
Sheep Newsletter - January 2025
20 January 2025
Type Newsletter
Type Newsletter
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In this month's edition:
- Grassland management
The relatively mild temperatures have seen good grass growth on closed ground during November and December. This will be invaluable to ewes and lambs in spring, so do not be tempted to graze this grass now. If ground conditions allow, January can be a good time to apply lime as per soil analysis for the farm. - Submit your Sheep Census
All sheep farmers are obliged to carry out a Sheep Census on December 31 each year and submit details to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). The closing date for submitting your Sheep Census by post is January 31, 2025. Online submission of sheep number details is possible up to February 14, 2025 by logging into your AgFood account or using the AIM services app. - Feed ewes based on scanned litter size
If not already done, carry out a representative forage analysis to determine your silage quality. The forage feed value combined with expected litter size determines the required amount of concentrate supplementation per ewe. - Research Update - INZAC experiment’s final year
Fiona McGovern, of AGRIC, Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway reports on what’s in store for the INZAC flock for 2025, as the experiment comes to a close. 2025 marks the end of phase II of our INZAC experiment, which will see the study finish. Rams were removed from ewes at the end of November after a six-week mating period following artificial insemination. Currently, repeat numbers seem low, with a total of 6.5% repeat matings recorded across all groups. - BETTER Farm Update - Getting feeding right
Frank Campion, of the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway reports on pre-lambing nutrition on the BETTER sheep farms. The focus for the midseason lambing flocks in the programme will be on pre-lambing feeding plans. All of the farms took silage samples in November. - Health & Safety - Start 2025 with health and safety in mind
As we start 2025, put safety and health front and centre. Pay attention to moving vehicles, such as tractors, teleporters and ATVs. Risks associated with livestock, slurry handling and avoiding falls from heights must also be closely managed. Take time now to review your risk assessment document and plan any necessary actions.