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"Most guys are into the second round of breeding now. While it’s too early to judge conception rates, submission rates have been excellent," said Seamus Hughes, dairy service specialist with Progressive Genetics.
As farmers battled against an exceptionally long winter and a later turnout date than normal, getting cows cycling again proved a challenge. “Rates were well back in April as we would have expected but I think we are almost caught up now,” said Seamus.
Heifer rates back
Ken Power who is an AI technician in Galway with Dovea Genetics said: “Cows are in very good condition and are cycling well. They probably benefited from the extra feeding they got and the weather picked up just in time.”
He says farms are about 10 days back on where they usually are due to a slow April. “The area that has been most impacted is heifers. I’d say about 10% didn’t cycle and they showed poor signs of heat.”
Happy farmers
AI technician with Munster AI, Eamon English said: "Breeding is going very well, anyone I deal with has a 90 to 100% submission rate in the first three weeks.”
“Most farms are now heading into their fifth or sixth week and there have been very few repeats coming back so far. Farmers seem happy and they will always be the first to let you know if there is a problem.”
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