
Agriland to launch new limited series The Beef Brief podcast
Agriland is set to launch a new limited podcast series this Wednesday (June 4) where we travel around the country talking to beef farmers about the challenges they currently face and how they run their farm.
Produced by Agriland, The Beef Brief will be a four-part podcast series that will go behind the scenes and find out what works for some beef farmers and what makes the difference.
In the new podcast series our technical beef journalist, Breifne O'Brien, meets up with one Co. Cavan farmer to find out exactly what 'sustainability' means to him and why this approach has made him an award-winning farmer.
The new podcast will also feature insights from two Co. Meath based brothers who not only farm, but also have a butcher shop.
They share their personal experiences of what it takes to deliver the farm to fork experience first hand and why they are committed to producing the very best produce for their customers.
Agriland podcast
The podcast will also meet up with a pedigree breeder and beef farmer in Navan to hear why she took part in the World Angus Forum in Australia last month and is also planning to travel to Kansas this year with the Hereford YDP.
Agriland also hears from a Co. Waterford based farmer who shares the secrets of his success when it comes to grass management on a beef farm and how to achieve improved performance in a store to beef system.
One other key consumer trend that the podcast will explore is why meat fans are enjoying being able to purchase boxed beef online – we find out how that works in practice for the producer.
With beef prices hitting a record during the first few months of the year and trade remaining positive, what do beef farmers currently make of 2025?
You can hear directly from farmers about this and more in new The Beef Brief podcast, which will be available on the Agriland platform and all streaming platforms on Wednesday (June 4) with a new episode becoming available each Wednesday for the next four weeks.

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No rise in number of farmers rearing calves this year
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6 hours ago
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Explainer: How do proofs fluctuate in the ICBF Active Bull List?
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The bull – which is owned by the National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC) – was the most used bull in the 2024 season, which demonstrates why farmers are concerned about his sudden drop in EBI from €370 in March to €287 now. How do proofs fluctuate? It was highlighted by the ICBF to Agriland that Tankardsrock Teak moved from a Genomic Proof (GS) to a Daughter Proof (DP-Irl), as daughter performance data was included in his EBI for the first time. Consequently, Teak's proof reliability increased by 13%. While daughter records are now directly contributing to his Milk Sub-Index, his fertility proof is still primarily driven by genomics and predictor traits. Predictor traits are genetically correlated with economically important traits. For example, Milk Kilograms (Milk Kg) is used as a predictor trait for Calving Interval and Survival. The ICBF highlighted that these traits serve as proxies to improve the reliability of evaluations—especially for young animals who have not yet expressed the target traits. They are important tools for making early, informed selection decisions that enhance herd productivity and profitability. So, for Tankardsrock Teak's latest evaluation, two new predictor traits were incorporated into his Fertility Sub-Index calculation for the first time, which was Age at First Calving (AFC) and Milk Kg. Teak now has 257 daughter records for AFC and 127 daughter records for Milk Kg and on average, his daughters calve 0.65 days later than their herd mates and produce 152kg more milk. While the increased milk production is genetically favourable, the strong negative genetic correlation between high milk yield and fertility contributed to the drop in his fertility index. Combined with the slightly poorer AFC performance, these factors have significantly impacted his EBI. Fertility genomics vs. reality What we can take from this data is that genomic predictions for milk performance are proving accurate, which is evident in Teak's daughters' milk yields. However, Teak's daughters will not yet have any calving interval and survival phenotypes, the traits that will make up the fertility sub-index. The ICBF confirmed that first lactation milk recording data has been obtained and given the negative association built into the evaluation between milk and fertility have caused his fertility prediction to drop. That said, there is still one remaining predictor trait yet to be included ahead of Teak receiving first parity calving interval and survival data later in the year: Calving to First Service (CFS). Interestingly, this trait has a stronger genetic correlation to fertility than both AFC and milk kg and may help recover some of the decline in his fertility sub-index once it gets integrated, so, maybe not all is lost in terms of the fertility of this bull. It is also worth noting that fertility records on later parities are also used where available so a sire will not be fully proven for fertility until his daughters that survive reach the start of their sixth lactation. To accommodate the implementation of new economic values into the EBI and the introduction of a genetic base change, the next genetic evaluation will take place in late September. Certainly, Teak is one to keep an eye on for the next evaluation as his CFS data will be incorporated and will give a better insight into his fertility performance. ICBF advice The only real practical way of overcoming these fluctuation in proofs and avoid having such a fluctuation affect the EBI and genetic merit of your herd, is to have a large bull team and not to overuse one bull in the team. The ICBF highlighted that genomics has been proven to work and is accelerating genetic progress across the dairy industry. While fluctuations in bull proofs can be concerning such as the recent changes seen with Teak, they are not unusual as similar adjustments have occurred in the past as more daughter data becomes available. To minimise the impact of these fluctuations, farmers are strongly advised to use teams of bulls when breeding replacements. No more than 15% of heifer replacements should come from any single bull. This strategy spreads risk and ensures a more balanced herd. Despite the recent drop in his Fertility Sub-Index, Teak continues to demonstrate excellent genetic merit for milk production and may be suitable bull to use on your herd. It's still too early to determine where his fertility figures will ultimately settle, particularly with additional data yet to be included in his evaluation.


Agriland
2 days ago
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Sheep trade: Eid festival fails to bring expected price rises
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