Sheep

Balancing the books on silage quantity and quality

Des Powell operates a sheep and beef farm just outside Templederry, Co. Tipperary, in conjunction with his parents George and Frieda. The farm is made up of 97ha of grassland, which is divided into two blocks but all situated within approximately 2km from the main farm.
05 March 2023

Preparing for lambing with Oliver O'Hara

Oliver O’Hara farms full-time with help from his children Shane and Karen in Leckaun, Co. Leitrim. He also runs a contracting business. Future Beef Programme advisor Gabriel Trayers provides an update on the preparation for lambing in this article.
01 March 2023

The 3 important roles of colostrum for newborn lambs

Colostrum performs three very important roles in newborn lambs.
28 February 2023

Tackling sheep scab in Northern Ireland

Paul Crawford, a Co. Antrim veterinarian and sheep farmer, who is also the chairman of the Northern Ireland Sheep Scab Group, joins us on the latest OviCast podcast to discuss sheep scab.
28 February 2023

Let's Talk Sheep: Flock health pre lambing

On this episode of Let's Talk Sheep, host Ciaran Lynch, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, was joined by Maresa Sheehan, DAFM RVL Kilkenny and Charles Chavasse, Zoetis to discuss flock health pre lambing.
28 February 2023

Bypass protein and its role in colostrum production

The final preparations for lambing are underway for many March-lambing flocks, and the inclusion of rumen bypass protein is important to ensure adequate colostrum production at lambing time.
27 February 2023

Reducing labour requirement on your sheep farm

It is often said ‘there is a lot of work in sheep’ but trying to put an exact figure on how much labour is required on a sheep farm is very difficult, Alan Bohan, Teagasc Ballymote, discusses more in this article.
25 February 2023

Missed the National Sheep Conference?

The Teagasc National Sheep Conference – held in two locations in 2023 – featured topics such as resistance to drenches, organics, greenhouse gas emissions and multi-species swards.
22 February 2023

An overview of the ACRES Kerry / West Cork co-operation

The ACRES Kerry / West Cork co-operation project is one of eight co-operation projects across Ireland, which are working with farmers in areas of high nature conservation value as part of the Common Agricultural Policy’s national agri-environmental climate measure.
21 February 2023

Flock health and the common issues observed

This week’s OviCast podcast is from a recent Let’s Talk Sheep webinar with Maresa Sheehan, who is based in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Regional Veterinary Lab in Co. Kilkenny.
21 February 2023

Will there be enough SIS-eligible hill rams, and where can they be found?

Sheep Ireland is actively engaging with all the established hill groups around Ireland, Kevin McDermott told delegates at the recent National Hill Sheep Conference.
20 February 2023

Planning for lambing season

Damian Costello, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, reminds us to start planning for lambing season.
19 February 2023

Practical implications of conversion to organics on hill sheep farms

The appropriate system of sheep production on hill farms is farm specific. It depends on factors such as the quality and amount of enclosed green land available along with the harshness of the hill grazing environment on the farm.
18 February 2023

Improving returns in hill sheep with flock health and production planning

The concept of flock health planning is not new, however, the idea has had a variable history and opinion on how best to achieve widespread uptake remains divided. John Barley, AFBI Veterinary Science Division, told delegates at last night's National Hill Sheep Conference.
16 February 2023

Spring fertiliser planning

Teagasc Soil & Plant Nutrition Specialist, Mark Plunkett, joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast podcast to discuss fertiliser planning this spring.
14 February 2023

Sheep and Goat census deadline is 14th February

Sheep and goat census returns deadline is Tuesday 14th February. Keepers are required to record census data on their flock registers and return their census data, preferably online. Find out how to complete the online census return here
14 February 2023

National Hill Sheep Conference set for Co. Cork

The Irish hill sheep sector plays an important role in the economic health of rural economies and the maintenance of the natural landscape in many of Ireland’s most scenic areas.
13 February 2023

Late pregnancy nutrition: energy demand, ration composition and protein source

For the latest OviCast podcast, Ciarán Lynch discusses late pregnancy nutrition with Dr. Tim Keady.
12 February 2023

Young farmer incentives increasing

There is a renewed emphasis on encouraging young farmers into farming in the new CAP Strategic Plan, Kevin Sheehan, Teagasc Education Officer, outlines some of these changes.
11 February 2023

Late Pregnancy in Sheep and a Lambs First few Weeks of Life

Aoife Seymour, Teagasc Walsh Scholar, discusses the effects of ewe nutrition and vaccination during late pregnancy, colostrum and simple husbandry practices that can be used to ensure every lamb gets the best possible start. She includes a simple guide to an expected lamb's weight gain over 12 weeks
07 February 2023

Pre-lambing health treatments for the ewe flock

For mid-season lambing ewes, the final pre-lambing health treatments are currently taking place or are due to happen over the coming days and weeks. Damian Costello, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Teagasc Athenry, outlines the main health treatments being administered on sheep farms around now.
07 February 2023

Silage feed value

Tim Keady, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway examines factors influencing silage feed value.
06 February 2023

Market Trends 2023: Throughput, current challenges & demand for the coming months

Seamus McMenamin, Sector Manager with Bord Bia, joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast podcast with an update on the current market trends.
04 February 2023

Part two: Making the most of your Sheep Improvement Scheme tasks

In last week’s article on the Sheep Improvement Scheme, Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep KT, Teagasc Macroom, covered the Category A tasks. In this article, he covers what is required of farmers in terms of complying with the Category B tasks and the ram task.
02 February 2023

BETTER Farm Update - Silage quality is tested

Frank Campion, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Athenry, reports from the farms in the BETTER Farm programme
31 January 2023

The impact of dosing adult ewes for worms has on the development of resistance

On this week’s OviCast podcast Ciarán Lynch caught up with Dr Dave Leathwick following this year’s National Sheep Conference.
31 January 2023

The addition of clovers or herbs to a sheep grazed perennial ryegrass sward: effects on animal and sward performance

Lisa McGrane, Nóirín McHugh, Tommy M. Boland and Philip Creighton presented their research at the recent Teagasc National Sheep Conference.
30 January 2023

Greenhouse gas intensity of average sheep systems in Ireland

Jonathan Herron, Teagasc, recently discussed greenhouse gas intensity of sheep systems in Ireland at the Teagasc National Sheep Conference.
29 January 2023

Producing lamb on an organic farm in Co. Tipperary

Amy Jackson, in partnership with her husband Ross, are farming organically in Lacka, north Tipperary.
28 January 2023

Factors to consider with organic sheep farming

The Irish organic sector has experienced a large influx of new farmers in recent years, with over 4,000 farmers now farming organically - including just over 2,000 who entered conversion in January 2023.
28 January 2023