Latest news with #EconomicBreedingIndex
Agriland
09-08-2025
- General
- Agriland
Listen: Meath farmer aims for 700kg solids off American Holstein genetics
This Meath dairy farmer breeds for type and efficient genetics, which is driving milk solids in his herd. Joe Healy is milking 97 pedigree Holstein Friesian cows, where the use of American Holstein genetics, embryo transfers, and intensive breeding selection is driving his herd towards 700kg of milk solids/cow. Joe is hugely enthusiastic about breeding and genetics. He started off milking cows with a strong base of Economic Breeding Index in 2020, and is now driving towards more type, more milk, and cows that he enjoys milking twice a day. Joe featured on the latest episode of 'The Dairy Trail' podcast where he talked his herd's genetics and breeding strategy in detail, current performance, and planning for the next generation. Click here to listen to the podcast. His cows are currently about 800L/collection ahead of the same period last year which is 400L/day and equates to an extra 4L/cow/day. Joe put this down to the American genetics coming through, the favourable weather, and grass growth, as well as the fact that he was pushing them on a bit more this year. Fine, well-balanced cows with great udders grazing a pre-mowed paddock Cows are currently producing 29L/day at 4% fat and 3.53% protein off about 6kg of meal/day and are currently going into pre-grazing yields of 1,500kg dry matter (DM)/ha on an 18-day rotation. Joe is currently taking out about two to three paddocks every rotation to bring up the demand to grass growth rates and keep quality covers ahead of cows. When Joe talked about the genetics of his herd and his breeding programme, he said: "You have to make what you do interesting." He said the first thing he did when he got back into milking in 2020 was sign up for the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA). Joe has the first of his American genetics coming through this year, as he wants to increase his kilos of milk. While he understands the fat and protein percentages may take a hit, the kilos of milk solids are going in the direction he wants. This year, Joe decided to push the cows a bit harder due to the good milk price and will end up feeding about 0.5t/cow extra, amounting to roughly 2.5t/meal/cow by the end of the year. This extra meal in the diet does not phase Joe as the cows will hopefully send out about 670-680kg of milk solids/cow by the end of the year. Joe said: "I couldn't knock the original cows, they were great cows." However, he stressed that he was after a better-looking cow and a cow that could produce more volumes of milk. Joe wants visibly appealing animals that can do it in the parlour as well He said: "To make what you do interesting, you've to get results in the tank, but to keep you going into the parlour, you've to be looking at these real nice-looking animals. "There's animals there that I'd nearly be waiting for them in the parlour to see and the more of them I have, the more satisfaction I'll get out of the job." When Joe is selecting bulls, he wants the fat and protein in double figures and he wants a minimum of 300kg of milk going forward. Joe highlighted that he has used low milk or negative milk bulls and that he would notice those offsprings in the parlour. He said: "To get kilos of solids, you have to have litres behind them." The Meath dairy farmer also has a strong focus on the American type chart, looking at strength in chest and udder type and for a minimum type value of one. He stressed that the likes of fertility "cannot be ignored", as he said without that "you're at nothing". Joe uses sexed semen for the first three weeks of the breeding season, which starts in the middle of April, and then goes with conventional semen for a couple of weeks. A second round of conventional was used this year, when Joe usually changes to beef, but he decided with the scarcity of heifers in the country that it would be no harm breeding surplus heifers for next year. Breeding did not go to plan this year for Joe. He explained that their land is situated in a high molybdenum area and cows would always get two boluses of copper prior to breeding, as molybdenum can lock up copper. This year, conception rates were back to about 50%, and the vet noticed there was a copper deficiency in the herd, despite the boluses. The vet recommended a shot of Multi-min injection for 25-30 cows, about four weeks ago and Joe admitted that they seemed to have got served by stock bulls and there has not been much activity since. There was also embryos implanted in eight heifers in April with a view to calve them down in January. After the vet scanned these heifers, five of them have seemed to hold. The replacement heifer calves on Healy's farm Joe has a huge interest in transferring elite genetics into his herd. He said, when going to calf shows: "It's as easy bring a good one than a bad one". Joe and his son are making a trip out to a herd in The Netherlands this Friday with a view to bring back home more embryos from an "outstanding herd of cows with great production". Talking about the cost involved in embryo transfer and the extra work it may take, Joe said: "I've a great interest in good cows and I just want to see what we can get".
Agriland
02-08-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Listen Breeding Cows for High Grass Intake Capacity Depth
Breeding functional cows that can eat a lot of grass and convert it to solids is the aim in Co. Limerick. Mike Clohessy featured on 'The Dairy Trail' podcast during the week and talked about how he is milking 75 black and white cows in Fedamore, Co. Limerick, where one Lely A4 robot and a strict breeding routine is paving the way for high solids and good work/life balance. Mike's enthusiasm for genetics and breeding, as well as his passion for dairy farming was evident when he spoke on the latest episode of 'The Dairy Trail' podcast. Click here to listen the podcast. Mike also has a full-time job off farm as the director of the genetic company, Bullwise CRV, and is able to manage dairy farming with the requirements of his job with the help of the robot. Mike's cows coming in and out of the robot for milking On the episode, Mike talks about his breeding programme and how he wants to breed a cow with good capacity, and an ability to intake large quantities of grass and convert it to 600kg of milk solids a year. The Limerick man discusses the grassland management on the farm through an ABC robotic grazing system, time-off, plans for the future and a potential increase in cow numbers and robots. Mike was a new entrant into dairy in 2018 and bought in heifers from three herds, coming from a high base of Economic Breeding Index (EBI), and his herd was in the top 10% of the country at that stage in terms of EBI. From this solid foundation of stock, Mike started to breed more functionality into the herd and wanted to produce higher volumes of milk with more solids. Mike started his breeding season on April 15 this year to allow the cows to get out to grass earlier in the year, as they want to produce the majority of their milk off grass. Mike takes pride in breeding quality, capacious heifers, which was very evident The bulls used this year were selected based on good functionality and cow type with increased volumes of milk. Mike went for more daughter-proven bulls this year, "looking for cows with more capacity, more chest width, strength and good body depth". "We are looking for a bigger cow, a stronger cow. We are never going to be a massive herd here, so we are trying to maximise what we can from grass and from the ground we have." The current cow size on the farm is around the 570kg mark and they are producing around 530kg of milk solids/ cow/year. Mike wants to breed in a slightly bigger cow, at about 600kg live weight that can produce 600kg of milk solids. Mike used sexed semen for 15 days this year and was very selective when using it. He chose a panel of bulls with over 250kg of milk, north of 30kg of milk solids and as high fat and protein percentages he could get. Cow selection for sexed semen or conventional artificial insemination (AI) is based on milk recording data and choosing the cows "that are delivering", he said. "Some of the older cows are the best cows with deep bodies and we wanted to breed off them so sexed semen was used on them". Mike will then continue using conventional dairy AI for six weeks before switching to beef straws after that, using Aberdeen Angus, Hereford and a few Speckle Park straws, with a focus on maximising carcass weight without stretching the calving ease. The heifers are put on CIDR synchronisation programme and are all put to sexed semen, which is followed with scratch cards and another round of conventional AI. Of the 24 heifers, 18 held to first service and the six remaining were picked up the following round. The in-calf heifers on Mike's farm Cows are currently producing 24L/day on 3kg of meal. Mike said that his solids have improved this year with percentages currently holding at 3.74% protein and 4.2% fat. The target for this year is to hit 6,400L/cow with an average of 3.65% protein and accumulating 530kg of milk solids/cow. Speaking about using the CRV Dutch bulls, Mike believes it is breeding him a cow with more capacity, chest width deep in the body with an average size, as he highlighted that he does not want tall cows. All of the in-calf heifers and heifer calves on the ground are Dutch-bred, as he believes cows with capacity and strength are going to deliver for his system. He said: "They are aggressive grazers and can convert it to solids." Speaking about the outlook for himself and his business, he said: "If you can get what you're doing right first, then you can drive on".
Agriland
11-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Gallery: ‘Dairying at Dusk' event explores sustainability
An award winning Co. Tipperary dairy family partnership have showcased the steps they are taking to 'protect the environment' during a 'Dairying at Dusk' farm walk. Hundreds of people attended the award winning Walsh family farm in Ballylooby, Co. Tipperary for the event organised by Teagasc, FBD and Dairygold, yesterday evening (Tuesday, June 10). John, Maria and Brendan Walsh, who were the overall winners of the 2024 Teagasc/FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards, hosted the walk on their 63 hectares platform, with 107 hectares of grass, farm. The Walsh family are milking 165 and are supplying Dairygold co-op. The 'Dairying at Dusk' walk on the Walsh family farm Source: O'Gorman Photography Sustainability During the 'Dairying at Dusk' farm walk members of the Walsh family highlighted what particular measures have been taken on their farm to promote sustainability. They highlighted how a careful selection of hedgerows have being planted across the farm and that it is home to over 20 pollinators – recorded in a 2022 biodiversity assessment. John Walsh also detailed how the farm provides shelter and food sources for birds and other wildlife. A section of the crowd at the 'Dairying at Dusk' Source: O'Gorman Photography He detailed the work he carries out to prune all hedges in the first three years of planting, and how he carefully manages them to ensure a wide base, eight foot tall and whitethorns flourishing every 50 meters. The Walsh's paddocks are rich in clover, with a small portion of paddocks made up of multispecies in a bid to reduce their chemical nitrogen usage. The multispecies swards contain chicory, plantain, white and red clover and ryegrass. Brendan Walsh, host addresses a group at 'Dairying at Dusk' Source: O'Gorman Photography Herd According to the Walsh family partnership their biggest treasure is their herd of cows. Brendan Walsh said it took years of careful and selective breeding using the Economic Breeding Index (EBI) to get to where they are today. The cows produce an average of 524 kilograms of milk solids per cow per year, while the carbon footprint of the milk produced is 10% lower than the national average. The carbon footprint was 0.86 kg CO2 eq/kg FPCM in 2024. Catherine Keena, Teagasc, Prof. Frank O'Mara, Teagasc, Dr Siobhán Kavanagh, Teagasc, Liam Herlihy, Teagasc chair and host John Walsh at 'Dairying at Dusk' Source: O'Gorman Photography The farming family also keep a keen eye on water quality protection and highlighted that they have reduced their chemical fertiliser usage greatly. Only 130 kilograms of N per hectare per year is used across the farm, with the help of clover integrated swards. The farm is still producing 13.7 tonnes of grass dry matter. According to the Walsh family all of the slurry on the farm is spread using low emission slurry spreading techniques (LESS) combined with GPS for precision on application. They have also fenced off all water courses and created buffer strips beside water bodies to maintain a high water quality.
Agriland
05-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Explainer: How do proofs fluctuate in the ICBF Active Bull List?
The most recent evaluation of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) Active Bull List has sparked a bit of controversy among farmers as one of the most popular bulls in the country had his Economic Breeding Index (EBI) drop like a meteor. So, naturally enough, the most recent evaluations caused debate among farmers, with many looking for a bit more clarity on how these evaluation are made. Agriland highlighted these concerns among farmers with the ICBF, and asked for more clarity around how these evaluations are carried out and how bulls are assessed. The bull causing the debate is Tankardsrock Teak (FR7929), who previously held the top position on the ICBF Active Bull List prior to the most recent genetic evaluation. However, in the latest update, his ranking has dropped significantly as he fell 200 places to 201st. This decline is largely attributed to a reduction of €73 in his Fertility Sub-Index, which also impacted his Carbon Sub-Index, decreasing it by €8. 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
04-06-2025
- Agriland
Championing environmental sustainability: Meet the Walsh family
John and Brendan Walsh from Ballylooby, Co. Tipperary, were the overall winners of the 2024 Teagasc/FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards. The awards recognise farmers who are operating sustainable, profitable farming systems while incorporating the latest scientific developments and technologies on their farms. On Tuesday, June 10, the Walshs will host an evening farm walk of learning, nature, and fun on the farm for all the family. The event, which is titled 'Dairying at Dusk', will kick off at 6.30pm and takes place at their farm in Ballylooby, Co. Tipperary, (Eircode E21 T938). What to expect? Attendees will have the opportunity to meet John and Brendan Walsh – the father-son duo who are leading the way in running a truly sustainable dairy farm. Hear inspiring talks from the Walshs on how they are making a living and looking after nature on their farm while continuing to produce high quality food profitably. There will be fun, games, and activities for kids with a sustainability corner and a farm safety workshop with Agrikids. Attendees will be provided with complimentary refreshments, courtesy of Dairygold. This is a 'not-to-be-missed' event for all the family to enjoy in the great outdoors on a summers evening. Three key sustainability pillars The Walsh Family won the 2024 Teagasc/FBD Environment Sustainability Awards based on three key sustainability pillars, which were: 1. Efficiency and profitability Sustainability relies on balancing economic, environmental, and social factors. The Walshs have achieved this balance by running a highly efficient and profitable dairy operation. They milk 165 cows on a 63ha platform, with a total grassland area of 107ha. Their strong breeding policy, emphasising the Economic Breeding Index (EBI) and sexed semen, supports herd productivity and sustainability. Once replacement heifers are secured, they use high Dairy Beef Index sires to boost animal value. In 2024, the Walshs produced 524kg of milk solids per cow with 978kgs of concentrate per cow, achieving a gross margin of 60.2c/L and a carbon footprint of 0.83kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 eq)/kg fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) – well below average. Total emissions on the farm stood at 1,039t CO 2 eq. 2. Reduced chemical nitrogen usage The Walshs have reduced chemical nitrogen (N) usage by 40% since 2020, without compromising grass production. In 2024, they used 130kg N/ha (down from 220kg in 2020) while producing 13.7t of grass dry matter (DM)/ha. Nitrogen use efficiency on the farm was 29%. Their success stems from optimised soil fertility (64% of soils are at optimal levels for pH, phosphorus, and potassium); widespread clover incorporation (52% of the grazing platform has a high or medium clover content); targeted slurry use based on testing; and extensive use of protected urea (100% in 2024). With 15% surplus slurry storage and precise application methods, the Walshs reduce the risk of nitrogen runoff and protect water quality through extensive buffer zones and GPS-guided spreading. 3. Commitment to biodiversity Biodiversity is a long-standing priority on the Walsh farm, dating back generations. Hedges are managed to promote growth and diversity, with whitethorns allowed to flourish every 50m. Groves of trees, including a 3ha forest transitioning from spruce to native species, are scattered across the farm. The Walshs plant trees annually, and the presence of barn owls, herons, and even a curlew reflects the thriving biodiversity on their farm. Key takeaways The Walsh family exemplifies a well-planned, balanced approach to sustainable dairy farming. Their message to other farmers is: start small, seek good advice, and do not fear failure. Their success story is not just about awards but about building a resilient and environmentally responsible future for Irish farming.
