Attracting a steady flow of new entrants into sheep farming has been a challenge in recent years. Thankfully, schemes such as the Young Farmer Scheme and National Reserve are helping to slowly change this trend and attract young interest into sheep and beef enterprises, while the Sheep Welfare Scheme has also been a welcome support mechanism.

Dylan Leybourne hails from Tullow, Co Carlow, and is currently putting final preparations in place to have ewe lambs ready for the Tullow Sheep Breeders Association first sale on 9 August. This will be his second lamb crop to sell, having established a 230-Cheviot ewe flock in 2016.

Dylan’s drive to establish his own ewe flock has stemmed from two main areas. He has always played an active role in the family farm where his father David runs mixed sheep and suckler enterprises.

The other big driver that has helped to generate interest is being involved in the Tullow sheep sales from a young age.

“From as young as I can remember, I have been attending Tullow sheep sales. Helping out Christy and John O’Toole ahead of the big sheep sales really got me interested and is part of the reason why I have gone down a similar breeding route that they operated. Christy is a great judge of Cheviot ewes and I have learned a lot over the years on ewe and ram selection.”

Farming system

Working full-time off-farm since graduating with a degree in agricultural science from UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science in 2016 is also another reason why Dylan says he has selected Cheviot ewes.

“Lambing is the busiest time of the year and Cheviot ewes also seemed the best fit as if weather is suitable they can lamb away outdoors which is a major help in reducing the workload. Cheviots generally prefer to be outdoors and if I can get away without putting them in at all it has huge advantages.

“I have been lucky enough to get access to short-term grazing and beet tops over the winter and this is the route that has been used to carry ewes over the winter. The stocking rate is also high with 215 ewes and their lambs grazing on 45 acres this year (18ha) so giving this ground a good rest over the winter is important in getting ewes and lambs to grass without the need for heavy feeding after lambing”.

The system operated on the farm is purchasing mature Cheviot ewes from a number of hill farms. The switch to lowland grazing allows these ewes to produce an extra couple of crops of lambs while also taking some hassle out of the equation by lambing experienced sheep.

The majority of ewes lamb from the first week of March, with teaser rams used to tighten the lambing spread. Breeding is generally delayed for a small portion of ewes that require a longer period to regain condition after coming off hill grazing, with these ewes suiting outdoor lambing better as days get longer towards the end of March. Progeny from these later-lambing ewes are run over the winter and satisfy demand from early lamb producers looking to source small numbers of hoggets early in the year.

“The peak of lambing is usually around St Patrick’s Day. Weather has a huge role to play and if every year was like this year, it would be much more straightforward to run. The Cheviot ewes are easy enough deal with and the switch to lowland grazing gives them a good boost, with the flock scanning 1.85 lambs and 1.9 lambs in the last two years.

“If you can get a long ewe with a good tight coat of wool and good bone then you have a great start to breed them with a good Suffolk ram with tight wool, length and most importantly a sweet head.”

Sales pattern

The main bulk of the female lamb crop is divided for sale in two lots of 60 ewe lambs for each of the Tullow breeding sales. Dylan says preparations in the final few weeks before the sale come down to having sheep looking their best but not overdone as buyers prefer sheep that will continue to do a good thrive and have the potential to be put to the ram as ewe lambs.

“The sales ring doesn’t give anywhere for any faults to hide. One of the most important things is to keep sheep thriving and continue to be mindful of any health risks such as lameness or flystrike. After that, it’s matching up the sheep on size and type and what you think will sell best on the day.”

Male progeny are all finished, with the majority traded to a local butcher.

“Dad has developed a good relationship with a local butcher. He provides lambs early in the year and thankfully I pick up when he has his lambs sold and provide lambs in the second half of the year. The Cheviot-cross lamb can be a bit harder flesh so we usually let him up to 46kg to 50kg liveweight before drafting, which helps with fat cover.”

Support mechanism

As well as providing a good sales outlet, Dylan says Tullow Sheep Breeders Association and other groups are vital in providing a good support network and a social setting to meet with other farmers.

“As a young farmer starting out, it’s sometimes hard to find the information you need to get up and running. Having more farmers who have possibly faced the same challenges helps, while groups are hugely rewarding in bringing a social aspect to farming.”