Episode three of the Sustainable Breeding Summit saw a shift in focus to suckler breeding, and a new panel of farmers and experts.
On episode three saw a move to the Royal County; Meath. MSD’s John Heslin, who is a suckler farmer, chaired the panel of experts and farmers which includes:
- Hubert Nicholson, a suckler farmer from Co. Meath;
- John McDaniel, a breeding advisor with Progressive Genetics;
- Ciaran Lenehan, a suckler farmer from Co. Meath; and
- Rose Goulding, beef programme manager with the National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC).
The focus of this episode is suckler breeding and takes place on the Co. Meath farm of Hubert Nicholson.
Sustainable Breeding Summit
The use of technology has become quite common on Irish dairy farms and is beginning to become more common on suckler farms.
John asked the panel about some of the technology they use on their home farms, and how that has improved their systems.
Ciaran Lenehan and Hubert Nicholson both use a calving camera on their farms and both say that it is a piece of technology they could not live without.
“We calve 55 cows in eight weeks with all of us working off-farm, so a calving camera is very important for us,” Ciaran said.
“It gives us full control over the calving process.”
Continuing, Ciaran said: “We are 100% artificial insemination (AI) and use heat detection collars on the cows; we now do no manual heat detection.
“When we first got it I was a bit sceptical and I was watching cows, but after two weeks I just left the collars away.
“As well as reducing labour, time is your biggest asset as a suckler farmer, particularly part-time farmers.
“It has actually increased our conception rates aswell, from low to mid-80s to up to 95%.
“Two of the best investments we have made on the farm in recent years has been in technology.”