Tullamore Farm will hold its annual draft heifer sale on Wednesday 28 October in Central Auctions, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, at 8pm.
The sale will include 15 in-calf heifers. All heifers are genotyped and all bar one are four- or five-star on the replacement index and eligible for the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) scheme.
All heifers are spring 2025-born and are all sired by noted AI sires such as Drumline S 1185, Brooklands Marco, Curaheen Gunshot P and other noted high index proven sires.
Heifers will be calving down between 22 and 24 months of age, with all heifers due to calve in January and February 2027 with samples of the sires used including and LM9655, LM9577 and LM5443. All heifers have been scanned twice with dates for AI and predicted calving dates available, while some heifers have also had their calf sexed.
The average replacement index of the in-calf heifers is €156 with nine of the 15 heifers having a replacement index of €150 or greater. The highest replacement index heifer in this year’s sale is a Drumline S 1185 daughter from an Ulsan dam, with this heifer carrying a massive replacement index of €213.
Replacement index
The backbone of the Tullamore Farm herd when established in 2017 were quality Limousin, Angus and Hereford-cross dairy beef females which were then mated to high replacement rate bulls, while at the same time focusing on improving carcase weight, with these dairy beef animals having low carcase weight figures that have been gradually increased over the years through the selection of high index replacement heifers.
This focus has seen the average replacement rate for the herd sit at €142 with milk kg currently at 8.1kg (both five star), while our carcase weight sits at 17kg (three star). The carcase weight of the heifers included in the sale sees them average 23.2kg, 3.2kg higher than last year.
The average milk figure sits at 7.4kg, 1kg ahead of last year, showing the genetic improvement being made year on year through careful sire selection.
Selection criteria for the heifers included in the sale sees only heifers with high indexes across the board and good functionality and docility put forward. The farm operates on a high herd health policy and all heifers have been vaccinated against BVD, leptospirosis AND Bluetongue prior to breeding.
The sale will start at 8pm with both ringside and online bidding available on the night.
Online bidding is via the Irish Farmers Journal MartBids platform.
Prospective purchasers are advised to register to bid online on www.martbids.ie and apply for permission from Roscrea Mart to bid. For bidding enquiries, contact Roscrea Mart on 0505-21687.
For people who wish to view the heifers before the sale and bid online without attending the mart, heifers can be viewed on farm before the sale between now and the sale date.
Contact farm manager Shaun Diver on 087-217 5486 to arrange a viewing. Transport can be arranged with the mart.
The sale will be streamed live on martbids.ie with a full sale report inside the Irish Farmers Journal the following week.
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