Breeding Vaccines: Replacement heifers that will calve next spring should be receiving their first shot of a two-shot vaccine programme for BVD and Lepto now. The second shot should be given four weeks later and by at least two weeks prior to the onset of the breeding season. Cows should receive their booster shot at least two weeks prior to breeding, or to ease management give the booster shot at the same time as the second dose for the heifers. Do not forget to include the stock bull in the vaccination programme.

Calving assistance: I have had a few calls after including some general notes on calving intervention a fortnight ago. If a cow that has started to calve is progressing well then you should leave her be. It is only when progress stops you should step in and see if there is a problem. Generally speaking with cows, if there is no sign of the calf being presented by at least two hours after the water bag has burst, you should check to see if there is a problem. If there is malpresentation then take action to correct it.

If the calf is presented properly and coming slowly then give the cow more time to complete the job on her own. Check the cow every 30 minutes for progress. Once the calf stops progressing you should then intervene to calve the cow. With heifers, once the water bag has burst you should check after one hour to ensure that the calf is being correctly presented. But do not try and pull the calf at this point as the heifer may not be fully opened. As in the case with the cow, give the animal plenty of time if she is making progress on her own. Once progress stops, you should then move in to take the calf from the cow.

Fertilizer: I got a question last week about the difference between units and kilogrammes of nitrogen. Units are an imperial measurement and kilogrammes are a metric measurement. Put simply, fertilizer units are the percentage of nutrients contained in each bag spread per acre, which is normally stated on the bag. For instance, one bag of 27% CAN contains 27 units of nitrogen. As there are 20 bags per tonne (20 cwt), CAN has 540 units of nitrogen per tonne (20 bags x 27 units). With kilogrammes of nitrogen, the nutrients present are expressed as a percentage of one tonne. The same 50kg bag of CAN contains 13.5kg of nitrogen (50kg X 27%). Therefore, one tonne of CAN contains 270kg of nitrogen (20 x 13.5kg N or 27% of 1,000kg). To compare the value of fertilizer when purchasing from your merchant, divide the price by either the units, or more commonly, kilogrammes of nitrogen, eg CAN at €300 is either €1.11/kg of N or 56c/unit of N.

Beef Genomic Scheme: Applications for the Beef Genomics Scheme must be submitted to the Department of Agriculture by 4 April. By now, you should have received forms if you wish to apply. Applicants must also participate in the Beef Data Programme to qualify for the full €60 payment per calf. The form is basically completed by ticking two boxes to highlight your intention to participate in both programmes. Turn to page 44 for further details.