Dairy advice: Time to look at sires for autumn calvers

The autumn-calving season is due to get underway on farms in the coming weeks, and before that starts, farmers should make a breeding plan.

Although the breeding of autumn calvers is still a number of months away, it is always a good idea to look at possible sires to use.

Some of them might change over the course of the season, but at least you have spent time looking at, and selecting sires well in advance.

Autumn breeding

Ahead of calving starting farmers should sit down and start looking at catalogues and pick bulls they believe may suit their breeding goals.

Each herd will have its own breeding objectives and targets. However, targets for farmers using the economic breeding index (EBI) should be similar to what is outlined in the table below.

The main goals that should be set out for an autumn-calving herd’s breeding plan is to have a cow that will produce high-quality milk from forage and grazed grass, has a high level of fertility and is also healthy.

Cow type will differ from farm to farm, but these three key criteria should not be compromised on.

Sexed semen

Farmers should also determine how many replacement heifers are required and how they plan to obtain them.

For example, is the plan to use conventional semen or sexed, and how many straws of each would, or will be required?

Farmers also need to look at beef sires and which ones will suit their autumn calvers.

The quality of the beef calf coming from the dairy herd has never been as important and a focus needs to be placed on the bulls being selected.

Plan

Although it is still a number of months before autumn-calving herds will start breeding is it a good idea to start planning.

The more effort or time that is put into a breeding plan will ensure that the best genetic gain is achieved on the farm.

It is also a good idea to start putting this plan together now, while there is a little more free time compared to in a few months’ time.