This week’s OviCast is a farmer focus interview with Brian Nicholson who farms just outside of Johnstown in Co Kilkenny. Brian runs a large-scale sheep flock and is a participant CPT flock with Sheep Ireland.

Brian discusses sales in this year’s lamb crop and his plans for finishing the remaining lambs this autumn before moving on to discuss the breeding plan for the farm and he takes us through the various breeding groups from the commercial flock of 290ewes to the ewes that will be AI’D and natural mated as part of the central progeny test programme with Sheep Ireland. Brian discusses the various breeds used and how he manages this aspect of his flock.

He moves on to talk about his grazing management for the autumn and how he used forage rape to winter part of his flock and how it fits into his overall system.

Finally, Brian discusses why he has moved away from joining ewe lambs to lamb at 1 year old opting to run them dry and how they are used as a grazing management group the following year.

For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast