Dairy Focus
Jason Helen is the man behind one of Irelands most prestigious dairy herds, farming with his wife Laura and his parents Robert and Sylvia.
Beef
Breeding cattle and sheep from mainland Europe can be traded into Ireland, as long as they are...
Dairy
AI handheld serves recorded in 2026 are running 9,506 behind last years figures, according to data from ICBF.
Despite a recent downturn in world milk markets, dairy farmers in Northern Ireland continue to invest in the future of their businesses.
We are now in the sixth week of breeding, meaning a lot of farms may be wrapping up with AI and letting stock bulls out to finish the job.
As the use of artificial insemination (AI) winds down on dairy farms, what dairy and beef sires have been used the most in 2026?
Many farmers will look to begin serving repeating cows in the coming weeks. In order to maximise results, keeping momentum will be key.
According to data from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), 614,527 handheld AI serves were recorded during the month of May.
Ger and Enda Armstrong are milking 137 cows in partnership in Kilcolgan, Co. Galway, with a strong focus on breeding and grassland management.
Breeding is well and truly underway with many farms half way through their AI programmes already, but have any bred for TB resistance?
Breeding
It is easy to get so caught up in the statistics of breeding during the season, so much so that we forget about embryo survival.
Breeding is well underway now, yet not too many farms will have stocks bulls out yet, as the majority go with AI in the early season.
Between breeding and silage the farm is getting increasingly busy, therefore farm safety must be a number one priority over the coming months.
Dairy Technical
As breeding kicks off this week, sexed semen usage will dominate the first three weeks of artificial insemination (AI) on many farms.
Breeding is now underway on a lot of farms, but there is still plenty of non-bulling cows in the herd that will have to be dealt with.
With the breeding season officially kicking off for many farmers this week, it is important to stay on top of heat detection.
A lot of spring calving farms now target a 90% submission rate within the first three weeks of the breeding season, but is it worth it?
Now days all the talk ahead of the breeding season is about AI and sexed semen, but we cannot forget about the stock bull.
A lot of farms may be getting heifers out to grass, but it is still important to keep your eye on their condition as breeding edges closer.
As the last of the cows calve down, identifying any high cell count cows will be critical in the lead up to the breeding season.
With breeding kicking off in two weeks time, industry leaders are emphasising the key messages that will ensure a successful season.
With the breeding season approaching, it is important to understand what milk urea is and how it could be affecting your herds fertility.
In the build up to the breeding season, there will be a focus on keeping lameness to a minimum to ensure the oestrus cycle goes unaffected.
