Adopting technology: the BETTER farm experience Sheep Program Teagasc, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Mellows Campus, Athenry, Co. Galway .IntroductionThe sheep sector in Ireland has undergone significant changes over the past two decades. The national sheep herd had been in steady decline, falling from more than 4.5 million ewes in 1995. This trend was halted last year when numbers began to increase, albeit marginally, to once again reach around 2.5 million sheep (CSO). The increased positivity in the sheep sector comes at an important time for Irish agriculture. As an industry, the sheep sector contributes €250 million to national agricultural production each year. In the Food Harvest 2020 report, a target was set to increase the production value of this sector by another 20%. The report highlighted the need to improve competitiveness at farm level and in particular the need to improve the level of adoption of new technologies. Additionally, the report highlighted the need for greater use of focus groups and the Teagasc BETTER farms sheep program to facilitate the process of technology transfer and adoption. The Teagasc BETTER farm Sheep program was created in autumn 2008 with the aim of accelerating the transfer, demonstration and evaluation of technologies. Currently there are 6 Lowland herds in Counties Donegal, Roscommon, Offaly, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Wexford and Kerry and 3 Hill herds in Counties Donegal, Sligo and Mayo involved in the program. These farms provide focal points to enable wider adoption of the technology by the lowland and hill sheep sectors. One of the main criteria used when selecting these farms was their attitude towards...... middle of paper ......ussion Groups and the BEST farms in their respective region. By facilitating this process, it would enable farmers to involve farmers in key issues that influence the production and profitability of their own sheep enterprise. By implementing technology on "real" farms that would be used by "real" farmers and where any potential side effects have commercial implications, it would provide a compelling demonstration of how productivity, efficiency and profitability of sheep production could be improved by adopting the appropriate technology. Additionally, it was also envisaged that two-way communication with these farms would provide an invaluable feedback loop for Teagasc's research programs. Furthermore, some of the findings identified on these farms and issues raised during interaction with the farmer groups would help identify gaps in the existing knowledge base that required further research..