At this time of the year, breeding decisions are being made on spring-calving dairy farms across the country and the artificial insemination (AI) and stockbulls used will influence the genetic merit of the 2024 national calf crop.
The use of sexed semen is increasing and a greater focus is being placed on using high-genetic-merit beef bulls that have an acceptable level of calving difficulty and gestation length, but will produce a saleable calf with a good beef value.
Searching an AI or stockbull’s figures is an easy task that can be carried out on any device with an internet connection and only takes less than a minute to complete.
While some farmers can do this at ease, many farmers are not so familiar with how to quickly search a bull’s figures.
As part of the Advantage Spring Dairy-Beef Series, ABP Food Group’s Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison officer Oisin Lynch has explained how sire information can be quickly sourced in the video below:
Sire information is available to any farmer across the country on the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation’s (ICBF’s) Animal Search.
Farmers can simply enter ‘ICBF Animal Search’ to their internet search bar and click on the relevant page. From here, a farmer can search an AI code or a stockbull and view the respective animal’s figures.
“If a farmer is purchasing a stockbull before the breeding season, it is important to remember all this information is readily available,” Oisin said.
As can be seen in the video above, Oisin searched a bull known as Pute Nascar N13 (AI code: HE5806) and viewed this bull’s Dairy Beef Index (DBI).
This bull had a DBI value of €113 but Oisin emphasised the importance of also looking at its sub-index values.
Oisin said that from a dairy farmer’s point of view, it is a good idea to pick a team of beef bulls for their cows.
He explained that the maximum calving difficulty threshold will vary with heifers, second calvers and mature cows, and dairy farmers should remember this when selecting their team of beef bulls for the 2023 breeding season.
He added that while dairy farmers tend to prioritise gestation and calving difficulty figures, the farmers who are rearing these calves for beef are more focused on the carcass weight value of the sire.
Oisin said the breed-average carcass figure for Hereford sires is 4kg and noted the AI sire HE5806 has a carcass value that is a substantial 12kg above the breed average.
“There’s very little physical difference between a good calf and a bad calf at two or three weeks of age but the genetic differences become much more apparent when the animal reaches 12 months of age and onwards,” he said.
He emphasised that farmers who prioritise better-genetic beef bulls will have progeny with better carcass performance.
“Now is the time to take a look at these figures. Don’t select your sires on DBI alone, look at the beef sub index and carcass figures. Small changes can make a big difference in producing a more marketable calf”.