OviCast

Jason Callaghan from the AIMS division in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine joins this week’s OviCast to discuss various aspects of the Sheep Census.   Jason outlines the key dates and deadlines for submission and explains the three different methods available: -        Written form -        Agfood account -        Using the AIMS Services app He also walks us through the different...

Teagasc Grass10 advisor, Niamh Doyle, gives her monthly update discussing grass management tips for the month ahead.    Niamh first discusses over-winter growth and the importance of assessing opening covers; she then explains the spreading dates for chemical and organic fertiliser and the need to ensure conditions are suitable before spreading.    Finally, Niamh encourages anyone who has soil sam...

Environmental specialist, Tim Hyde, joins us on this week’s OviCast to discuss calculating nitrate stocking rates on farms.  Tim explains how this figure is calculated for different classes of livestock. We discuss how to find the figures for cattle and how to calculate the contribution of sheep on the farm.  With new regulations in effect this year, Tim explains how this may impact producers for...

With the cold snap this week, there’s a bonus OviCast episode with sheep specialists Damian Costello and Michael Gottstein sharing valuable insights on managing sheep farms during the present conditions.    Damian addresses challenges such as water supply and handling stock, emphasising the importance of safety during this difficult period and highlighting key considerations for farmers.    Michae...

Each year, the Teagasc Agricultural Economics and Farm Surveys Department reviews the current production year and examines the prospects for the upcoming agricultural season.    For this week’s OviCast, recorded just before Christmas, I sit down with Teagasc researcher Anne Kinsella to discuss the performance of the sheep sector in 2024 and the outlook for 2025.   Our conversation covers key topic...

Dr. Tim Keady is on the latest OviCast podcast to discuss feeding the ewe during mid-pregnancy and its impact on productivity.    Tim outlines the energy requirements of the ewe during this phase, we discuss the impact of grass supply and feed value in outdoor scenarios and the impact of different qualities of silages indoors.    Tim also talks about mobilising reserves, potential condition score...

Kilkenny sheep farmer, Brian Nicholson, joins this week’s OviCast to talk about the changes to his farm system in recent years.    Brian describes how he has converted part of his farm over to an organic system, we discuss the sheep, beef and tillage systems and their integration and how he has adapted his farm to suit.    We finish up discussing how he is incorporating agro-forestry into his farm...

Teagasc Grass10 advisor, Niamh Doyle, has her monthly update on the OviCast podcast discussing grass management tips for the month ahead.    Niamh discusses the closing plan on farms, grazing conditions and the impact of re-grazing paddocks on spring growth.    We discuss the variation in performance of individual fields on farms and some investments to improve productivity next year.     You can...

Sheep specialist Damian Costello joins us on this week’s OviCast as we discuss winter housing.    Damian talks to us about some of the key considerations at housing, penning and space allowances.    We discuss straw usage, alternative bedding and keeping slats clean during the winter before finishing up discussing housing for organic flocks.  For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the s...

Dr Frank Campion joins us on this week’s OviCast as we discuss grazing management on forage brassicas.  Frank discusses yields and why you should do a feed budget for the crop. We then discuss intakes, utilisation and the factors that influence it.  Frank also explains fencing, crop allocation and managing in wet conditions and he has advice for managing the crop in frosty conditions.  We finish u...

Dr. Frank Campion joins us on the latest OviCast as we discuss ewe condition and mating management in hill ewes.    Frank discusses the impact of ewe condition on performance in hill flocks, plus we discuss the targets and variation in ewe weight on the BETTER farms.    We move on to discuss single sire mating and crossbreeding, finishing up with Frank offering some tips on reducing the impact of...

Teagasc Grass10 advisor, Niamh Doyle, gives her monthly update on the latest OviCast discussing grass management tips for the month ahead.    Niamh discusses the higher growth rates over the past few weeks and the impact this has had on grazing this back end.    We also discuss the closing plan and the importance of staying on target and we finish up with Niamh offering some tips on achieving good...

Bord Bia sheep sector manager, Seamus McMenamin, joins us on this week’s OviCast with an update on the market conditions.  We discuss the current trade and what’s driving prices, the trend in numbers this year and how this might impact the trade for the coming months.  We also discuss the impact of bluetongue and southern hemisphere imports on trade on the European market.   For more episodes from...

Teagasc ruminant nutrition specialist, Aisling Claffey, joins us on this week’s OviCast as we discuss lamb finishing rations.    Aisling explains ration spec and highlights some of the key areas to look out for when choosing a finishing ration, highlighting why it’s important that it’s correctly formulated.    We move on to discuss feed management with Aisling offering her tips on trouble shooting...

Dr Fiona Lovatt from Flock Health joins us on this week’s OviCast to talk about the bluetongue situation in the UK.    Fiona gives us a description of the condition and explains the impact it has on livestock. We discuss the spread of it in Europe and the UK and the control measures put in place to limit its impact and how they work.    We also discuss the role of vaccination and how this differs...

Dr Fiona McAuliffe from the SRUC joins us on this OviCast episode as we discuss the challenge of blackloss and photosensitisation in Scottish hill flocks.    We discuss the extent of blackloss or the unexplained loss of lambs on extensive hill grazings.   Fiona describes the various causes and some of the follow up work where she examined the underlying factors responsible for lamb losses.    We m...

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 managing supply for the weeks ahead.  We discuss the autumn closing plan, graze outs and managing clover swards at closing. Finally, Niamh discusses upcoming deadlines for FYM and lime and Potassium applications.  Link to t...

Sheep specialist, Damian Costello, joins us on this week’s OviCast as we discuss a new survey just launched that is examining labour on sheep farms.   Labour is widely acknowledged as a big challenge in the running of a sheep enterprise, particularly in an era where part-time, sheep farming is now the norm.  Damian talks about the key areas the survey is examining and how this information will hel...

Seamus Fagan from the Department of Agriculture’s Regional Veterinary Lab in Athlone joins us for the latest OviCast episode as we discuss various health issues this autumn.    With many flocks completing the final check over ewes before going to the ram, Seamus highlights some of the teeth problems they have been seeing in the lab in recent years that are going under-diagnosed and how this is con...

Bimeda Vet, Rachel Mallet, joins us on this week’s OviCast as we discuss sheep scab and treatment options.    Rachel first explains how sheep scab occurs, how it is spread and correct diagnosis. We then discuss the various treatment options for both conventional and organic flocks.    We finish up discussing plunge dipping with Rachel highlighting best practice when completing this task.   For mor...

Sheep specialists, Michael Gottstein and Damian Costello, are on this week’s OviCast as they discuss the focus on lamb finishing at the sheep section of the Teagasc stand at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.    Michael talks to us about some of the decisions that need to be made with regards to lamb finishing and purchasing stores this autumn.    Damian takes us through some of the tec...

Teagasc Grass10 advisor, Niamh Doyle, gives her monthly update on the latest OviCast podcast 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 and planning ahead for closing up paddocks.  Niamh also discusses the fertiliser register and upcoming deadlines for fertilis...

For this week’s OviCast, we catch up with postgraduate student, Jake Delaney, to discuss some of the results of a survey he collected last year looking at ovine lameness in Ireland and assessment of farmer management.    Jakes gives us some background to the issues and his survey and we discuss the type and level of lameness reported and the increased levels of CODD.    Jake talks to us about corr...

Dr. Frank Campion re-joins us as we discuss lamb performance post-weaning on the latest OviCast podcast.   Frank talks about lamb performance on farms post-weaning and some of the factors that influence this.    We discuss lamb growth rates since weaning on the BETTER farms and how they have been managing lambs.    We move on to discuss lamb management, finish times, supplementation and where the...

Dr. Frank Campion joins us on this week’s OviCast as we discuss getting the ewe flock in the right condition for mating.    Frank discusses some of the tasks that need to be completed at the moment. We discuss the ewe condition on the better farms post weaning and some of the causes of low body condition at present and the management of replacement hoggets.     We move on to discuss nutritional re...