Sheep
Keeping and Maintaining Ewe Condition
Managing a ewe’s body condition score (BCS) is an essential tool to ensure performance and productivity of the ewe. This allows to assess the level of fat along the ewes spinous and transverse processes to allow for an understanding of the nutritional status of the ewe. There are industry targets for condition scoring, shown in…
Agribusiness News December 2024 – Sheep & Turkeys
Christmas Costs The American Farm Bureau Federation has recently published their findings for the cost of a thanksgiving dinner for 2024. This is done annually by deploying volunteer shoppers over 50 states to buy specific groceries. The results have found a classic thanksgiving feast for 10 people has decreased in cost to $58.08 – a…
In Conversation With…- Winter Stocktake – Flock Health and Records
Welcome to In Conversation With… hosted this month by Senior Sheep and Beef Consultant Kirsten Williams. On today’s episode Kirsten is joined by Willie Budge (Senior Consultant, SAC Consulting) and Kythe Mackenzie (Veterinary Investigation Officer, SRUC). They will discuss trends from the year, what’s coming into the labs, tips on preparing for sheep inspections and…
Sustainable Sheep Systems – Clynelish Case Study
Jason and Vic Ballantyne farm 125 ha (309 acres) on a secure tenancy at Clynelish Farm in Brora, alongside a further 50 ha (123 acres) on a contract farming agreement 1 mile away, 34 ha of which is hill ground. The business utilises several seasonal holdings including crofts and common grazings to away winter stock….
Mineral Requirements in Finishing Lambs
Mineral imbalances in finishing lambs primarily impact growth rates and therefore time to finishing and slaughter. There are several reasons why mineral problems arise in finishing lambs, here we discuss ones that are commonly seen on farms. One of the reasons that problems arise is due to the lamb running out of minerals from the…
Agribusiness News November 2024 – Sheep
Supply and Demand The sheep trade currently shows a true reflection of the balance between global supply and demand. AHDB have recently shown that the UK clean sheep slaughter for Jan-Sept 2024 stands at 8.19 million head, some 700,000 head or 7.9% less than that in the same period in 2023. With less lamb being…
Metabolic Profiling in the Sheep Flock – Why and How to Do It
What is metabolic profiling? Metabolic profiling involves blood testing sheep at key times in the production cycle, such as pre-tupping and pre-lambing or for lambs post-weaning. It is a common management tool used to assess the nutritional adequacy of a ration and to help reduce the risk of metabolic diseases and suboptimal fertility or performance….
Agribusiness News October 2024 – Sheep
Store and breeding sales have continued to hit the headlines, with record breaking prices being made across the country this Autumn. This has been in response not just to the decrease in the global ewe flock, but also to the positivity surrounding the sheep sector with strong prime prices and a growing Muslim population. While…
Parasites in Sheep
Parasites in Sheep A range of internal and external parasites affect sheep including roundworms, fluke, mites, lice, flies, and ticks which can lower flock productivity. Climate change and emerging resistance to treatment pose increasing challenges to parasite management in Scottish farms. Useful links: https://www.scops.org.uk/ Liver Fluke Top Tips for Liver Fluke Control Identify habitats The…
Stock Talk – Graham Lofthouse
In this episode, host Robert Ramsay speaks to Graham Lofthouse, beef and sheep farmer from Bankhouse Farm, in the Scottish Borders, and winner of the AgriScot Scottish Sheep Farmer of the Year award 2016. Robert and Graham discuss the strategies and challenges of rotational grazing systems, lamb growth, flock efficiency, genetics and how Graham established…