Shearing, training courses and wool challenges

With the shearing season underway, for this week’s episode we chat to shearer and Mayo native David Heraty. First David describes a typical shearing season for him and how this year has started off. David tells us how he got started and built up his shearing contracting business over the past decade. We discuss the importance of shearing courses to equip farmers with this skill and the challenge of getting the next generation involved. We also talk about the preparation on the day of shearing to make the job that bit easier on all involved. David who is the Irish Sheep Shearer’s Association representative on the newly formed wool council talks about its aims and what they hope to achieve over the coming years. We finish up the episode talking about the challenge of improving wool presentation and what steps farmers can take. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast