Ewe hoggets: The trade for hoggets has rebounded firmly over the last week. All forecasts point to supplies being tight for the coming months, which presents an opportunity for farmers to assess the quality of ewe hoggets on hand and possibly draft surplus hoggets at a high market value.

It is also likely – given the tightness in supplies in the market and the rate at which cull ewes are being drafted – that there will be a repeat of the positive trade for hoggets as the season progresses.

This provides alternative options for farmers in a system of producing high-quality replacements.

The two positive routes to market provide an incentive to invest in these sheep and supplement ewe hoggets to ensure they reach their potential. Assessing hoggets and drafting out those in poor condition for preferential treatment will deliver a return on your investment.

If hoggets do not respond satisfactorily after a period of preferential treatment, they will be in a better position to feed on for slaughter while preventing hoggets from losing excessive condition will put them in a much better position to thrive once grass growth kicks in.

Good-quality silage or hay will be sufficient for well-grown hoggets to maintain condition, but where forage quality is poor or hoggets are still progressing through their growth stage, then they will benefit from even a low level of concentrate supplementation of 0.3kg to 0.5kg. An investment of €10 per head will go a long way in providing a low level of supplementation for the next 50 to 60 days.

Final census opportunity: The deadline to complete the 2024 Department of Agriculture annual sheep and goat census is Friday 14 February 2025. The only option left to farmers is to complete the census online either through the agfood.ie facility or the Department’s AIM Sheep Services app.

The date of the census was 31 December 2024. The sheep identification section can be contacted if needed at sheepid@agriculture.gov.ie or on 01-505 8723.

Hill sheep conference: The programme has been announced for next week’s Teagasc Hill Sheep Conference which takes place at 7pm on Wednesday 19 February 2025 in the Park Hotel, Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

Investigating unexplained lamb losses in Scottish hill flocks and an adviser’s perspective of the future of farming in the Comeragh uplands are two topics which will appeal to many hill farmers.

There will also be a valuable presentation on the findings of the Thin Ewe Scheme and a demonstration by the Department of Agriculture on what their AIM Sheep Services app can offer farmers.

Sheep services app: Speaking at the recent Teagasc Lowland Sheep Conference the Department’s Richie Gordon outlined that permanent movements can now be recorded on the app by the buyer or seller of animals.

This, he said, was in response to feedback from sellers of sheep who wanted to ensure that farm-to-farm movements were definitely recorded. He added that the next step in the development of the app is to provide the facility for the app to link up to electronic recording software to allow EID tags to be recorded.