Dovea Genetics hosted a beef breeding event at Mayo Sligo Livestock Mart in Ballina, Co. Mayo on Thursday evening (March 2).
The event featured guest speakers as well as live cattle demonstrations, with a number of Dovea Genetics-sired progeny from local farmers in attendance.
The first speaker of the evening was Teagasc’s Alan Nolan who gave an overview of how the new suckler scheme, the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) is expected to look.
He explained the scheme is expected to open for applications in the next two weeks and urged farmers to carefully consider all of the scheme requirements.
Also speaking on the night in Ballina was Catherine Smyth from Certified Irish Angus. She gave an overview of the producer group’s breed improvement programme and the benefits it offers to farmers.
The Dovea Genetics beef programme manager John Lynch delivered a presentation on selecting the right bull to use in Artificial Insemination (AI) and what farmers need to think about.
He said: “I think one of the great things that has come from genotyping is you can get your cows myostatin tested for very small fee. If you know the myostatin status of your cows, it’s a lot easier to pick your bulls.”
All calves shown on the night were sired by Dovea Genetics AI bulls which are eligible for use in the new suckler scheme (SCEP).
The first cow-calf pairing shown was a fourth calving Limousin-cross cow that had a calving interval of 354 days, a replacement index of €98 and was a 4-star cow.
The cow will qualify for the SCEP. The bull calf (seen in the picture below) is one of the first calves in the country bred off the AI bull Negrita Du Lac (BB8019).
The next pairing into the ring was a 4-star Charolais-Limousin cross cow with a calving interval of 357 days. The cow calved first as a two-year old.
“This cow ticks all the boxes for the new suckler scheme,” Lynch explained. Her calves have been performing well doing 1.3kg/day.
The calf (in the picture below) was sired by Knockmoyle10 Loki (CH4159), described by Lynch as “an easy calving Charolais bull”.
“Loki is so popular because he’s easy calved, they’re well shaped weanlings and the cattle do a good job for finishers. Loki calves will make a U+ grade if bred from a good suckler cow. His progeny have good confirmation and this bull ticks all the boxes.”
The next pairing demonstrated at the event was a Charolais-cross cow with a Limousin calf sired by Ernevalley Madison (LM4745).
The cow was sired by Lisnagree Hansome (HZJ) and had a calving interval of 378 days.
Lynch outlined that the Dovea AI bull Madison is producing “great quality” weanlings.
Returning to the Belgian Blue sires, Lynch explained the demand for Belgian Blue sires is increasing but advised farmers that some cows are more suited to a Belgian Blue bull than others.
The cow-calf pairing (pictured below) is a Cavelands Jolly (LM2395)-sired cow. The cow is a second calver and her sire is a 5-star replacement bull.
“This bull brings medium-sized cows with good calving ability and enough milk. They mature into good cows,” he explained.
The calf (pictured below) is sired by Bistouri De Tohonge (BB5214). Lynch described this bull as “a top-price weanling producer”.
Commenting on the cow-calf pairing (pictured above), Lynch said “Using that white bull on a black cow shows the colour you can produce.
“There’s another bull you would have to consider for this cow called Bricolage de Beauffaux (BB4494). He’s an easy-calving bull that brings lovely shaped calves like this one.
“You’re not going to compete with a Charolais for weight using a blue, but where you will beat them is price per kilo.
“To use the blue you need consistency in the cow. You need a good lot of Limousin blood and you need to pick your bull carefully. “A white bull on a sallow coloured cow will give you more colour every time,” he explained.
The final heifer into the ring is one “for the higher-end of the market”, Lynch said.
“There’s a lot more of these cows in the suckler market now than there was 10 years ago,” he told farmers at the Ballina event.
The cow (pictured below) is sired by a bull called Manitou De Belle Eau (DBZ).
The calf is a sexed semen-bred heifer sired by Elderberry Galahad (EBY). “This cow is doing a super job,” the crowd was told.
Lynch explained that calving difficulty was a little higher in this instance and said: “This calf didn’t fall out of her and you wouldn’t expect it either.”
The event in Ballina was well attended by farmers from across the region and the livestock demonstration drew significant interest.