Developed in collaboration with Agriland Media.
The National Genotyping Programme (NGP) has now reopened for applications and it did not take long for former Co. Kilkenny hurler, Walter Walsh to get signed up.
Walter is farming alongside his father John in Tullogher near the Kilkenny/Wexford border, where they milk about 100 predominately Holstein Friesian cows.
They operate a 100% spring calving grass-based system and rear their own replacements each year.
Their Herd Economic Breeding Index (EBI) is currently at €184, with their 2024 heifers at €216 and the 2025 calves at €239 EBI.
All replacements are bred from artificial insemination (AI) on the farm with a big emphasis on using high EBI genomic bulls.
The herd has averaged over €10 of genetic gain per year, and Walter hopes the use of genotyping will help increase the rate of gain in the herd.
In the past they reared quite a few beef stock and extra dairy heifers but, with derogation coming into play, they have scaled back and put more emphasis on selecting only the very best replacements for the dairy and for their beef system.
When selecting beef stock to retain on the farm going forward, Walter plans to incorporate Commercial Beef Value (CBV) to help identify the best stock at only a few weeks old.
Walter and John decided to join the NGP with the aim of “getting more data on our herd and to make decisions on it.”
” Whether you’re hurling or breeding, accuracy is key!”
By genotyping all their stock they will be in a position to make more informed breeding decisions both in terms of identifying the best heifers to retain for their own herd but also in terms of getting more accurate evaluations on their cows to pick the best ones to try and breed replacements from.
According to Walter, it can also open up additional options with the opportunity to possibly sell some excess genotyped heifers in the future.
“We could sell some of these heifers as we’ll know which ones are the best to keep for ourselves.”
Walter also works full-time off the farm, so labour efficiency is crucial for him.
Since the heifers are reared on an out farm away from the main yard, being able to sample all the calves at birth offers a major advantage over trying to sample later when they are older and located on the outside block.
Launched in 2023, the National Genotyping Programme is a world-first initiative, based on a cost-sharing model between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the beef and dairy industry, and participating farmers.
Already some 15,000 herds are participating with over 1 million calves genotyped through the programme since its inception.
To sign up your herd to NGP or for further information, please visit www.icbf.com or call the Herdplus team on 023-8820452.