OviCast

This week’s OviCast focuses on a number of aspects of store lambs finishing with Prof. Michael Diskin sheep enterprise leader in Teagasc and Michael discusses the store lamb market this year and the renewed interest in this area. With the change in weather in recent weeks we discuss some of the key considerations for housing, ration composition and building up of feeding levels and general advice...

Francis Gonely who is running a hill and lowland system in Co Sligo joins Ciarán Lynch for the latest Farmer Focus episode of OviCast. Francis is a participant in the BETTER Farm Sheep Programme and talks through the system he is running and the changes he has made over the past number of years. The hill flocks have seen numbers increase and a change in breeding policy that saw replacement blackfa...

With the breeding season underway for many flocks, on this week’s OviCast, Ciarán Lynch catches up with sheep specialist Damian Costello to discuss mating management. Damian starts by outlining the final checks that should be conducted on the breeding flock of ewes and rams. He then delves into ram management in a bit more detail emphasising the importance of addressing any issues that may cause i...

Quad bikes are an extremely useful machine on many farms and on this episode of OviCast, Ciaran Lynch is joined by Francis Quigley machinery specialist, who chats about basic maintenance and some general advice on safe use and how to keep quads in good working order. Francis starts by discussing the importance of correct tyre pressure and why it should be monitored and adjusted to suit the needs o...

Michael Gottstein, Teagasc’s Head of Sheep joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss fluke control this autumn. Michael begins by describing how liver fluke affects the sheep and what the high-risk periods for fluke infection are. He then moves on to discuss control options with Michael explaining the difference between the various categories of flukicide that are available and why not...

Dr Tim Keady joins Ciaran Lynch on this episode of OviCast to discuss in detail the subject of joining ewe lambs - a topic of relevance to many sheep producers this year. Tim starts by discussing the increased interest in joining ewe lambs this season as well as some of the common practices observed on farms. Tim presents results from his studies at Athenry on joining ewe lambs. We discuss the inf...

Denis O’Riordan, one of the BETTER farm programme participants in Co. Cork, joins Ciaran Lynch on the latest episode of OviCast giving an insight into his farm and the system he is managing. Running a 350 Blackface ewe hill flock, we discuss current management on the farm, his plans for selling lambs, selecting and managing replacements as well as breeding decisions for the flock. Finally, he also...

Drs Philip Creighton & Frank Campion join Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss some key aspects of forage crop management. Philip begins by discussing the importance of assessing the yield of the crop and he also outlines how to work out the expected carrying capacity. As good utilisation is vital, Philip outlines how to approach setting up grazing divisions and manage these in diffi...

Dr Philip Creighton joins Ciarán Lynch on the latest episode of OviCast to discuss management of autumn reseeds. Philip starts by discussing current conditions and the limitations of late reseed being established in September. He then moves on to discuss grazing management, opening covers and residuals as well as management during the current difficult grazing conditions. Philip emphasises the imp...

Dr Tim Keady joins Ciarán Lynch on the latest episode of OviCast to discuss the effects of autumn shearing on the performance of ewes, ewe lambs and store/finishing lambs. With the cost of shearing versus return from wool at a low point, Tim starts off by emphasising why it’s important for producers to get a performance benefit from it where possible. Tim takes us through the results of many studi...

Dr Frank Campion joins Ciaran Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss the importance of getting ewes in the right condition at joining. Frank outlines how to assess condition, what it equates to in terms of live weight and the time needed to increase ewe condition. There is also a discussion on the factors influencing condition managing thin ewes separately and culling ewes that fail to improve in...

Dr Philip Creighton joins Ciaran Lynch on this week’s episode of OviCast to discuss grassland management for the coming weeks. Philip discusses the current situation around the country, growth rates, grass dry matter and grazing management. He offers his tips on dealing with heavy covers and discusses why it’s important not to delay removing surplus from the rotation and taking stock of grass dema...

On a blustery evening in the end of July, for this episode of Ovicast, Ciaran Lynch caught up with Co. Westmeath Farmer John Bell, a former winner of the Sheep Farmer of the Year completion and a previous host of the Irish Grassland Association Sheep event. John runs a high output sheep system from a 46 ha grass based farm he manages a 500 ewe flock with an additional 130+ ewe lambs rearing lambs...

With the ram sales underway, Ciaran Lynch is joined on this week’s OviCast by Eamon Wall from Sheep Ireland who discusses ram selection. Eamon begins by emphasising the importance of paying attention to ram functionality at the time of purchase. He then takes us through the basic of the Sheep Ireland genetic index explaining the Terminal and Maternal traits and the various individual sub-indexes....

With the breeding season kicking off, this week’s OviCast discusses the pros, cons and alternatives to early lambing systems. In this episode, Ciaran Lynch is joined by Shane Moore, who is farming just outside Athleague in Co. Roscommon and Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep in Teagasc. Michael starts by outlining the key dates and requirements for early lambing systems for 2021 while Shane explains...

Dealing with anthelminthic resistance is an issue on Irish sheep farms. Determining the efficacy of the products used is a necessary first step in adapting to this challenge and on this episode of OviCast, Ciaran Lynch is joined by Damian Costello, Sheep Specialist, to discuss why it’s so important to check products on farm. The use of a drench test is one means to check how an anthelminthic produ...

Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep in Teagasc joins Ciaran Lynch on this episode of OviCast to discuss mineral supplementation in sheep flocks. A common practice on many farms during the season, Michael starts by discussing some of the findings of a recent study that has looked at this in more detail. He discusses the extent of mineral usage in Irish flocks and some of the drivers behind the decisio...

Sheep BETTER farm participant Patrick Dunne who farms in the Wicklow Mountains joins Ciaran Lynch on this week’s OviCast. Patrick describes his farming system and how it has changed over the past number of years from the original 300 ewe Cheviot hill flock that were run essentially as a lowland system to his current 500 ewe flock split between a lowland and hill system. One of the drivers behind t...

Anthelminthic resistance is one of the key challenges for the sheep industry and will require a change in some of the routine control practices for the coming seasons. To expand further on this subject, Ciaran was joined by Teagasc Researcher Dr Orla Keane who discusses four key areas that will help to maintain a susceptible worm population and prolong the efficacy of commonly used anthelminthic p...

A lot of flocks have started the process of selecting their replacement ewe lambs for this season and with this in mind we’re joined by Dr Fiona McGovern who shares some of her insights in the area. We start off by discussing some recent findings on the factors influencing ewe longevity and then move on to discuss the genetic component of a number of the key traits that influence production such a...

Alan explains what the DQI is and why it is an important measure for pedigree breeders and potential customers alike. He also discusses what steps pedigree breeders can take to improve their DQI score and some of the key changes to the system this season.    Ciaran then moves on to the topic of performance recording in commercial flocks which is an important element of the Sheep Ireland evaluation...

Michael discusses the weaning process and what he considers best practice in terms of ewe and lamb management at weaning time. We finish up discussing the impact weaning ewes can have on reducing grass demand and how it allow prioritisation of grazing for lambs. Michael emphasises why this is a key action to take at the moment on farms experiencing grass shortage.  Here is a short video clip discu...

Damian describes how to work out the appropriate size required for a flock and highlights key features of its design. He also offers his views on where it should be located in relation to the handling race and the importance of having a standoff area. We finish up with Damian summing up why it’s a worthwhile investment on sheep farms. Here’s a short clip on how to correctly make up a footbath solu...

George starts by outlining how the current restrictions are changing the way shearers are operating this season. We discuss the importance of preparation prior to shearing to leave the process easier for both the shearer and farmer alike. George highlights the importance of safety at shearing time and the need to keep shearing equipment well maintained.  We finish up the podcast with George outlin...

We start by discussing some of the pre-disposing factors and ways to reduce the risk of strike. Tom outlines the various control measures that are available, how they vary in the mode of action and the period of cover they provide. We finish up with Tom discussing how ensure product efficacy thorough correct application methods.