OviCast

Grass10 advisor, Nikki Kennedy, joins us to discuss key grassland management priorities for the weeks ahead. 
 
We look at current challenging ground conditions, opening farm covers, and the importance of soil sampling and making full use of your nutrient management plan. 
 
Nikki also shares practical advice on planning spring fertiliser purchases, along with key tips for applying fertiliser and organic manures when conditions allow.

Sign up to the Grass10 newsletter here:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/grassland/grass10/grass10-enewsletter/
 
For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Damian Costello joins us to discuss key sheep management priorities for February as farms gear up for lambing. 
 
We cover grassland management and planning for early nitrogen applications when conditions allow, along with the importance of getting ewe nutrition right in late pregnancy, including practical feeding tips. 
 
We also discuss flock health, with a focus on lameness with advice on preparing supplies ahead of the lambing season. 
 
Damian reminds farmers about the sheep census deadline, and finishes by highlighting the upcoming Teagasc National Hill Sheep Conference
 
For more tips and information visit: 
https://teagasc.ie/news--events/daily/managing-your-sheep-farm-through-february/
 
For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Darren Carty, Sheep and Schemes Editor with the Irish Farmers Journal, joins this week’s 300th episode of OviCast for a wide-ranging conversation as we look at where the sheep industry stands today.
We cover ewe numbers, lamb throughput, price trends, export markets and policy changes shaping farm decisions. 

We also touch on farmer demographics and highlight areas of resilience and opportunity and discuss what current trends could mean for the road ahead.
For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Teagasc Advisor, Edward Egan, joins us on this week's OviCast to explain about how to make the most of scanning results.
 
Edward shares insights from over a decade of working with farmer discussion groups to help them use their scanning data more effectively to monitor flock performance. 
 
He discusses both the short-term actions that can improve outcomes immediately, and the long-term management changes that can enhance flock efficiency and productivity over time.
 
We also explore some of the trends and patterns Edward has observed throughout the years. 
 
For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

For the final OviCast of the year, we're reposting one of the most popular shows from 2025 with Jonathan Higgins, who with his father Philip, runs a mid-season lambing sheep flock, alongside a contract heifer-rearing system in Skreen, Co. Sligo.
 
Jonathan talks to us about their contract rearing system and we delve into the performance and management of the ewe flock in detail. We also explore the challenges of farming on a fragmented unit with varying land types.
 
Plus we spend time discussing the role of mixed-species swards on the farm, with Jonathan sharing his experience of managing them over the past few seasons. 
 
For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast