- Bull Team Size and Usage on Dairy FarmsSelecting a large team of bulls and ensuring equal usage of your bull team is a critical element to help manage risk in your breeding programme. Analysis of AI sire usage in Irish dairy herds shows an over reliance on certain sires. This is illustrated in table 2. The risk is that if the bull… Read more: Bull Team Size and Usage on Dairy Farms
- Significant increase in sire verification as a result of the National Genotyping ProgrammeAccurate parentage information is vitally important in order to make informed breeding decisions and to follow the breeding goals for your herd. There are many advantages from a breeding perspective to having animals sire and dam verified through genotyping which include: Nationally, the average sire error rate is approximately 10%, meaning 1 in 10 calves… Read more: Significant increase in sire verification as a result of the National Genotyping Programme
- Using sexed semen this year? Here are some tips to help you get the highest conception rates in your herd!Sexed semen is one of the key measures dairy farmers can take to help reduce our methane emissions for the dairy herd. Sexed semen will reduce our reliance on conventional dairy semen, and allow us to increase the use of high beef merit semen on the dairy females, leading to higher CBV (Commercial Beef Value)… Read more: Using sexed semen this year? Here are some tips to help you get the highest conception rates in your herd!
- Can the Commercial Beef Value play a role in the suckler beef sector?The Commercial Beef Value (CBV) and the benefit that it can have has received much coverage over the last few months. While its impact will be most significant in the trading of dairy beef animals, it can also be very beneficial in the trading of suckler bred stock. The CBV comprises traits that are of… Read more: Can the Commercial Beef Value play a role in the suckler beef sector?
- 2024 Dairy Banding deadline extended to 15th MayMinister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D, announced extensions to the deadlines to submit Nitrates Derogation applications for 2024 and for Dairy farmers to confirm their 2024 dairy excretion rate band. • 2024 Nitrates Derogation Application deadline is extended to Friday 26th of April 2024. • 2024 Dairy Excretion Rate Band deadline… Read more: 2024 Dairy Banding deadline extended to 15th May
- Have you seen the latest updates to the ICBF HerdPlus App?The latest version of the ICBF HerdPlus app is now available for farmers. This update contains lots of new features including: HerdPlus herds can now access the Inbreeding Checker via the app. The Inbreeding checker will display the levels (if any) of inbreeding between the females in your herds and the selected bull/bulls. Herds can… Read more: Have you seen the latest updates to the ICBF HerdPlus App?