Sheep Summer Tour 2014

This year, instead of the traditional Sheep conference and farm walk, the Irish Grassland Association held two farm walks in Co. Sligo and in Co. Louth. The events were sponsored by Mullinahone Co-op and Sheep Ireland and large crowds attended both events. The events focused on maximising performance from sheep enterprises through a defined breeding policy and improved grassland management.

Quality replacements and grass utilisation delivers in Sligo

Over 300 farmers attended the Irish Grassland Association’s (IGA) sheep farm walk on Philip Higgins’s farm in Skreen, Co. Sligo on 31st July.  Along with his son Jonathan and help from all members of his family, Philip runs a flock of 280 mid-season lambing sheep (210 mature ewes and 70 lambing ewe lambs) and a 45-cow spring-calving suckler herd. Philip intends increasing the ewe flock to 400 ewes over the next two years after deciding to sell all progeny of the suckler herd as weanlings.