OviCast

Teagasc Grass10 advisor, Niamh Doyle, gives her monthly update discussing grass management tips for the month ahead.    Niamh discusses current growth rates and grass covers and some of the variation across the country.    We discuss building covers as we head into the autumn with Niamh offering advice on reducing demand and fertiliser application.    We finish up with Niamh offering tips on grazi...

We’re joined on this week’s OviCast by Dr Philip Creighton to discuss autumn redesign.    We start by discussing the impact of timing on reseeds. We discuss field prep, different reseeding methods and their suitability and fertiliser and lime applications.    Philip also explains variety selection and the inclusion of clover, plus we discuss post-sowing management, the grazing of new reseeds this...

We’re joined on this week’s episode of OviCast by Jaynell Anderson, Programme Manager with Sheep Ireland, to discuss the SIS Genotype ram task.    With ram sales underway, Jaynell gives us a recap on what the requirements of the SIS ram task are for hill and lowland flocks and how to identify eligible SIS approved rams in sales catalogues and using the ram search tool.    We also discuss some of t...

Catherine Egan, host of the Beef Edge podcast, joins us on this week’s OviCast as we catch up with Grass10 advisor, Niamh Doyle, to get an update on the current situation and discuss management tips in the coming weeks.   Niamh first highlights the factors that have limited grass growth over the last number of months.    She also comments on the long term Nitrogen fertiliser type trial at Teagasc,...

This week we talk to Dr Orla Keane about monitoring the parasite challenge in lambs.    We discuss the challenge stomach worms poses from this point of the season onward with Orla talking about using faecal sampling to monitor worm burden, explaining the process, what’s being tested and what the results mean.    Orla also discusses the thresholds for dosing and the factors that influence the rise...

On this week’s OviCast we’re taking a grazing focus and are joined by Philip Creighton.    We discuss grass supply and sward quality and some of the factors that are influencing it at the moment.    We move on to  discuss management options for the coming weeks and finish up the episode discussing fertiliser applications.    For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https...

Sheep Specialist, Michael Gottstein, joins us on this week’s OviCast to discuss weaning options on farms.    We discuss the current situation on farms, challenges with grass quality and why weaning now is beneficial.    Michael explains the weaning process with some useful tips and management of the ewes and lambs post-weaning.    We finish up discussing some of the areas we need to address at the...

Jayne Harkness-Bones, Depot Manager with Ulster Wool, joins us for this week’s OviCast to discuss the factors that influence the quality of wool, the challenges in the marketplace in recent years and what happens to the wool from purchase until it reaches market.    We talk about shearing, wool handling and storage, with Jayne highlighting some simple practices to make the process easier and impro...

Seamus McMenamin, sheep sector manager with Bord Bia, joins us on this week’s OviCast as we look at the lamb trade.    Seamus discusses factory throughput this year to date; we discuss what’s been happening with international trade; falling ewe numbers in the UK and Europe and the impact that this could have on lamb trade this summer.    We finish up discussing trends in demand and attracting youn...

With blowfly strike a risk on farms, for this week’s OviCast we’re joined by sheep specialist Damian Costello to discuss the risk factors, how it occurs and treatment options available to farmers.     For more information:  https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/daily/sheep/put-a-plan-in-place-to-deal-with-blowfly-strike.php   For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https:...

For this week’s OviCast, we’re also joined by Catherine Egan, host of the Beef Edge podcast, as we catch up with Co. Roscommon beef and sheep farmer, Olivia Hynes.     Oliva starts by giving us an overview of her system, we discuss breeding and the use of AI in her suckler herd, lamb performance this spring and some of the challenges it has posed.    We discuss mixed grazing, grassland management...

For this week’s OviCast, we’re joined by Terry McElvaney, Veterinary Inspector with Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to discuss some issues that have occurred with flukicide residues in lamb carcasses.    We discuss the problems encountered and the follow up investigations with Terry explaining some of the issues caused and issues they have encountered.    We also discuss the key ar...

Environmental specialist, Tim Hyde, is on this week’s OviCast to discuss fertiliser limits on farms.    We discuss how the introduction of the fertiliser register has put purchased fertiliser more in the spotlight on farms.    Tim explains the implications of this, how farmers can work out their stocking rate and what the limits are on farm.    We discuss the importance of soil sampling, how this...

David Buckley from the Department of Agriculture is on this week’s OviCast to discuss key aspects of the new National Sheep Welfare Scheme.    David first gives an overview of the scheme, we discuss eligibility, reference numbers and the application procedure.    David then takes us through the various tasks explaining how they would work and what documentation is required for each.     We finish...

Sheep Specialists, Michael Gottstein and Damian Costello, are on this week’s OviCast to discuss some of the key management tasks to do on farms at present.    We discuss fertiliser application, planning for silage and grazing management and we look at the scenarios where supplementation is needed.    In the second half we switch to dealing with the various health challenges highlighting the contin...

Dr. James O’Shaughnessy from the Department of Agriculture’s Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Backweston joins us on the latest OviCast to discuss this year’s Nematodirus forecast.    James first explains the condition, symptoms and we discuss the high risk periods around the country.    We discuss treatment, some of the factors that may lead to a higher challenge on farms this spring, an...

For this week’s OviCast, we discuss grazing management with Dr Philip Creighton.    With the challenging conditions we discuss the grazing situation around the country, opening covers and the impact of delayed fertiliser application on grass growth.    Philip discusses managing supplies, targeted supplementation where supplies are tight and grazing strategies that can be implemented in the coming...

Sheep and Schemes editor from the Irish Farmers Journal, Darren Carty, is on this week’s OviCast to talk about the current sheep trade.    With prices hitting new highs we chat about the trade at the moment.    Darren talks to us about the hogget trade this spring, the start of the early lamb hitting the market and niche markets for milk lamb.    We discuss what’s driving trade, what’s happening o...

Grass tetany is one of the challenges in early spring and on this week’s OviCast, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Damian Costello, talks to us about this in more detail.    Damian explains how it occurs, the pre-disposing factors and high risk periods.    We discuss the symptoms and treatment in acute cases and Damian describes the various preventative measures and how these can be implemented on farms....

Sheep specialist, Michael Gottstein, is on this week’s OviCast to discuss some timely advice for hill flocks in the run up to lambing.    Michael discusses some of the key areas to focus on this spring highlighting how ewe condition is a challenge.    We discuss the basics of nutrition and some of the feeding strategies that might be employed.    We finish up on to discuss some health areas that r...

When focusing on improving fertiliser use efficiently, one often overlooked aspect for the return on investment is the fertiliser spreader itself.    For this episode of OviCast I’m joined by Teagasc machinery specialist, Francis Quigley, to take us through some of the practical considerations around this piece of equipment.    Francis explains many aspects from basic maintenance checks before the...

For this week’s OviCast, we catch up with Dr Frank Campion to get an update on the BETTER farm sheep flocks.  We discuss this year’s scanning results, dealing with issues and benchmarking performance. We move on to ewe condition score on the farms at scanning and since tupping and discuss the practical steps farmers can take to manage this.  We finish up discussing grass supplies, preparing for la...

For this week’s OviCast, we’re joined by Seamus Fagan from the Department of Agriculture’s regional veterinary lab in Athlone.    As a follow-on from his talk at the recent Sheep Conference, we discuss the importance of records to highlight flock health issues on farm and to help provide a better flock history, particularly in the case of abortion. We discuss the submission process and the timelin...

For this week’s OviCast, I’m joined by my Teagasc colleague, Catherine Egan, host of the Beef Edge podcast, as we discuss financial management tips on drystock farms with Teagasc Financial Specialist, Kevin Connolly. Kevin first explains the benefits of completing a profit monitor and we discuss what data is required and the ways to simplify this process.  Kevin takes us through the information th...

For this week’s OviCast we head west to Corrandulla, Co. Galway to hear from sheep and beef farmer Michael Forde who is a participant on the BETTER farm programme.  Michael first discusses his farming system and some of the challenges of a managing a fragmented farm.  We chat about the impact of a difficult 2023 on lamb performance, sales and ewe condition and how he managed the flock this winter....