Philip Keville, Aughamore, Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim

Cow numbers: 17

Heifers: 3

AI/Stock bull: All AI

Breeding start date: 3 April

Breeding finish date: 30 May

Heat detection method used: Synchronisation (PRID programme) fixed-time AI

Numbers bred so far: 20

Autumn breeding? All spring-calving

AI bulls being used: Potterleagh Mark (CH4160), Islavale Cracker (ISL), Curaheen Gunshot (SI4147), Elderberry Galahad (EBY), Ewdenvale Ivor (LM2014)

Cow Condition: 2.5-3.0

Comment: It was a long winter. Cattle were in sheds for a good bit longer this year. I fed a fodder stretcher along with silage for most of the winter. It was a mix of barley, maize and soya hulls. It helped the cows to maintain a good body condition. I synchronise all my cows. I really like the compact calving spread that can be achieved from using PRIDs. I use a nine-day synchronisation programme. Day one, the PRID is put in along with a shot of ovalin; day six, a shot of estrumate is given, day seven the PRID is removed; day eight, a second shot of ovalin is given; day nine, the cow is artificially inseminated. The synchronisation programmes really work well for me. Out of the first batch of 12 that received the programme, 11 have been scanned in calf. All cows were given a pre-calver mineral prior to calving and a post-calver after they calve. Most of the cows even showed heats prior to the programme beginning. I will scan all the rest of my breeding stock in a couple of weeks to check for any empties.

Robert Abbott, Edgeworthstown, Co Longford

Cow numbers: 33

Heifers: 3

AI/stock bull: Stock bulls

Breeding start date: 10 May

Breeding finish date: 31 July

Heat detection method used: none

Numbers bred so far: 19

Autumn breeding? All spring-calving

Stock bulls being used: Charolais, 7.8% for calving ease, five-star terminal bred by Pirate; Salers, 2.0% for calving ease, five-star replacement.

Cow condition: 2.5-3.0

Comment: Breeding is going well so far. The bulls were let out on 10 May. I have a Salers stock bull running with my first-calvers and heifers. This is the first year I plan to calve down heifers at two years old. I aim to have them over 380kg before bulling. The mature cows are run with a purebred Charolais bull. I have had no issues with the bulls so far and they both appear to be working fine. The Salers bull has been fertility tested. The Charolais has cows served and proven in-calf. Cows were only fed on 67DMD silage and straw over the winter. I was lucky enough to have had silage that lasted the winter and didn’t need to buy fodder stretcher. I feel the straw helps to get a hardier calf after birth. Calving went well this year with very little difficulty. All cows passed cleanings after calving and some cows showed heats before the bull was let out with them. Powder minerals were given on top of the silage and a magnesium bolus was given before the cows where released to grass. I will scan all breeding stock in August and any empties will be culled.

Martin O’Hare, Knockbridge, Dundalk, Co Louth

Cow numbers: 66

Heifers: 20

AI/stock bull: Both

Breeding season starts: 16 April

Breeding season finished: 9 July

Method of heat detection for AI: Vasectomised bull

Total number of cows/heifers bred: 60

Autumn calving: 25 cows due to be calved down between mid August and early October

AI bulls used: Tubridmore Gizmo ET (RGZ), Castleview Gazelle (ZAG), Rio (RIO)

Stocks bulls: Charolais bull, 8% calving ease, five-star terminal, bred by CF52

Cow condition: 2.5- 3.0

Comment: I’m using the Moocall heat collars as a method of heat detection for a selection of cows and all heifers to be artificially inseminated; 40 out of 46 have been served to AI already. The stock bull was fertility tested when he was bought in and is now in his third season. He is running with 40 cows so far about half of them have been served. The plan will be to run a breeding season for the 12 weeks and scan all breeding stock in mid July to see if there are any empty cows. Any barren cows will be culled. Silage quality wasn’t the best this year and since cows went to grass they have really started to shape up.

Nigel O’Kane, Claregalway, Co Galway

Cow numbers: 23

Heifers: 10

AI/stock bull: All AI

Breeding season started: 1 May

Breeding season ends: 6 July

Method of heat detection: Vasectomised bull

Total number of cows/heifers bred: 16

Autumn calving? All spring-calving

AI bulls used: Voimo (VMO); Castleview Gazelle (ZAG); Lisnacrann FiftyCent (SI2469); Moondharrig Knell (LM4217)

Cow condition: 3.0-3.5

Comment: All cows had calved before the first week of April. I had to buy in silage from the start of April from a local dairy farmer. It was of good quality. Along with silage, I fed the cows with calves at foot about 2kg of dairy nuts per day. Cows had pre-calving lick buckets in front of them from six weeks prior to calving. All cows cleaned within an hour or two of calving. There were no major difficulties with calving this year only for a few dairy cross heifers. Cows all went to grass in good condition and were showing signs of heat even before they were released to grass. A grass growth rate of 43kg/DM/ha was recorded last week. Seventy to 80 units of nitrogen were spread on pastures. Breeding is going well. So far, the majority of heats have been detected. All cows will be scanned in August and any cow that’s not in calf will be culled. I want to keep as tight a calving spread as possible.

Wesley Browne, Dunraymond, Co Monaghan

Cow numbers: 70

Heifers: 35

AI/stock: Both

Breeding start date: 7 May

Breeding finished: 27 July

Heat detection method: Vasectomised bull

Total number of cows/heifers bred: 30

AI bulls been used: Beguin (SA4059); Lisnacrann Fifty Cent (SI2469); Moondharrig Knell (LM4217)

Stock bulls: Limousin, 4.30% calving ease, five-star terminal, bred by Ronick Hawk. Simmental, 6.60% calving ease, five-star terminal and replacement, bred by Curaheen Gunshot. Simmental,6.10% calving ease, five-star terminal and replacement, bred by Curaheen Wakeman. Salers, 2.10% calving ease, five-star terminal and replacement, bred by Beguin

Cow conditions: 3.0-3.5

Comment: I was lucky enough to have plenty of silage over the winter. I started zero-grazing on 20 February as well. It saved me a lot of bales and it is also a good way of cleaning off silage ground early. I still have a few cows in the sheds. I’m keeping them in for that bit longer because ground conditions are not as good as you would like them to be. Once cattle are out I want them to be able to stay out. All cows got pre-calving minerals spread on the silage and 2kg of meal prior to calving.

Breeding is going well so far. I have four stock bulls on the farm at the moment. I’ll give them all a run with the cows at different stages. I bought a Simmental earlier this year and he seems to have hurt his hip. I will let him out with cows and monitor him tightly to see if he’s working. A selection of stock and my heifers will receive AI.

Shaun Diver, Tullamore Farm, Co Offaly

Cow numbers: 75

Heifers: 15

AI/stock bull: Both

Bulls fertility test: yes

Breeding start date: 27 April

Breeding finished: 2 July

Heat detection method: Vasectomised bull

Total number of cows/heifers bred: 77

AI bulls been used: Castleview Gazelle (ZAG); Elderberry Galahad (EBY); Bivouac (CH2218); Curaheen Earp (SI2152); Cloondroon Calling (QCD); Auroch Deuter (AHC)

Stock bulls: Limousin, 7.30% calving ease, five-star terminal and replacement, sired by Ampertaine Foreman; Angus, 2.80% calving ease, five-star terminal and replacement, sired by Frairstown Ideal Pete

Cow conditions: 2.5-3.0

Comment: Cows were fed on 2kg of meal after they were turned out to grass. The main reason for this was as a precautionary measure for the fear of grass tetany, but it also helped cows regain body condition post calving when grass supplies were tight in early spring. All cows got pre-calving minerals and 0.5kg of soya up until calving. Most cows showed heats before breeding season. Breeding began on 27 April. The breeding stock were broken up into three groups – early calvers, later calvers and heifers. A vasectomised bull is being run with each group to pick up the heats. This is working well so far. In terms of AI, 85% of breeding stock have already been served. AI will finish on 7 June. After this, the two stock bulls will be released with the cows. Following breeding, scanning will be done in two batches. The first scan will take place two weeks after AI finishes, and a second scan six weeks after the first scan to pick up anything that might have been empty or served by the bull after the first scan. Any cows or heifers that present as empty on the second scan will be culled.