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 all are suitable at particular stages of the year. As with other anthelmintics, resistance is an iss...
Sep 30, 2020•34 min•Ep. 42
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 influence of ewe genotype and the effect of weight at joining on productivity. Tim outlines key aspects...
Sep 22, 2020•18 min•Ep. 41
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 discusses some of the changes he has made since joining the programme. For more episodes from OviCa...
Sep 15, 2020•12 min•Ep. 40
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 difficult conditions. On the subject of divisions Frank highlights the importance of fencer setup and tak...
Sep 08, 2020•17 min•Ep. 39
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 importance of having a clean reseed and shares his insights on post emergence spray as well as fertilis...
Sep 01, 2020•14 min•Ep. 38
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 studies conducted in the area, examining fertility traits, subsequent progeny performance, growth rate an...
Aug 25, 2020•11 min•Ep. 37
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 ewe condition. Finally, Dr. Campion explains the carryover effects of condition at joining on the p...
Aug 18, 2020•9 min•Ep. 36
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 demand on the farm for the coming weeks. Finally, there’s a discussion on the importance of building aut...
Aug 11, 2020•17 min•Ep. 35
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 each year. John started by giving a background to the flock, the system and the farm, he discusses s...
Aug 04, 2020•15 min•Ep. 34
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. Ciaran and Eamon then discuss the across breed evaluation as well as the overall Euro value. Eamon h...
Jul 28, 2020•24 min•Ep. 33
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 he has run an early lamb system for many years. He discusses why it initially suited his system and...
Jul 21, 2020•17 min•Ep. 32
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 product is working on a farm and Damian takes us through the various steps involved in conducting a drenc...
Jul 14, 2020•13 min•Ep. 31
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 decision process of why farmers are using mineral supplementation. He also discusses some of the key minera...
Jul 07, 2020•20 min•Ep. 30
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 this change was to reduce costs in hill system by increasing the time these ewes spend on the hill. P...
Jun 30, 2020•18 min•Ep. 29
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 products. These are: 1. Don’t dose adult ewes unless there is a demonstrated need 2. Use only product...
Jun 23, 2020•15 min•Ep. 28
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 as: lambing and mothering ability, lameness, mastitis and others. Fiona discusses why a replacement p...
Jun 16, 2020•14 min•Ep. 27
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. Alan shares some of his findings on the cost/benefit performance recoding has on commercial sheep far...
Jun 09, 2020•14 min•Ep. 26
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 discussing the effect of weaning has on reducing grass demand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Ym_gkAtNk...
Jun 02, 2020•14 min•Ep. 25
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 solution: https://youtu.be/VklHIlJ81-A
May 26, 2020•13 min•Ep. 24
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 outlining the opportunities for young shearers to get into the industry and why it’s an important skill tha...
May 19, 2020•13 min•Ep. 23
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.
May 12, 2020•10 min•Ep. 22
e also describes ways to reduce the risk of soil contamination, improve preservation and the importance of correct storage. The overall silage requirement for use in late pregnancy is relatively low Damian discusses how removing surpluses from the grazing rotation could help meet his demand. Here is a link to a short technical article discussing this in more detail: https://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2020/importance-of-quality-silage-for-sheep.php And heres a short video clip on removing surplu...
May 05, 2020•11 min•Ep. 21
With additional pressure on family farm incomes this year Kevin urges a cautious approach, paying particular attention to expenditure in the farm business for the coming year. Keeping with that theme in the latter half of the podcast we are joined by Michael Gottstein Head of Sheep in Teagasc who highlights key areas where costs can be reduced and where the easy gains can be made. With uncertainty in the economy Michael also discusses on farm investment for the coming season.
Apr 28, 2020•21 min•Ep. 20
Nematodirus is one of the first parasite challenges young lambs will face during the grazing season. In this episode of OviCast we are joined by Dr. Orla Keane who explains the life cycle of Nematodirus and how it differs from other stomach worms. We also discuss how the parasite affects young lambs. Orla describes how to recognise the condition and the role the DAFM Nematodirus forecast plays in determining when to treat lambs in different regions throughout the country. In the final section we...
Apr 21, 2020•11 min•Ep. 19
For this episode we are Joined by Declan Fennell, sheep Sector Manager with Bord Bia. Declan starts by discussing what has been happening in the market in the past 12 months , some of the challenges faced and the new opportunities that have arisen. With the current Covid-19 crisis Declan describes is happening on the markets over the last month or so , how its influencing demand for lamb domestically and in other countries and how restrictions in other countries affecting the movement of meat. W...
Apr 14, 2020•20 min•Ep. 18
Dr Philip Creighton re-joins us in this episode to discuss grazing management and key targets during April. He starts by giving us a quick update on progress on the farm in Athenry. With grass growth rates increasing in favour of supply over demand Philip outline’s the key targets for the coming month – opening covers, residuals and farm covers/days grazing ahead. Philip emphasises the importance of assessing farm covers and the percentage of the farm grazed at this stage of the year and what th...
Apr 07, 2020•16 min•Ep. 17
In this episode we are joined by Tomas O'Leary who is farming outside Killarney Co. Kerry. Tomas runs a 300 ewe sheep flock along side a contract heifer rearing system. Running a prolific flock of ewes with an annual scanned litter size of 2.2 Tomas has a lot of multipiles on the farm. In order to effectively manage the additional lambs, he choses to artifically rear the third lamb along with any other orphan lambs that arise. We catch up with Tomas towards the end of lambing to discuss how he m...
Apr 01, 2020•13 min•Ep. 16
In this episode Michael Gottstein Head of Sheep in Teagasc joins us to discusss coccidiosis in lambs. Michael starts by discribing the condition itself and the clinical symptoms infected lambs will display. He moves on to describe the impact it has on lamb health, subsequent performance and ways by which farmers can reduce the enviromental challenge . In the final segment Michael outlines the various treament options available.
Mar 27, 2020•11 min•Ep. 15
In this episode we are joined By Michael Gottstein Head of Sheep in Teagasc who discusses the Grass Tetany in ewes. With many ewes in the early stages of lactation the difficult grazing conditions and adverse weather this spring presents a high risk period for Grass Tetany. Michael discusses the predisposing factors encountered on farms that increase the risk and some of the preventive measures that can be employed at this stage of the season. Michael finishes up discussing how clinical cases ne...
Mar 12, 2020•7 min•Ep. 14
In this episode we focus on the management of ewe lambs during the growing phase from the first winter to Joining as 18 month old Hogget’s. We are joined by Dr. Tim Keady who has conducted a number of research studies in this area. Tim outlines how management during the growing phase can influence subsequent performance as mature ewes. We discuss the key performance targets, nutrient requirements and what interventions can be made to keep performance on track.
Feb 18, 2020•10 min•Ep. 13
