Teagasc Athenry Open Day
- A fantastic sheep event took place in Athenry this week (Wednesday 21st June). The very latest sheep research was demonstrated and presented in a way which was practical and useful for all farmers present.
- From a Sheep Ireland point of view, sheep genetic improvement was very much to the fore. Early results from the INZAC research flock being led by Fiona McGovern, is showing very promising results. Although very early days, the high index Irish animals are performing quite well. This group is outperforming the low Index quite significant in some of the keys traits that affect farm profitability. This illustrates that the €uroStar indexes can identify more profitable sheep and this message was delivered clearly to those that made the trip to Athenry. The NZ sheep are performing very well also and are currently slightly ahead of the high index Irish group.
Summary of the Early Results from the INZAC Research Flock
Sheep Ireland also had a stand present on the day where we met with farmers and ram breeders throughout the day. The awareness of the sheep €uro-Star indexes has grown significantly in recent years and this was very evident in our conversations with commercial farmers throughout the day. We would like to thank Teagasc and all those involved in the organisation of this Open Day, as it was a very well planned and executed technical event.
An excellent technical booklet was also produced for the Open Day. An online version can be found on the Teagasc website, by clicking here! This is a must read for all sheep farmers
Sheep Ireland Board Meeting
The latest Sheep Ireland Board meeting took place this week (Thursday 22nd June). Topics discussed on the day included:
- CPT progress and plans for breeding 2017.
- LambPlus progress – scanning, genetic evaluations.
- Linkage – recent letters sent to breeders and plans for 2018.
- Genotyping update.
- Sales catalogues and conditions for the provision of €uro-Stars for 2017.
Some Images from the Teagasc Open Day on Wednesday 21st June
