Sheep farmers will hear practical insights on flock health, ewe nutrition and breeding at AgriSearch’s Flock Focus 2026 at the Glenavon Hotel, Cookstown, on Wednesday, October 28.

The evening conference will bring together sheep consultant Nerys Wright, consultant sheep vet Phillipa Page, and farmer and Nuffield Scholar Neil McGowan to explore approaches to improving sheep farm performance and profitability.

Nerys Wright will discuss body condition scoring and its role in building a resilient flock that can cope with challenges such as weather, disease and parasites. Raised on a beef and sheep farm in Wales, Nerys holds a PhD in sheep production and has worked with ADAS and AHDB. She is technical lead for SCOPS and co-hosts The Sheep Geeks podcast, with her work covering ewe nutrition, flock performance and parasite control.

Phillipa Page is a consultant sheep vet with Flock Health Ltd and Senior Vice President of the Sheep Veterinary Society. She works with farmers on flock health planning and productivity, alongside industry projects and discussion groups. Phillipa also helps run a sheep enterprise with her family, bringing practical farming experience alongside her veterinary expertise.

Neil McGowan, farmer and Nuffield Scholar, who will share his experience of flock breeding at AgriSearch’s Flock Focus 2026. Credit: Supplied

placeholder image — Neil McGowan, farmer and Nuffield Scholar, who will share his experience of flock breeding at AgriSearch’s Flock Focus 2026. Credit: Supplied

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Neil McGowan will discuss the challenges of establishing a profitable commercial sheep flock and the breeding objectives and programme developed over 25 years. He will share how his family has grown their on-farm ram sale to bring these genetics to the wider industry, along with stories from a long family tradition of bull and ram sales and overseas flock and herd visits undertaken during his Nuffield Scholarship.

The programme will also feature a discussion with AgriSearch project farmers and a question-and-answer session with the guest speakers, giving attendees the opportunity to discuss issues relevant to their own flocks.

John Morrow, Agriculture Manager at AgriSearch said: “Flock Focus will bring together specialist expertise and farmers’ experiences to explore practical ways to improve flock performance and profitability. We want farmers to leave with ideas they can put into practice on their own farms and look forward to welcoming them to Cookstown.”

Tea, coffee and sandwiches will be available from 7.00pm, with the conference finishing at approximately 9.45pm.