The national dairy herd has increased significantly in the last 10 years. This has been helped by the increased use of dairy artificial insemination (AI) genetics on farms.
The rapid increase has slowed down as of late with replacement rates levelling off, due to increased fertility and longevity within the national dairy herd.
The Irish dairy industry has benefited greatly from the increase in the national herd’s economic breeding index (EBI) since it was established in 2001. According to a recent Teagasc report, there are still significant benefits to be gained by increasing the nationals herd’s EBI further.
Planning for 2021 breeding season
It’s important that dairy farmers begin planning for the 2021 breeding season, with a clear breeding policy as it will have a significant influence on their farm profitability, sustainability and animal welfare performance.
Dairy farmers not focused on expansion will require only three-to-five weeks of dairy AI to generate enough replacements, depending on the use of sexed semen and herd fertility. Dairy farmers should calculate the number of replacement heifers they want, which will allow them to calculate the number of straws required.
Teagasc has recommended that dairy farmers who want to use Jersey or Jersey crossbred genetics should only use sexed semen. For dairy farmers that wish to use sexed Holstein-Friesian semen, the number of bulls available and their EBI is increasing as demand increases.
Dairy beef index
The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) launched the Dairy Beef Index (DBI) in 2018 with the aim of identifying beef bulls that are suitable for use on dairy herds. Reducing the number of low-value calves coming from the dairy industry is important. Once the dairy genetic straws have been used, beef AI and beef stock bulls should be used to sire the remaining calves.
Five key takeaway points:
- Use high EBI AI genetics in order to generate the required number of replacement heifers and in tandem increase the EBI of your herd. Target your heifers and highest EBI cows to generate replacements;
- A balanced team of dairy AI sires should be used across the heifers and cows selected for breeding replacements. This will increase the reliability of the sire team as a whole. The optimum number of AI bulls to be used will vary with herd size;
- Incorporate a proportion of sexed semen into your AI strategy (if using Jersey or Jersey crossbreed genetics, use only sexed semen) while taking into account the considerations and guidelines outlined below;
- Use the DBI to select suitable beef AI sires. Use beef sires on your lowest EBI / late calving cows and once satisfied you have achieved sufficient dairy pregnancies to generate your targeted number of replacements;
- Dairy ‘sweeper’ bulls should not be used. Instead, use easy calving short gestation length beef bulls with a high DBI should be used. An alternative to beef stock bulls is the use of vasectomised bulls in conjunction with beef AI.