ICBF is delighted to announce updates to our services. Now available free of charge are the online Commercial Beef Value (CBV) and Finishing Profiles. These new tools are designed to enhance the management and profitability of your beef enterprises.

How to Access the New Profiles

Both the online CBV profile and the Finishing profile are now available free of charge to all herd owners, including non-HerdPlus members for a limited time only. To access these tools, simply log into your ICBF account, or, if you are not already registered you can do so by returning the ‘farm data release form’. This is available on the website via the ‘services’ dropdown tab. Alternatively, contact the ICBF HerdPlus team at (023) 8820452 or [email protected].

The Commercial Beef Value Online Profile—a groundbreaking tool tailored specifically for non-breeding beef farmers. This profile offers valuable insights into the beef genetic potential of commercial prime cattle, allowing you to make informed purchasing decisions, especially when buying calves and weanlings. The CBV is displayed as € value and star rating on the mart screen. For private purchases the seller can provide this information.

In an analysis of over 56,000 AA x FR steers finished in 2023, the top 10% on CBV achieved €273 more at finish than the bottom 10%. Additionally, the top 10% were 54 days younger. Yet, the difference in calf purchase price was only €58.
The profile focuses on seven essential traits that are particularly relevant for drystock enterprises:

  • Carcass Weight – 35%
  • Feed Intake – 24%
  • Factory In-Spec – 12%
  • Carcass Conformation – 11%
  • Age at Finish – 10%
  • Carbon – 7%
  • Docility – 1%
Figure 1 CBV Sub-indices
Figure 2 Online CBV Profile

With this tool at your disposal, you can easily identify the highest genetic merit animals in the herd, optimising your breeding and purchasing strategies.

Online Finishing Profile

The online Finishing Profile, this interactive tool allows you to assess your herd’s finishing performance both at the herd level and for individual animals, providing a comprehensive overview of your farm’s efficiency.

Key Features:

  • Filters: Analyse your herd by selecting options based on:
  1. Finishing period
  2. Animal type (steers, heifers, young bulls, cows, aged bulls)
  3. Breed type (suckler, dairy x beef, dairy x dairy)
  4. Animal origin (homebred or purchased animals)

What does the Finishing profile provide?

  • Herd Level Dashboard: Displays average herd performance KPI’s such as
  1. Factory price
  2. Price per kg
  3. Lifetime Euro/day
Figure 3 Online Finishing Profile- Herd level
  • Animal Profile Section: Offers detailed performance data for each animal, including:
  1. Tag number
  2. Date of birth
  3. Breed
  4. Carcass weight
  5. Fat grade
  6. Price per kg
  7. Lifetime €/day.
Figure 4 Online Finishing profile- Animal level

For assistance with logging in or to learn more, please contact the HerdPlus office at 023-8820452 or email us at [email protected].

At ICBF, we are committed to supporting all herd owners in maximizing their productivity and profitability. These free tools are designed to help you leverage the Commercial Beef Value when purchasing cattle.

We encourage everyone to take full advantage of these resources.