The total number of calf registrations on Irish farms has reached 1,477,133 head for the year-to-date based on the latest data from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).
Births to dairy dams have reached 1,223,377, while births to beef dams have reached 253,756 head for the year-to-date.
Compared to 2023, the number of registrations is up, with 1,464,064 registered in the same period in 2023, or an increase of 13,069 head.
Registrations to dairy dams are up by 25,729 head, while registrations to beef dams are down by 12,660 head compared to the same period in 2023.
Calf registrations
In the week ending April 12, 2024 some 102,228 calves were registered based on the ICBF data.
This is an increase on 23,175 on the same period in 2023, with both dairy and beef birth up on the 2023 figure.
The total number of calves registered to dairy dams has reached 1,223,377 head, with 65,619 calves in the week ending April 12.
Compared to the same week in 2023, there has been a significant increase in the number of calves registered – with 14,842 more calves registered.
Some 36,609 calves were registered to beef dams in the week ending April 12, this is an increase of 8,333 head for the same week in 2023.
Births to beef dams for the year to date stand at 253,756 head. For the same period in 2023, it stood at 266,416 head.
Breeding season
As the calving season winds down on many farms, the breeding season for 2024 is now fast approaching.
The target that many herds will set themselves is to achieve a submission rate of 90% within the first three weeks of breeding.
This ultimately means that within the first three weeks for a 100-cow herd, 90 cows will be bred.
To achieve this target, as many cows as possible need to be cycling before breeding gets underway on farms.