Sheep
Interactive grass silage stock checker available
An interactive grass silage stock checker is available on the Teagasc website to aid farmers in the completion of a fodder budget for the upcoming winter.
06 August 2024
Best practices on spent sheep dip and footbath solutions
Declan Byrne, Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Tinahely, discusses the importance of best practices for sheep dipping to eliminate parasites while also protecting waterways from contamination.
02 August 2024
SIS Genotyped Ram Task
We’re joined on this week’s episode of OviCast by Jaynell Anderson, Programme Manager with Sheep Ireland to discuss the SIS Genotype ram task.
01 August 2024
Lameness - What impact is it having on your flock?
Patricia Lynch discusses the costs associated with lame sheep, due to treatment expenses and production losses, effective management requires accurate identification, early intervention, and adherence to a five-point plan.
31 July 2024
Options for finishing lambs on Irish Sheep Farms
Michael Gottstein discusses the challenges sheep farmers face due to difficult weather, impacting lamb performance, grass growth, and the need for strategic lamb drafting and sales to ensure sufficient resources for ewes.
30 July 2024
Grazing advice: Act now as key actions need to be taken
After a testing year thus far for grass growth, Teagasc Grass10 Advisor, Niamh Doyle gives an update on the current grass situation, providing management tips for the coming weeks. on this week’s Beef Edge podcast hosted by Catherine Egan and OviCast podcast hosted by Ciaran Lynch.
24 July 2024
Drystock incomes hit by higher costs and lower output in 2023
Higher production costs and declines in output over the course of 2023 had a negative impact on the incomes generated on drystock farms nationally, results published through the Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) 2023 have shown.
23 July 2024
Are your sheep wormers working the way they should?
Monitoring worm burdens through faecal egg counts is a tool available to sheep farmers to save on costs and reduce labour input. Additionally, when used as part of the drench test protocol, it allows farmers to test the effectiveness of the dosing products used on their farms.
23 July 2024
Ewe management after weaning
Weaning time gives farmers a chance to press the reset button on thin ewes, writes Michael Gottstein, Teagasc Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer, who looks at strategies to ensure ewes recuperate after weaning.
19 July 2024
Best practice for managing newly purchased sheep
A lot of stock – whether it is rams, breeding females or store lambs – will move directly between farms or indirectly through marts over the coming weeks. With this movement of stock, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Ciaran Lynch reminds us of the importance of having proper biosecurity measures in place.
17 July 2024
Monitoring parasite burden and interpreting the results
As part of this week’s OviCast podcast, Ciaran Lynch is joined by Dr Orla Keane where they talk about monitoring the parasite challenge in lambs.
16 July 2024
Livestock an important part of our overall food system – Teagasc Director
The benefits of livestock inclusion in the overall food system were outlined by Professor Frank O Mara, Director of Teagasc, on the recent Signpost Series webinar titled: ‘Cultivating a sustainable future for Irish agriculture’.
15 July 2024
Growing Organics: Sucklers, sheep and tillage in Donegal
Cathal McCauley, Teagasc Organics Advisor, shares insights from John Hamilton’s farm in Co. Donegal, the host of a recent Growing Organics farm walk and home to a suckler, sheep and tillage enterprise.
12 July 2024
Book straw supply as soon as possible
Shay Phelan, Crops Specialist at Teagasc, provided the reconvened meeting of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee on July 8 with a tillage update, where he shared key details on crop performance, potential yields and straw availability.
10 July 2024
Maternal-focused flock to host Growing Organics Farm Walk
Carrying approximately 550 ewes which lamb outdoors in March and April, Joe Nolan, who farms alongside his wife Clair and their son Ciaran, will host a Growing Organics Farm Walk on their farm in Kilconnor, Fenagh, Co. Carlow.
09 July 2024
Watch: Key dates and details for the National Sheep Welfare Scheme
JohnEnda Flannelly, Drystock Advisor in Teagasc Claremorris, reminds farmers of the key dates and details of the National Sheep Welfare Scheme – a one year scheme launched by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine earlier this year.
06 July 2024
National Sheep and Goat Census 2023
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) conducts an annual census of sheep and goats. The most recent report captures the number of sheep and goats in Ireland as of December 31, 2023.
05 July 2024
A guide on the Genotyped Ram Task
Sheep Ireland’s Sean Godfrey provides key information on the Genotyped Ram Task of the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS), focusing on the criteria, the benefits and where to find a SIS Eligible Ram.
02 July 2024
Grazing Focus: Grass supply, sward quality and fertiliser
Joining host Ciaran Lynch on this week’s OviCast podcast is Dr Philip Creighton, where the focus is placed firmly on grazing.
30 June 2024
New project to address research gaps in organic farming
Aiming to address the current research gaps and to demonstrate technically-efficient organic systems of production to farmers, the Growing Resilient Organic Farming Systems (GROFarmS) is a new Teagasc organic farming research project being undertaken in conjunction with University College Dublin.
28 June 2024
Safety during Busy Times on the Farm
The summer is some of the busiest times on Irish farms with many essential activities taking place. Children are on holidays from school and may be out and about on farms. Martina Donnelly discusses ways to stay safe during this busy time.
27 June 2024
Investing in a sheep handling unit is an investment in yourself
Edward Egan, Drystock Advisor, Navan, Co. Meath, looks at the important factors to consider when designing a sheep handling unit.
23 June 2024
Time to wean?
Sheep Specialist, Michael Gottstein, joins this week’s OviCast to discuss weaning options on farms.
22 June 2024
Variable lamb growth rates in BETTER sheep flocks
Frank Campion, of the Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway, reports on growth rates in the BETTER sheep flocks.
18 June 2024
Farm and field specific plans needed to improve water quality
The recently published ‘Water Quality in 2023: An indicators Report’ by the EPA has shown no significant change in any of the water quality indicators for Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries and groundwaters in 2023.
18 June 2024
Preparation for weaning of lambs
Damian Costello, Sheep Specialist, discusses the importance of timely weaning of lambs to ensure optimal health and performance of both lambs and ewes, and outlines practical weaning strategies.
18 June 2024
Key management tips for June on sheep farms
Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Ciaran Lynch provides some key advice on grassland management, blowfly control measures, plans for weaning and shearing for the month of June.
13 June 2024
Focus on wool quality and shearing
Jayne Harkness-Bones, Depot Manager with Ulster Wool, joins this week’s OviCast to discuss the factors that influence the quality of wool, the challenges in the marketplace in recent years and what happens to the wool from purchase until it reaches market.
11 June 2024
Watch: Steps to make shearing easier
As we approach mid-June, the shearing season is well and truly underway. In terms of annual workload, shearing is one of the busiest days on sheep farms.
11 June 2024
Stomach worm control in lambs
Stomach worms are one of the major production-limiting diseases of growing lambs, writes Orla Keane, Teagasc Research Officer. They reduce feed intake and heavy worm burdens result in failure to thrive, scour and in severe cases even death.
04 June 2024