31 May 2025

A place for companion forages on your farm?

Visitors to the Sheep 2025 Open Day, taking place on Saturday, June 21 at the Teagasc Mellows Campus in Athenry, Co. Galway, will hear the latest on Teagasc’s research findings in the area of companion forages.

Researcher Sarah Woodmartin will present a summary of the results of a recently completed study which investigated the addition of a companion forage, namely legumes (white clover or red clover) or herbs (chicory or plantain) into perennial ryegrass swards.

Sarah Woodmartin provides an overview of this research and what to expect at Sheep 2025 in the below video:

The objective of the study was to assess the role of more diverse sward types within an intensive lowland sheep production system. Key drivers included improving lamb growth rates directly from pasture and reducing enteric methane emissions thereby enhancing production efficiency and supporting the development of more sustainable lamb-finishing systems.

The results demonstrated improved sward quality and dry matter intake among animals consuming a more diverse sward, compared to those grazing a perennial ryegrass monoculture. This led to higher average daily gain, particularly in the post-weaning period, ultimately reducing age at slaughter.

Adding legumes directly reduced methane output, while the inclusion of any companion forage indirectly contributed to lower methane and total farm-gate emissions, through the reduced age at slaughter and a decreased reliance on concentrate feed in the lamb finishing system. Overall, the project aimed to identify the most appropriate plant species to include in sheep grazed swards in order to enhance the sustainability and production efficiency of pasture-based sheep production systems.

About Sheep 2025

Sheep 2025 – the largest dedicated sheep-focused open day on the island of Ireland – is organised by a joint industry collaboration between Teagasc, Bord Bia, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Irish Farmers Journal, and Sheep Ireland. Irish Country Meats are again the main sponsor for this event, in addition to support from major sponsors FBD Insurance, MSD Animal Health, and Elanco.

For more information and to plan your trip to Sheep 2025, visit here.

The above article was adapted from the article titled ‘Sheep 2025: Celebrating tradition and innovation’ (PDF), written by Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer at Teagasc, and Dr. Philip Creighton, Research Officer and Sheep Enterprise Leader.

More from Teagasc Daily: Hill sheep focus at Sheep 2025 Open Day