Applying for an AI Code
In line with EU Animal Breeding Regulations bulls to be used for purebred breeding must be sire and dam parentage verified before an AI code is issued. (more…)
In line with EU Animal Breeding Regulations bulls to be used for purebred breeding must be sire and dam parentage verified before an AI code is issued. (more…)
A common misconception is that breeding should not be pursued as a method for improving health or fertility traits due to their low heritability. Low heritability does not mean the trait cannot be improved. Low heritability simply signifies that much more records are required to achieve the same rate of genetic gain as high heritability trait (e.g., carcass weight or milk yield). (more…)
The 2020 Genetic Evaluations seen a lot of change for farmers. One such change was to the calving evaluations. (more…)
You may already be familiar with the term Genomics as part of the Beef, Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) or just from using genomics as a helpful management tool, but what exactly is genomics? (more…)
There are 4 factors that will both contribute to what ‘Gestation Length’ index figure your bull starts out with and also how it changes over time.1.Backpedigree, 2.Genotype, 3. Foreign Data, 4.Irish Data (more…)
EBI is a single figure profit index aimed at helping farmers identify the most profitable bulls and cows for breeding dairy herd replacements. It comprises of information on eight sub-indexes related to profitable milk production. These are; (1) Milk Production, (2) Fertility, (3) Calving Performance, (4) Beef Carcass (5) Carbon, Cow Maintenance (6) Health, (7) Maintenance and (8) Management. A summary of the sub-indexes, including traits and relative weightings for traits in the EBI is displayed in Chart 1, e.g. Fertility has a 25% weighting in the EBI. Economic values in the index are based on data collected from Irish Dairy Farms and the Dairy Industry. These values were last updated in November 2022.
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