Ger Dineen,

Knockroe,

Kilnamartyra,

Macroom,

Co Cork

Breeding key performance indicators

Herd replacement index: €148.

Heifer replacement index: €147.

Calves per cow per year: 0.99.

Calving interval: 362.

Profit monitor

Percentage of heifers calved between 22-26 months: 100%.

% of AI-bred calves: 100%.

BDGP: Yes.

Regular weighing: Yes.

KT group: Yes.

My farm

I’m farming full-time on 31ha of grassland alongside my wife Gobnait, daughters Muireann and Ciara and sons Daniel and Ciaran. I also have 12ha of forestry and some rough grazing ground.

System

I was running about 60 suckler cows last year but I’m dropping this to 50 or 55. I could run 60, but when conditions get tough like it did this summer it’s very expensive buying feed. I’m running an under–16–month bull–beef system and I also breed replacement heifers for keeping within my own herd and for sale each year.

AI

I’ve been 100% AI for nearly 20 years now. I do it all myself. I’ve always used mainly Simmental, Angus and more recently Salers bulls, but I’m not afraid to try a range of breeds and I’ve also used Limousin and even some Shorthorn. This year about 40-50% of the sires I used were Gene Ireland bulls. I liked the look of some of them and these bulls have done well in the past so I’ve no problem trying them out.

Sector challenges

I see a big problem coming down the line with the lack of youth in the sector. I’m in west Cork and I see plenty of young lads getting into dairy but no one is interested in beef. The idea of working part-time is impractical too. There’s no lifestyle in that. Dairy is also a problem. The big farms are getting bigger and bigger. It’s hard to say it, but I’d probably be as well off renting out my land the way things are at the minute.

Gerard and John Dullea,

Lislee Court,

Courtmacsherry,

Co Cork

Breeding key performance indicators

Herd replacement index: €114.

Heifer replacement index: €104.

Calves per cow per year: 1.01

Calving interval: 351.

Percentage of heifers calved between 22-26 months: 100%.

% of AI-bred calves: 100%.

BDGP: Yes.

Regular weighing: Yes.

KT group: Yes.

My farm

I farm alongside my father Gerard and mother Ann. We are running one block of 28ha close to the coast in Barryroe. It’s good, loamy soil around there.

Off-farm

I recently started a graduate programme with Dovea genetics. In May, I qualified with a degree in agricultural science from Waterford Institute of Technology and I decided to travel to New Zealand for a couple of months. I worked on a 950-cow dairy farm over there and loved every bit of it. I had an interview for the graduate programme before I left and after a second interview when I returned, I was delighted to be offered a position in the programme.

Thinking outside the box

We were operating a weanling system up until two or three years ago but we have since moved to under 16-month bull beef. The most we can run on the farm is about 30 to 35 suckler cows. However, I’d like to finish around 60 or 70 cattle each year. At the moment, I’m looking into finishing a group of first calved heifers. I’d calve about 60 in spring, keep 30 to 35 for the summer grass and wean the rest after a couple of weeks, fatten the young cows out of the shed and rear the calves as normal.

Breeding strategy

We had problems with fertility and injury in two of our stock bulls a few years ago. We moved to 75% AI last year and we are now 100% AI this year, with the help of the Moocall heat detection technology. The herd is predominantly Limousin and Simmental. When picking bulls, we are going with all terminal now. At the end of the day, it’s the carcase weights that pay the farmers. We are satisfied with the maternal traits of our cows and I’m using bulls like QCD, CSQ, CH4159 and ZXP to ensure good terminal traits.

Thomas Hogan,

Pallasbeg,

Newtown, Nenagh,

Co Tipperary

Breeding key performance indicators

Herd Replacement Index: €117.

Heifer replacement index: €81.

Calves/cow/year: 0.98

Calving interval: 362.

Percentage of heifers calved between 22-26 months: 38%.

% of AI-bred calves: 40%.

BDGP: Yes.

KT group: Yes.

My farm

I farm 55ha of good quality land just outside Nenagh, in Tipperary with my fiance Sally, brother Austin and sister Imelda. It’s split into two blocks, roughly 50:50. I also work off-farm as a plumber, servicing boilers.

System

I’m running a suckler-to-store system. Steers are sold in the mart at around 18 months, along with any of my surplus heifers. I dabbled in finishing a few of my calves as bulls last year, but I find the store system works better for me. It allows me to run my cows and calves in the one group and that’s why all males are castrated this year once again.

Animals

When I took over the running of the farm there were 50 suckler cows. I’ve built that number up to around 70 over the last few years, mainly through keeping extra replacements, but I also purchased a few maiden heifers to speed up the process.

Breeding

The two main breeds on the farm are Simmental and Limousin. I do about seven weeks of AI and then let my stock bull out for another five weeks to mop-up. For AI, I’m using Limousin sires such as CWI, ZAG and Simmental sires like QCD, DRU and Fiftycent. I used Limousin bull EBY and some Ulsan Salers straws on my maiden heifers. I hope to go 100% AI next year.

€uro-Star index:

All-in-all I find the star indexes good but I know a lot of lads have different views and can get a bit worked up over them. For me, rather than focusing too much on the stars and overall values, I use the information as a tool to improve weakness in my cows. If a cow hasn’t enough milk, I’ll use a bull that can bring a bit more in.