Teagasc announce details of National Sheep Open Day
Teagasc will hold a national sheep open day at its Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre in Athenry, County Galway on Saturday 18th June. Details of this major open day for the sheep sector were announced today. The event on 18th June is kindly sponsored by FBD.
Dr Phillip Creighton, National Sheep Enterprise leader in Teagasc said that this technical open day would provide an opportunity for sheep farmers from all over the country to review the latest research and technical advice from the Teagasc Sheep programme and its practical application at farm level.
Dr Creighton said; “Input costs have increased on all farms this year, so it is more important than ever to use the latest technologies and technical information on your farm to try and offset some of the costs inflation. There will be a mix of technical presentations and interactive workshops dealing with all the main areas important to Irish sheep production.”
Speaking at the launch of the Open Day, Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc said; “White clover swards and other companion forages will have a more important role to enhance animal performance and deal with the economic and environmental challenges facing the sector. Similarly, the latest up to date information on maternal genetic index selection and validation work for sheep will be available at the Open Day as well as how replacement strategies and management can impact ewe longevity and output.”
Claire Walsh, FBD Branch Manager in Athenry said; “As Ireland’s leading farm insurer, FBD are very proud to support the Teagasc Sheep Open Day in Athenry. Communicating the latest technical advice and research output at the open day will be of assistance to sheep producers right across the country.”
Among the other topics to be covered will be challenge posed by parasites and the ever-increasing anthelmintic resistance issue facing the industry, which key actions farmers can take to slow the development of resistance.
Hill Sheep
The results of the ongoing Teagasc hill lamb finishing studies will be presented and discussed on the day, as well as updates from the Teagasc sheep BETTER farm programme. There will also be an opportunity to review the wider research programme and meet with researchers, students and technical staff who will present more detail on the individual projects ongoing in Athenry.
Workshops & Demonstrations
A series of workshops and demonstrations will deal with topical issues relating to each of the main areas of: Grass and Forage; Breeding; Animal Health; and Production systems. In addition, there will be a special emphasis on the current challenges around Feed, Fodder and Fertiliser costs and steps that can be taken to help address this issue.
For more information visit www.teagasc.ie/sheepopenday
View the promo video below