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Inside an Organic Sheep and Tillage System

August 4, 2026 · 38 min

Show notes

We catch up with organic sheep and tillage farmer, Joe Nolan, and Teagasc Organic Advisor, Marianne Mulhall.


Joe, who farms near Fenagh, Co. Carlow, outlines his farming system, including the sheep enterprise, tillage rotation and the background to the farm.


He discusses the changes made to the flock in recent years, the organic conversion process and how sheep and tillage are integrated on the holding.


We also discuss lamb finishing, with Joe explaining the role of different grass and clover leys, forage crops and supplementation within the system.


Marianne outlines the current opportunities and challenges facing the organic sheep sector, highlighting the importance of strengthening linkages between organic livestock and tillage farms to improve feed sourcing and the opportunities for lamb finishing.


She also discusses the series of upcoming organic farm walks, including one taking place on Joe's farm on Wednesday 12th August.


To register for one of the events please click here:
https://teagasc.ie/rural-economy/organics/events/#lambfinishing


For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

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