Dairy

The deadline for the submission of HerdPlus Dairy Sire Advice for inclusion in the HerdPlus Breeding Chart is Monday 5th April. Herd-owners will have until this date to run the dairy sire advice for their herd so that the chosen matings can be included in the Breeding charts before they are printed. (more…)

In herds where the number of dairy breed replacements required has reduced due to cows being more fertile and surviving longer in the herds or where expansion targets have been achieved, there is the oportunity to use both dairy and beef AI from the start of the breeding season. (more…)

Sexed semen can be successfully used to increase the number of dairy female replacements born and to reduce the number of bull calves born. In this short clip, George Ramsbottom of Teagasc outlines the benefits and challenges of using sexed semen. (more…)

Teagasc recommends that maiden heifers are bred with dairy AI because they are the most fertile animals in the herd and they have the highest EBI. Make sure to target your heifers with sexed or conventional dairy AI to maximise the rate of genetic gain in your herd. (more…)

New dairy breeding guidelines have been sent to herd owners for Spring 2021 season. The guidelines have been developed by a Department of Agriculture working group involving key stakeholders such as the Department of Agriculture, Teagasc, ICBF and the broader industry. The guidelines include six simple steps which if followed will ensure the continued improvement of your dairy herd into the future. In this short clip, Andrew Cromie of ICBF outlines these six steps. (more…)

Invariably bulls are only proven for milk traits and not for female fertility traits which remains a key issue for dairy farmers. If you want to improve fertility and other traits related to fitness on your farm then you need to use teams of bulls. In this short clip, Margaret Kelleher from ICBF speaks about when planning what bulls to use this breeding season, also plan how to use each bull equally across your herd. (more…)

The breeding season on Irish dairy farms has become increasingly concentrated in the late April to June period. Teagasc in conjunction with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) will run a dairy breeding week this March. (more…)