Groups breathe new life in to an area

Breeding sales hosted by specialist breeding groups and pedigree societies have entered peak activity. The sales are an excellent shop window for producers to market their stock and for buyers to gain access to high numbers in the one setting.

The benefits for marketing sheep are immense, but according to Louth man, Peter Ward, this is only one reward, with group dynamics delivering majorly in improving breeding and attracting interest from younger farmers.

Peter is part of the Cooley Sheep Breeders Association, which is holding its 13th sale in Carlingford, Louth on 2 September, and says that the “friendly competition” between group members leads to farmers striving to improve the quality of sheep produced.

“If I look back and compare breeding in the group now to when we held our first sale in 2011, there has been a major improvement in breeding.

"I suppose the sale generates a lot of healthy, friendly competition, and each year you strive to have better sheep on offer. This feeds in to better breeding, feeding and presentation of sheep and also provides a positive social element,” Peter said.

Social element

This social element is credited with generating more interest from younger farmers.

“The excitement that a sale day creates is a joy to be a part of and, in particular, it is the energy that young people bring that makes it all worthwhile,” Peter said.

“There can be a lot of negativity around farming, and you will never attract interest from young people if there is not a sense of enjoyment. We have seen massive interest develop from young boys and girls.

"Some have started farming in their own right and are now part of the group while the interest from others has faded away, but the lifelong lessons learned through the group will always remain with them.”

Optimum support

Peter believes that a strong support network without excessive bureaucracy is needed to harness interest from younger farmers and provide a foundation for future growth.

“Schemes like the young farmers scheme and higher [TAMS] grants for younger farmers are a big help. Unfortunately, a lot of red tape, paperwork and silly rules risk bringing more negativity in to farming.”

“We have a prime example at the moment of unworkable rules for grazing cover crops,” Peter continued.

"A lot of sheep farmers on the Cooley Peninsula and further afield have developed good relationships with tillage farmers and use cover crops to finish store lambs or carry ewes over the winter. Tillage farmers cannot meet the new grassland lie-back requirements, and this threatens the availability of a vital source of feed.

"It is coming at a terrible time, given the high cost of concentrates and weather challenges, and we badly need a sensible resolution this week so that cover crops can be planted.”

Breeding decisions

Peter and his son Peter Jr run two flocks comprising mainly Scottish Blackface sheep of Lanark type and Cheviot.

Both breeds are bred pure, with a percentage also used for crossbreeding, with Bluefaced Leicester rams used to produce Mule lambs and Suffolk sires used to breed Suffolk x Cheviot cross replacements.

A big focus on the farm in recent years has been selecting replacements from ewes that are capable of performing in a tougher environment.

“There is a risk of maybe getting caught up in the excitement of sales and possibly losing sight of the important characteristics needed for sheep to perform.

"Our Cheviots had got a bit taller than we would have liked, and we have been using North County Cheviot genetics to reduce the size and add back in a bit of hardiness. Our system requires sheep to be on the mountain for most of the year and breeding has to tally with this.”

The Ward’s have also joined the South of Ireland Lanark Breeders Group and have genotyped rams to have sheep eligible for the Sheep Improvement Scheme at the sale on 27 September.

In sourcing rams, Peter is looking for rams with breeding information and which have been produced on similar terrain to his own farm.

“I think the breeding initiative of the sheep scheme is good, but the payment needs to be increased, as the €2 per ewe is not rewarding producers sufficiently.

"There is also a big task in informing farmers about the task and how to find eligible sheep,” he said.

Sale days

The Cooley Sheep Breeders Association is the largest outdoor sale to take place in Ireland, with the group setting up a sales ring and penning on a greenfield site on the Greenore Road, Carlingford on the first Saturday in September each year.

There are 3,000 sheep entered, including 1,700 ewe lambs and 1,300 hoggets.

Breeds include 1,750 crossbred sheep, 600 Mules, 250 Cheviots, 200 Scottish Blackface and 200 Lleyn / Hiltex cross. The sale will also include an auction to raise funds for motor neurone disease, a disease which is close to heart to the group.

A detailed listing of sales dates for replacement females can be found at www.farmersjournal.ie.