Most Irish spring-calving dairy and beef herds are busy again with the breeding season in full swing. Like the calving season, it can be both a busy and stressful period on farms.

Where help is scarce, the advice would be to get contractors in to take care of other jobs that may need attention, such as silage and fertiliser.

This week, the Irish Farmers Journal contacted AI technicians to find out what’s happening on the ground and what are the average AI charges this spring.

The standout comment from AI techs was the effects of the fodder crisis this year. They said there were higher submission rates due to the high level of concentrates being fed on many farms to buffer grass and silage supplies. The downside, of course, was the higher costs of this extra feed, not to mention the extra work involved.

The average costs of inseminating a cow are listed in Table 1, excluding the price of a straw.

The average cost of the first service around the country was €15/cow. The average cost of repeat services range from €3 to €5.50 less depending on your region.

The results from our survey show farmers in the south have the lowest AI charges, whereas the west have the highest.

According to various technicians, the difference in price can be put down to herd sizes in most cases.

While AI techs working with larger herds in the south could service up to 10 cows in one visit, it was more common to only serve one or two cows per visit in western counties. These farmers with larger herds were able to bargain harder for lower prices.

Survey results showed that the north and east have similar technician charges.

Farmers are advised by AI technicians to be careful when they see advertisements by companies about free repeats.

These may not be free as there could be a charge for a call-out.

AI is a big cost for farmers, so they need to keep on top of costs.

Straws

Dairy straws are generally ranging from €16 to €22/straw, depending on bull choice. More expensive straws are generally from a high-quality bull or if there is a limited stock of semen available for a particular bull.

Beef straws are averaging at €10/straw. Bulls with tighter semen availability could cost anywhere from €14 to €20/straw.

Breeders using AI on pedigree cows may have to pay royalties depending on the bull chosen, which can lead to straws costing upwards of €30/straw.