Sheep
Teagasc Fodder Survey Update October 2023
National situation stable, but 10% to 15% of farms require corrective action.
25 October 2023
Breeding, grassland and finishing lambs in Ballyhaise College
Fergus O’Rourke and Niall Conaty from Teagasc Ballyhaise Agricultural College in Co. Cavan join the latest OviCast podcast to provide an update on the flock.
25 October 2023
Better management of replacements improves overall flock performance
Andy Ryder, Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Westport, tells us that a lot of the focus and attention on sheep farms at present is on getting lambs finished or away to sales and forming up the flock for another breeding season.
21 October 2023
Research update: Lamb growth rates from Athenry
Philip Creighton, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway details the latest news from the Sheep Research Demonstration Farm, Athenry.
17 October 2023
Joining ewe lambs and some of the factors that influence its success
Dr Tim Keady joins us on the latest OviCast podcast to discuss joining ewe lambs and some of the factors that influence its success.
16 October 2023
BETTER Farm Update: Grass growth and closing for next spring
Frank Campion, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway reports on grass growth and the preparations for closing on the BETTER sheep farms.
15 October 2023
The steps to reducing gaseous emissions on sheep farms
As part of Sustainability Week, on this week’s episode of OviCast we chat to signpost programme participant, John O’Connell, to discuss how he has implemented the 12 steps to reduce gaseous emissions from his farming system.
10 October 2023
Sheep Autumn Grassland Management Guidelines
Autumn is the starting point of the grassland year. Management and decisions made in this period have a direct effect on the quality and availability of grass the following spring. Philip Creighton tells us how to make the best decisions.
10 October 2023
Take Steps Now to Ensure you have Adequate Grass next Spring
Vincent Ronayne, Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Claremorris, tells us that grass for sheep lambing next spring needs to be planned from right now.
08 October 2023
Update from Brian Keane's farm - dealing with Barbers Pole worm infection
Brian Keane farms 96 hectares in conjunction with his father John, Uncle Aidan, brother Eoin, fiancé Blathnáid and baby Sean. Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep KT, gives us an update on Brian's farm.
03 October 2023
BETTER Farm Sheep Programme participants sought
The BETTER Farm Sheep Programme is seeking new participants. If you are interested in using the latest technology to develop your sheep enterprise for a sustainable future in collaboration with Teagasc, this could be the opportunity to do so.
03 October 2023
Key advice when purchasing store lambs
Michael Gottstein, Teagasc Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer, re-joins Ciaran Lynch for the second part of the episode on store lambs, with a focus on those purchasing lambs.
26 September 2023
New app aims to simplify sheep movements
The development of a new digital app named ‘AIM Services’ means sheep farmers can now notify their farm-to-farm movements from their phone.
26 September 2023
Mating management - the success or failure of next year's lamb crop
The annual mating cycle sows the lamb crop for the following year. The success or failure of next year’s lamb crop hinges on steps that have been taken over the past few weeks and steps that will be taken over the coming weeks, Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep KT Programme, tells us more.
26 September 2023
Good handling units cut the workload and enhance safety
The TAMS 3 grants available for sheep handling facilities can help farmers cut their workload by 24 days per annum and reduce the risk of injuries. Damian Costello and Francis Bligh tell us more.
24 September 2023
Store lamb markets and the challenges and potential of store lamb finishing
Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer, joins Ciaran Lynch in the first of a two-part series on store lambs.
23 September 2023
Hill ram genotyping and sales
David Coen from Sheep Ireland is on this week’s OviCast to talk about progress in breeding in the hill sector.
19 September 2023
5-star ewes deliver for productivity and profitability
A display of sheep made a welcome return to the Teagasc exhibit at this year’s National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co. Laois.
19 September 2023
Sharpening the sward
At Teagasc Athenry, researchers have been investigating the use of mixed swards in pasture-based sheep production systems. The results suggest increased diversity may be beneficial for animal performance.
19 September 2023
Better Farm Update: Lamb management and culling
Frank Campion, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway reports on culling and the management of low-level BCS ewes.
16 September 2023
Minister Heydon launches farm Vehicle Safety and Blind Spots Video
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Farm Safety, Mr Martin Heydon TD, launched a video ‘Farm Vehicle Safety and Blind Spots’ in Teagasc, Athenry yesterday.
15 September 2023
Research update: Lamb performance in Athenry
Fiona McGovern, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway, reports on the latest from the INZAC and breeding flocks at Teagasc, Athenry.
13 September 2023
Will ewe condition at mating effect performance next spring?
Dr. Fiona McGovern is on this week’s OviCast to discuss the impact of ewe condition at mating on ewe productivity.
12 September 2023
'Save the Dates’ – Upcoming Teagasc Events
Teagasc has a wide variety of events & conferences taking place this autumn. These range from our presence at the National Ploughing Championships to the Poultry Broiler Conference, College Open Days & the popular Transferring the Family Farm Clinics.
12 September 2023
Supporting farmers to deliver sustainable food systems
The appetite at farm level is strong to deliver a sustainable future food system and farmers are taking ownership and looking for solutions, according to Dr. Stan Lalor, Director of Knowledge Transfer with Teagasc.
08 September 2023
The Fertiliser Register - what you need to know
Dr. Finbarr O’Regan from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Inspectors joins this week’s OviCast to discuss the National Fertiliser Database.
05 September 2023
Guidelines for autumn grassland management on sheep farms
Autumn is the starting point of the grassland year. Management and decisions made in this period have a direct effect on the quality and availability of grass the following spring.
05 September 2023
How do foster lambs perform relative to their counterparts?
As we are at the point in the season where we're are looking at how lambs have performed and where the tail end lambs have come from, Dr Frank Campion is on this week's OviCast podcast to chat about the performance of foster lambs in commercial flocks.
30 August 2023
Watch: A refresher on lamb drafting
Lower levels of animal performance, due to a challenging spring and wet weather since weaning, has resulted in drafting patterns on sheep farms being somewhat delayed this year.
29 August 2023
Sheep advice: Focus on body condition score and managing newcomers
As rams can lose up to 15% body condition during mating, it is important to assess them in time and plan to build their body condition score (BCS) up to 3.5-4.0 at turnout.
29 August 2023