LIC Ireland launched the 2015 dairy sire catalogue recently featuring this year’s offering of the pick of New Zealand genetics for the Irish market.
According to Niall O’Regan, Country Manager with LIC Ireland, the catalogue includes an excellent selection of sires on offer this year.
Top of the list for O’Regan this year is Holstein Friesian sire WDS Supersonic, which he says is a well-proven sire in the Irish market now and sire of many of the high EBI Irish genomic sires available with EBI of €251 and 91% reliability.
Also in the catalogue, BGJ Grandeur has an EBI of €292 and 60% reliability.
“This bull has daughters milking in both Ireland and New Zealand. BGJ is the second highest EBI daughter proven sire available in Ireland,” he says.
LIC also have two very exciting proven Mint Edition sons, Buster and Kelsbells with outstanding type and kgs of fat and protein.
O’Regan says both have excellent figures for fertility. He highlights that GGP Pride is the top genomic sire available with an EBI of €282 and is +0.18 for both fat and protein %.
In terms of LIC KiwiCross sires, O’Regan says this year’s catalogue includes New Zealand daughter proven sires OKA Mako, APW Power and APY Nomad and according to O’Regan a ‘superb’ selection of genomic sires, including a Checkpoint son which he says Irish farmers have been very keen to have available, JE2047 Jerseydale No2ways.
“Jersey sires are used almost exclusively for cross breeding with Holstein Friesian cows in Ireland.
“There are some excellent options available both daughter proven and genomic including OKT Integrity and an exciting genomic 5-Star son, Harry,” he says.
O’Regan says whether you are staying with black and white cows or cross breeding with Jersey or KiwiCross, the 2015 LIC catalogue is guaranteed to include sires that will breed for you the most profitable cows into the future.
See catalogue here. For more information, contact your local Breeding Advisor or freephone our office in Cahir on 1800 60 40 20.