Dovea Genetics reports that it has just had its best ever AI and semen sales season, as it comes to Ploughing 2015 with a wide array of new and innovative ideas (Block C Row 11 Stand No. 154).

Launch of charity auction

Dovea Genetics will launch a charity auction during the 2015 Ploughing Championships, which will consist of six animals that won’t be auctioned until the 2016 Ploughing Championships.

These animals will be on display on the Dovea Genetics stand at this year’s Ploughing Championships and comprise six beef heifer calves born from dairy cows in 2015.

In addition to the charity auction, there will be an educational element whereby six agricultural colleges will each take a calf after the 2015 championships. The colleges will monitor and feed the animal up until the 2016 Ploughing Championships, with a prize given to the top-performing college.

The proceeds of the auction will be presented to the charity Bothár following the 2016 championships.

Shaping cow of the future

At this year’s National Ploughing Championships there will be quite an unusual sight in the Dovea Genetics marquee.

For the past six months, visual artist Maria McKinney has been working with Dovea Genetics and scientists Dr Donagh Berry (Teagasc) and Prof David MacHugh (UCD) to devise a series of sculptures that consider the use of genomics in contemporary cattle breeding.

However, the materials she has used are not conventional art-making materials, but rather the storage receptacles used in the artificial insemination process – semen straws. With these fine, brightly coloured plastic straws, she has used the age-old technique of straw-binding.

These sculptures will be worn on the backs of the calves and will be there for all to see at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.

Focus on semen exports

Dovea Genetics has placed a large focus on exporting dairy and beef semen in recent years. Export semen sales have grown substantially, with 2014 being a record year resulting in semen exports to 25 countries.

The focus in the coming years is for further growth to key countries such as China, Brazil and Russia.

Irish genetics has a unique product, combining the low-cost, grass-based systems for producing milk and beef coupled with excellent fertility and survivability in the dairy and beef herd. According to the company, this unique selling point is attracting many enquiries from all over the world for Dovea Genetics beef and dairy semen.

The 2015 Ploughing Championships will see two inward-buying delegations from Spain and Serbia visiting. The delegations will spend a day at the Ploughing, viewing the best of Irish agriculture and in the following days will visit commercial beef and dairy farms with Dovea progeny. They will finish off the trip with a visit to the Dovea Genetics HQ.

BDGP

There has been lots of discussion on the new Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP), which was launched in recent months. The focus now turns to the breeding decisions that individual farmers will make in the next few months for the BDGP.

For those beef farmers who wish to use AI, Dovea Genetics has compiled a list of all their bulls that qualify for the BDGP. Dovea Genetics has 62 bulls in total across all breeds that qualify, which means there is a good selection of bulls for every farming system.

The list will be available on their stand at the Ploughing Championships and the Dovea Genetics team will be on hand to discuss the scheme.

Dairy breeding programme

The recent index run by ICBF has shown the continuing number of high EBI bulls available from Dovea Genetics.

Dovea Genetics has three bulls in the top 10 on the ICBF active bull list (August 2015) and its highest-ever number of bulls in the top 50. The highest-ranking of these is Gaddagh Cuddy Reeks (GZY), which is number two on the list with an EBI of €345. The genomic bulls purchased for the 2016 AI season are the best-ever group of high-EBI bulls bought by Dovea Genetics.

There are a number of bulls over €400 EBI and over 40kg of milk solids. This group of bulls has already generated enormous interest, with many of these destined to be top sellers in 2016, according to Dovea. The search will continue by Dovea Genetics to get even higher genomic EBI calves from the 2016-born calves.

If you feel you have a mating, call dairy programme manager Tim Fitzmaurice on 087-235 9709 or timfitzmauri ce@eircom.net

Large live cattle display

The Dovea Genetics stand will see a large display of live beef and dairy cattle. The dairy display will incorporate a diverse mixture of dairy genetics, including maiden heifers from the two young, pure Friesian bulls Lakemead Dan (KKM) and Dunum Brandrew (WZB), both of which have been top sellers in 2015.

There will also be a daughter of the top-selling genomic bulls in 2014 Doonmanagh DSU Bowser (DBW), whose daughters will calve down in spring 2016. The daughter proven bull Modeligo Harry (HYD), who received a daughter proof of €247 in August, will also have a daughter on the stand, as will the top-selling daughter proven bull Pimorin (PIM), which has an EBI of €226.

The final exhibit on the stand will show the wide range of crossbreeding semen that Dovea has to offer.

There will be a crossbred Norwegian Red heifer on show. The breed has achieved massive growth in recent years, with Dovea delighted to have Norwegian Red semen for its customers for the past three years. The heifer is a daughter of Eik (EKE) from a Holstein cow.

Beef display

There will be a lineup of young beef animals on the Dovea stand at the Ploughing. This will include a number of crossbred weanling heifers from the Charolais bull Liscally Eti (LSP) and the new bull Lisangree Hansome (HZJ).

A crossbred Belgian Blue bull from the new bull Herbert VD Noord (WBH) will certainly draw interest as he is stylish and muscular. A super Hereford cross weanling heifer from Kilsunny Goliath (KSG) will show the type of stylish muscular progeny that the bull is breeding.

A muscular weanling bull from Brooklands F0959 (KJB) will display the shape combined with easy calving that the sire KJB is producing.

The last beef animal on display will be a lovely crossbred heifer from Delfur Decider (FZD), which has been the top-selling Simmental from Dovea in 2015. This bull is a unique combination of power and shape.

To receive Dovea Genetics autumn 2015 update or if you require further information, call 0504-21755 or visit www.dovea.ie.

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