The ICBF is reporting a good demand for beef AI straws from farmers across the country.
According to ICBF Beef Breeding Specialist Ciaran Costello there has been huge interest in Gene Ireland’s 24 maternal beef bulls which he says allow farmers to breed replacements with high milk and fertility indexes.
“There are 11 different breeds available to choose from and straws are €5 each.
“If farmers want to breed more milk and fertility into their herd, these bulls are designed to do this,” he said.
According to Costello each individual farmer needs to look at the performance of their own herd.
“In today’s world, having a herd of cows that go in calf without any problems, the ability to produce a good quality calf and being able to produce milk to feed that calf is vital to keep a suckler enterprise profitable.”
Costello says breeding good quality high replacement index females is the way to do this.
“It is the way forward. A hard working cow is a profitable cow.
“Genetics plays a huge role , this is why we want farmers to use these straws, as it allows them to reap the benefits in terms of producing cows that will work hard,” he said.
The Gene Ireland Maternal Beef Breeding program was launched in Autumn 2012. The program was established by the ICBF in conjunction with industry partners.
The overall aim of the program is to achieve much greater rates of genetic improvement in Irish beef production through high quality data recording and progeny testing a higher number of suitable beef bulls.
Pictures of calves from Gene Ireland bulls can be seen on the ICBF website.
To order straws call 1850 600 900 or 045 521573