genetics: a move in the right direction

The sheep industry is facing challenging times, with increased input costs, resistance to parasitic infection treatments and pressures to meet greenhouse gas targets. While genetics are not the silver bullet, they are a proven solution. Kevin McDermott, Programme Manager for Sheep Ireland discusses.
27 March 2023

Watch: ‘Feed costs are very high so you need to be feeding accurately’

Farming organically since 2015, Amy Jackson farms in partnership with her husband Ross on their 50.5ha sheep and tillage farm in north Tipperary.
25 March 2023

CAP 2023-2027: How is your farm affected?

On the 1st of January this year, a new five-year CAP period started. Andy Ryder, Drystock Advisor, tells us there are a number of important changes occurring in relation to the distribution of CAP payments that farmers need to know about.
24 March 2023

Watch: Pre-lambing nutrition in the first year of organic conversion

Barry O’Hagan, a sheep farmer from Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim, entered the organic conversion process earlier this year. Featuring in a recent Let’s Talk Organics webinar, he detailed how he is managing the nutritional needs of his ewes prior to lambing, which is set to commence in late March.
24 March 2023

Watch: Missed the National Hill Sheep Conference?

This year’s National Hill Sheep Conference focused on: flock health and production planning; ACRES; the Sheep Improvement Scheme; and the factors to consider with organic conversion. If you were unable to attend, recordings of each speaker are available below.
22 March 2023

Hot water systems for farmyards

Having access to some source of hot water in the farmyard is essential, especially in spring. For some farms, however, there is a requirement to supply larger volumes either for artificial rearing of lambs or calves or for general farm use.
21 March 2023