Meet the speakers at the Teagasc National Sheep Conferences
The Teagasc National Sheep Conferences will take place this year on Tuesday, 24th of January in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan town, and Thursday, the 26th of January in the Brandon House Hotel, New Ross, County Wexford.
Both conferences start at 7pm with a line-up of speakers as outlined below that will be repeated in each location. Some of the latest research from the Teagasc national sheep programme will be discussed.
Meet the speakers
Presenting a paper titled 'Parasites of sheep and resistance to drenches – a New Zealand perspective', Dave Leathwick is a principal scientist in parasitology at the pastoral agricultural research centre (AgResearch) in New Zealand. For approaching 35 years he has been researching nematode parasites of grazing livestock, with a focus on their biology and control, and the development and management of anthelmintic resistance. He has worked extensively on parasites of sheep, cattle, and farmed deer and to a lesser extent with goats and horses. For many years, Dave has worked on commercial farms, with farmers and veterinarians, dealing with real world drench resistance management issues.
Elaine Leavy will discuss the factors to consider when producing lamb on an organic farm. An organic specialist advisor with Teagasc since 2007, her role is to provide information on organic farming practices. She provides support to local Teagasc advisors, delivers courses, farm walks, gives talks and prepares printed material for the organic industry. She works with other stakeholders within the sector and participates in projects with advisors from other countries. Leavy will be joined by Amy Jackson, who farms in partnership with her husband Ross on their mixed organic farm in north Tipperary. They are now in their eight year of organic farming, growing oats and barley, and producing quality assured lamb (which is sold both privately to individual customers and to Irish Country Meats through the Offaly Quality Lamb Producers Group). The sheep are grazed mainly on multi-species swards, occasionally on red clover, and on winter forage crops.
Pictured from left to right: Dave Leathwick, Elaine Leavy, Amy Jackson, Jonathan Herron and Lisa McGrane.
Jonathan Herron graduated with a degree in Agricultural Science from UCD in 2016. He subsequently completed a PhD in 2020 in Teagasc Moorepark investigating the effect of management practices on the environmental impact of beef and dairy systems using life cycle assessment. He currently works as a researcher in Teagasc Moorepark working on beef, dairy, and sheep systems and is part of the team developing the Digital Sustainability Platform. At both events, he will be discussing the greenhouse gas intensity of sheep farming systems in Ireland.
The final speaker to take the stage will be Lisa McGrane, who is a final year PhD student based in Teagasc Athenry, working under the supervision of Dr Philip Creighton, Teagasc and Professor Tommy Boland, UCD. Lisa began her research in 2019 after graduating with an Animal Science degree from UCD. Her research focuses on the addition of clovers (white clover or red clover) or herbs (plantain or chicory) to perennial ryegrass swards on animal and sward performance under an intensive sheep production system. Lisa’s research also includes plot trials investigating the effect of sward management factors such as establishment method, seeding rate and postgrazing sward height on the various mixed sward types. These plot trials will provide future management advice for the use of mixed sward types under sheep grazing.