Back in June, the Irish Texel Sheep Society, in association with the Irish Farmers Journal,
launched its annual editorial competition for young sheep enthusiasts.
Last Friday marked the final deadline for the last age category and we are delighted to announce the senior winner as Gillian Earle.
Voucher
She will now receive a voucher of €250 to spend at the Irish Texel premier sale in Blessington this Saturday 14 August.
The winners of all four categories are asked to make themselves known to a steward or organiser on Friday evening before the pre-sale show finishes, as the overall winner will be picked following the show and receive an added €250 to spend the next day.
Why I’m glad I had sheep the past year
by Gillian Earle
This past year has been extremely challenging for everyone, with COVID and all the lockdowns. In the last year, I have done my Leaving Cert and turned 18. I wasn’t able to have a normal 18th birthday party as a result of COVID. All of this made me feel upset and disappointed.
The one constant thing that I had through the last year was my sheep. Having to get up each day to check and feed them maintained a sense of normality in an otherwise strange world. Not being able to meet up with my friends to talk to was extremely hard, but sheep are great listeners and I love sitting down in the field with them and having little chats with them while they nibble at my boots. Sheep were a great distraction from the stress and pressures that the Leaving Cert brings. With the lockdown, when studying would get too much for me, it was great to only have to walk out to the farm and unwind with the sheep. I found this great for my mental well-being during this past year.
I have purchased five Texel hoggets and I am currently in the process of registering them to become a member of the Texel sheep society. I would use prizemoney to purchase a Texel ram for my hoggets, so I will be able to produce great sheep. The Texel breed are an excellent breed to use on Suffolk-cross ewes. On my daddy’s farm, we cross them to produce nice speckle face ewe lambs. Also, the ram lambs are easily finished, with good carcase structure. I also cross Texel-cross ewes with my Border Leicester ram to produce a lovely ewe lamb which grows into a nice big ewe. These ewes are well able to rear double lambs as they are good milkers because of the Texel maternal traits.
Back in June, the Irish Texel Sheep Society, in association with the Irish Farmers Journal,
launched its annual editorial competition for young sheep enthusiasts.
Last Friday marked the final deadline for the last age category and we are delighted to announce the senior winner as Gillian Earle.
Voucher
She will now receive a voucher of €250 to spend at the Irish Texel premier sale in Blessington this Saturday 14 August.
The winners of all four categories are asked to make themselves known to a steward or organiser on Friday evening before the pre-sale show finishes, as the overall winner will be picked following the show and receive an added €250 to spend the next day.
Why I’m glad I had sheep the past year
by Gillian Earle
This past year has been extremely challenging for everyone, with COVID and all the lockdowns. In the last year, I have done my Leaving Cert and turned 18. I wasn’t able to have a normal 18th birthday party as a result of COVID. All of this made me feel upset and disappointed.
The one constant thing that I had through the last year was my sheep. Having to get up each day to check and feed them maintained a sense of normality in an otherwise strange world. Not being able to meet up with my friends to talk to was extremely hard, but sheep are great listeners and I love sitting down in the field with them and having little chats with them while they nibble at my boots. Sheep were a great distraction from the stress and pressures that the Leaving Cert brings. With the lockdown, when studying would get too much for me, it was great to only have to walk out to the farm and unwind with the sheep. I found this great for my mental well-being during this past year.
I have purchased five Texel hoggets and I am currently in the process of registering them to become a member of the Texel sheep society. I would use prizemoney to purchase a Texel ram for my hoggets, so I will be able to produce great sheep. The Texel breed are an excellent breed to use on Suffolk-cross ewes. On my daddy’s farm, we cross them to produce nice speckle face ewe lambs. Also, the ram lambs are easily finished, with good carcase structure. I also cross Texel-cross ewes with my Border Leicester ram to produce a lovely ewe lamb which grows into a nice big ewe. These ewes are well able to rear double lambs as they are good milkers because of the Texel maternal traits.
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