Almost one in 10 farmers find breeding their cows to be the most difficult task of the year, according to Teagasc.

It advises that being organised in advance can make it an easier job.

Simple things such as planning for definitive start and finish dates for the breeding season (13 weeks) and using a heat detection aid can make the job a lot easier.

Teagasc has outlined some of the practices used on the most labour efficient farms:

  • Decide on the number of heifers you want and the number of artificial insemination (AI) straws needed (allow 5.5 straws per heifer in the parlour in three years),
  • Use ICBF HerdPlus SireAdvice to match the sires chosen to cows in advance,
  • Consider using an AI technician, rather than DIY, if you are under time pressure at breeding,
  • AI cows once a day only, in the morning,
  • Synchronise heifers and confine heifer AI to 10-12 days,
  • Move heifers home for AI,
  • You must have a drafting facility; it is not too late to install one for 2016;
  • A teaser bull is very useful for the second half of the breeding season (if you don’t have one for 2016, then plan to have one for next year).

Controlling costs at breeding time is another area Teagasc has looked into. It advises to ensure that you select the right team of AI sires for your herd.

Examining your ICBF EBI report with your advisor needs to be the starting point for this.

Next, it says achieving a submission rate of over 90% is critical to achieving a high six-week calving rate.

Start recording heats about a month before the breeding season begins – it says this will reduce the number of cows that you need to check before AI starts.

Then 10 days before breeding begins, check cows that haven’t shown heats and are more than 30 days calved.

When it comes to heat detection aids, tail paint is the cheapest aid available and must be used; Teagasc says that alternatives are available but may be slightly more expensive.

Furthermore, Teagasc advises that the use of GeneIreland AI sires is a great way to access high quality, high EBI sires for very small money.

A small number of black and white packs and a larger number of crossbred packs are still available, according to Teagasc.

It recommends that farmers committed to the industry long term, who are milk recording and actively recording data on ICBF, should consider applying.

Farmers can also minimise AI costs by working hard to increase conception rates.

Increasing conception rate to first service from 45% to 55% in a 100-cow herd will result in 20 fewer AI straws over nine weeks (and at €20/straw a saving of €400), it says.

It advises that you must ensure that heifers are at target weight at bulling time (you really should have been working on this before now).

Thin cows and late calvers must be milked once a day, it says that this allows them gain necessary body condition and increase the likelihood of conception.

BREEDING DAIRY TEAGASC