Sheep
Are alternative bedding options for sheep an option this winter?
With straw being expensive and some farmers facing challenges sourcing an adequate supply of this bedding material, could the use of alternative bedding materials be a real option this winter?
11 January 2024
Increase profitability of March-lambing flocks by shearing at housing
Dr. Tim Keady advises that shearing March-lambing ewes at housing in December improves subsequent animal performance by increasing lamb birth weight, enhances lamb weaning weight, reduces lamb age at slaughter by approximately two weeks, and offers additional benefits.
09 January 2024
Scanning - making use of the information
With scanning complete on many flocks, Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer Programme, joins OviCast host Ciaran Lynch to speak about making use of this valuable information.
09 January 2024
Let's Talk Sheep - Housing and feeding plans
On this episode of Let's Talk Sheep, host Ciaran Lynch was joined by Damian Costello and Michael Gottstein, Teagasc Sheep Specialists to discuss housing sheep and feeding plans.
07 January 2024
Time 'ewe' got organised
Entering 2024, Nollaig O'Dowd, Teagasc B&T Drystock Advisor, emphasises that one of the initial priorities for sheep farmers should be the scanning of ewes.
06 January 2024
‘Knowledge gap’ in organic conversion to be addressed in new research project
A new research project, which is a collaboration between Teagasc and UCD, and supported by funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), aims to support the sustainable growth and development of the organic farming sector.
04 January 2024
Management at housing this winter
For this week’s OviCast, we hear from a recent Let’s Talk Sheep webinar with Sheep Specialist Damian Costello speaking about key management advice at housing this winter.
02 January 2024
Forage crops and store lambs proving a good fit
Increasing the area of forage crops sown has helped integrate the sheep and tillage systems on the Gavin farm in Co Carlow, Ciarán Lynch, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, and Frank Campion, Sheep Researcher, tell us more.
02 January 2024
Liver fluke in sheep
Glen Corbett, Teagasc, tells us that with the recent wet weather, liver fluke is a parasite that thrives.
30 December 2023
Sheep grazing forage crops
Eamonn Dempsey, Teagasc Advisor, discusses the utilisation of forage crops for feeding sheep during the winter months. He highlights suitable crops, grazing management practices and considerations for maximising crop utilisation.
27 December 2023
Alternative bedding options
On this episode of the OviCast podcast, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Ciarán Lynch was joined by Dr. Liz Genever, an independent sheep and beef consultant, who spoke on an on-farm project that she was involved in that examined various bedding options.
26 December 2023
Planning for winter housing of sheep
Damian Costello, Sheep Specialist, Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Programme, Mellows Centre, Athenry, highlights the key factors to consider when housing ewes over the coming weeks.
26 December 2023
Silage testing - what the results mean
On this episode of the Teagasc OviCast podcast, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Ciarán Lynch speaks to Dr Tim Keady about the importance of silage testing and what the results mean.
19 December 2023
How good is your silage this winter?
Testing your silage is a good investment that will provide you with the true feed value of your winter forage, writes Ciaran Lynch, Teagasc Sheep Specialist.
13 December 2023
Importance of review
Frank Campion of the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway reports on how it is vital to do a yearly review, even more so in difficult years.
12 December 2023
Teagasc National Farm Survey 2022 - Mid-Season Lowland Lamb Enterprise
The 2022 Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) recorded data on over 795 farms, representative of 85,860 dairy, beef, sheep and tillage farms in Ireland. This article summarises results for farms with a mid-season lamb enterprise.
01 December 2023
What lies ahead for sheep sector margins in 2024?
Anne Kinsella and Kevin Hanrahan, Agricultural Economics and Farm Surveys Department, Teagasc, look ahead to 2024 and what it may entail for sheep sector gross margins.
29 November 2023
Tackling the fluke challenge this winter
Veterinarian Shane McGettrick, who is Laboratory Manager at the DAFM Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Co. Sligo is on this week’s OviCast to talk about the fluke challenge this winter.
29 November 2023
Managing forage brassicas
This week’s OviCast podcast features Mark Dolan to discuss the different aspects of managing forage brassica crops.
22 November 2023
Finishing store lambs this winter
Finishing store lambs in the winter months has numerous benefits and challenges, but there is a potential margin in finishing lambs currently, Frank Campion and Mark Dolan tell us more.
21 November 2023
What sets the top and bottom performing sheep farms apart?
The recently published Mid-Season Lowland Lamb Enterprise Factsheet, generated from the Teagasc National Farm Survey 2022, sheds light on the economic performance of sheep farms in Ireland last year.
21 November 2023
Scheme updates: SIS payments commence and deadline for Unharvested Crop Support Scheme approaches
Over recent days, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has provided updates in regard to the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) payment dates and additional funding being directed to tillage farmers with unharvested cereal crops.
21 November 2023
Vigilance required as liver fluke prevalent across many areas
Livestock owners have been urged to be vigilant for liver fluke infestations of cattle and sheep following the publication of this year’s Liver Fluke Forecast by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
14 November 2023
'Where are the women?'
During the opening and closing of her address to the recent conference on Irish Agriculture and the EU 50 years on, a journey through 50 years of Ireland’s EU membership, EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness posed the question 'where are the women?'
12 November 2023
Research update: Aiming to eliminate concentrate supplementation to finish lambs
Philip Creighton, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway reports on lamb performance across the groups on the Sheep Research Demonstration Farm.
12 November 2023
Is it time to house finishing lambs?
Teagasc sheep specialists, Damian Costello and Frank Campion, are on this week’s OviCast to discuss the challenging grazing conditions in recent weeks that has put pressure on farms both in terms of lamb performance and grass utilisation and supply.
09 November 2023
Monitoring mating liveweight and body condition score on BETTER sheep farms
Frank Campion of the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Athenry, reports on mating liveweight and body condition scores on the BETTER sheep farms.
07 November 2023
Recording Hill Sheep Groups - an opportunity for the hill sector to improve
Ireland, along with other countries, had tried hill sheep breed improvement in the past, but ultimately it failed for several reasons.
07 November 2023
Examining the options with store lambs
With the large number of store lambs currently on farms, farmers are considering finishing lambs, selling as stores, or buying store lambs for finishing. Eamonn Dempsey, Drystock Advisor in Tralee, looks at the options available to farmers.
06 November 2023
Examining the trends in the national ewe flock
Darren Carty, Sheep and Schemes Editor with the Farmers Journal is on this week’s OviCast episode to look back on the trends in the national ewe flock over the past decade and the implications of this for the sheep industry.
02 November 2023