Over 150 farmers attended the recent Irish Grassland Association (IGA) sheep farm walk on Anthony McShane’s farm in Carlingford, Co Louth.

The focus of the recent walks was maximising output and gross margin in a sheep enterprise through optimum grassland management and implementing a defined breeding policy.

Anthony runs 350 mature lowland ewes and 150 Scottish Blackface ewes, along with flock replacements, on 53ha permanent pasture. The lowland is split between two blocks with 18ha around the yard and 27ha outfarms. There is also 8ha of commonage hill ground, which is used for the hill flock.

Farming system

The two flocks complement each other, with the hill flock utilising hill grazing and also being a source of prolific replacements for the lowland flock. A percentage of the Scottish Blackface ewes (Lanark-type breeding) are mated to Bluefaced Leicester rams, with Mule progeny forming the base breeding in the lowland flock.

The Mules are generally bred to Texel rams, with first crosses also retained. In the last two years, a Suffolk ram was used to cross back onto first-cross Texel ewes. Anthony generally avoids retaining Texel lambs bred from Texel cross ewes. “I like selecting first crosses from mules as I find they possess good maternal traits passed down from the Blackface, good levels of prolificacy from the Bluefaced Leicester and a good frame from the Texel,” says Anthony.

Ewe lambs were bred in the past to lamb as yearlings. This has ceased for the last two years due to weather, tighter grass supplies in the latter half of the year, and to reduce labour input at lambing.

Breeding performance is detailed in Table 1. The scanning rate in the lowland flock is generally 1.7 to 1.8 lambs reared per ewe, with 1.6 lambs reared per ewe put to the ram. Mortality is retained at a low level by adequate nutrition in the run up to lambing and also adopting high levels of supervision at lambing.

Outdoor lambing

Where possible, all ewes are lambed outdoors. Anthony has access to winter grazing on beef and dairy farms in the area and this gives a percentage of his own ground a chance to recover and build a supply of grass for lambing and grazing ewes and lambs.

“It works out similar on cost to feeding ewes indoors with pretty much the same labour with moving fences and checking stock daily. I prefer it though to having to house ewes for a long part of the winter as I find ewes get a good boost and are generally fitter for lambing.”

Last year was the first time in several years that ewes were housed before and during lambing. Anthony says that he would not like to progress down this route every year as it increases workload and disease risk.

“You are going to have losses lambing indoors and outdoors, it comes down to what suits your system. There is still lots of work with outdoor lambing but I find that it’s more manageable for me with the days also getting longer from the end of March.”

Anthony says the number of lambs lost to foxes and birds are generally low. However, he admits that even with high levels of supervision, it is inevitable that losses will occur.

A major aspect in the success of outdoor lambing on the farm is the planting of new hedgerows, building a supply of grass and splitting up of larger fields into smaller paddocks.

“I’m a big fan of netted fencing. I’d have no hesitation at all in splitting up paddocks and keeping ewes moved before lambing. Putting in new hedgerows has made a huge difference in reducing mortality at birth and giving lambs a good start,” he says.

Grassland management

Operating at a stocking rate of 10 ewes per hectare (four ewes per acre) and producing a high level of output per ewe puts high demand on the system for grass.

According to Hugh Rooney, Anthony’s Teagasc B&T adviser, maintaining soil fertility at optimum levels for grass growth is the foundation stone to the farm operating over 10 ewes/ha.

“Every few years, I can expect Anthony to arrive with soil samples. He works on the basis of keeping soil fertility levels up by doing a little every year. The approach is highly recommended as once fertility is improved, it generally doesn’t cost a lot to keep it maintained,” Hugh says.

The soil index for phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are all at Index 4, ideal to promote optimum grass growth. The pH of the soils were slightly below the optimum of pH 6.3 for mineral soils and, since then, lime has been applied at 1t to 2t per hectare to rectify this.

Paddock grazing

A rotational grazing system is practised on farm. Many fields range in size from three acres to eight acres, which suits grazing large batches of ewes and lambs.

Frequent use is made of electrified netting fencing to split larger paddocks and allow greater control of grass quality during peak growth or with smaller group size. Lambs are currently given priority access and are grazing ahead of dry ewes.

Ewes have been split into groups, depending on body condition, with ewes falling below target body condition for breeding, grazing the best grass available following lambs.

Anthony’s aim is to finish the majority of lambs off grass. “With margins rising, costs are getting tighter and tighter. I’m trying to finish the majority of lambs off grass this year. Lamb are even enough at present, but there will also be tailend and hill lambs that I’ll have no option but to finish with meals. I’ll keep an eye on grass and take a decision to introduce meals when I see grass starting to get tight, so it won’t interfere with grass available for ewes.”

Reseeding

The reseeding programme in place differs to most farms. Each year, Anthony exchanges an area of ground with local tillage farms.

“The exchange works for both of us. The tillage farmer gets fertile permanent pasture, which boosts yield, while it works for me as it breaks the ground for a year,” he says. Fields for reseeding are selected on the basis of grass produced, sward quality and duration since last reseeded.

There is no doubting that Anthony McShane is doing an excellent job. Many farmers on the day voiced concern that sheep enterprises are becoming increasingly vulnerable to rising input costs and seasonal price drops.

A failure to find a resolution on subsuming the Grassland Sheep Scheme into a Single Farm Payment and successive cuts to farm supports over several years is adding to current concerns.

These are relevant issues and must receive attention at processor and Government level. However, the lesson must also not be lost that improving farm efficiency and maximising output will help generate a higher gross margin to cover fixed and variable production costs. Increasing liveweight gain from grass is central to this.