The sale, which takes place on Tuesday, 2 December, will include over 40 breeding heifers which will be shown with €uroStar ratings. The sale has been organised by Teagasc, ICBF, the Irish Farmers Journal, Mayo-Sligo Mart and the farmers partaking in the sale. Another sale will take place in spring in conjunction with Aurivo Mart Balla.
Over the last 10 to 15 years, the terminal index or beef traits of the national suckler herd has been increasing. Improvements in animal quality on confirmation have, in some cases, come at the expense of fertility, longevity and milk in the national suckler herd.
This has led to increasing difficulty in sourcing suitable replacement heifers that have the ability to rear a calf, go back in calf quickly and provide enough milk to ensure good weight for age for the calf.
The margins in suckler-to-weanling or suckler-to-beef systems are small as the cost of keeping the cow forms the majority of the system costs, particularly in suckler-to-weanling systems. For that reason, the suckler cow needs to be functional and productive. She needs to produce a quality calf, have a calf every year, and have enough milk to rear a good calf without the need to rely on expensive concentrates.
In order to improve the functionality of the herd and reduce costs, we must plan our breeding policy to improve the maternal traits of replacement heifers. This can be done by purchasing replacements or breeding your own. If you are breeding your own replacements, select the best early calving cows and mate to proven maternal bulls. It may often be beneficial to consult your AI technician for advice on selecting the right bull to complement the cow.
Buying a maternal bull
Traditionally, farmers tended to use another breed as a maternal bull, for example Simmental. However, it should be noted that there is as much variation in genetics within breed as there is between breeds. When purchasing a bull from which to breed replacement heifers, look at the maternal index of the bull and the reliability and use of these figures along with your own physical assessment of the bull to make the decision.
Buying in replacements
John Noonan, Teagasc B&T adviser and one of the sale organisers, said: “Buying in replacements can be difficult, as often you are not aware of the sire and dam details. To keep disease risk to a minimum, ideally replacement heifers should be bought directly from a farm with a known herd health status. Knowing that the sire of the heifer is a maternal bull is only one part of the puzzle. The cow is just as important as the bull as it contributes 50% of its DNA to the heifer. The ideal heifer will have milk in its mother’s background too, and ideally should be out of a fertile cow that calves every 365 days.”
In the early stages of organising the event, the organisers and farmers came together to agree the basis on which heifers could be selected for the sale.
The minimum qualifying criteria are:
The heifer must be homebred. It was agreed that bought-in heifers would not be allowed at the sale as a disease safeguard. The minimum weight for the sale was decided at 280kg. Heifers under this weight would find it difficult to get to 60% of mature weight at bulling in May/June. All heifers entered must have a €uroStar maternal index of at least three stars and have a positive for milk.All heifers must be vetted by two impartial inspectors to ensure the heifers are suitable for breeding and are not overly muscled. The vetting of the heifers for the sale is fundamental for the sale. Although the heifers must tick the boxes on paper, the farmers are adamant that only the best-quality maternal heifers are selected for the sale in order to keep the quality high.
The heifers were assessed on weight, and feet and legs were inspected, as were functional attributes, such as pin bone and pelvic size and structure, to denote calving ease. Heifers extreme in muscle were excluded.
Although some farmers in specialist systems may prefer these types, calving ease on commercial suckler farms is paramount.
Chris Daly of the ICBF said: “This sale is a great initiative. It offers farmers the opportunity to assess both the visual appearance of a heifer as well as the genetic index before making a purchase. In the past, farmers had little or no information when buying heifers, so this sale and others like it are a very positive development for suckler breeding. Hopefully these sales will become more widespread in the future.”
Tommy Browne –
Westport, Co Mayo
Tommy (pictured) is one of the farmers who will have heifers at the sale. He farms 54 acres just outside Westport town. For the last 50 years he has been using AI on the farm, with no stock bull having been owned. He runs a herd of 12 Charolais, Limousin and Belgian Blue cross cows and a flock of 40 ewes. The herd has a calving interval of 379 days and are docile. Although he retired from his day job some time ago, farming continues to be his passion and the farm is also used as a demonstration farm for agriculture students in the nearby Teagasc office. He has a clear focus on producing quality calves. Like many other farmers, he feels that by using AI he can match the bull to the cow and ensure that a better-quality calf is produced.
“The reason I never had a bull is for safety, but even if I had a bull he would only compliment some of the cows in the herd,” he says.
The cows on the farm are all bred from AI and almost all have some cross of an old Fleck bull called Panzer back through their breeding. He has used terminal bulls such as EDZ, a Belgian blue. Tommy said his cows always calved easy but the calf would grow into a well-muscled animal.
Calving ease is high on Tommy’s priority list. The calf should be easy calved but grow into a well-muscled animal. He also uses maternal AI sires to breed replacements from his milkier cows. Calving on the farm starts in December and runs to February. The reason for this is to ensure that most cows are served in the shed.
No heat detection aids or vasectomised bull are used. Cows are observed twice a day. Tommy also has a camera set up in the shed to watch cows from the house. The camera also provides sound so any rising, movement or other noise can be heard easily in the house.
Edward Gibbons –
Louisburgh, Co Mayo
Having previously been involved in dairy production, Edward changed over to suckling 10 years ago. Functionality, milk and quality were high on his agenda when starting to farm. He runs 18 cows on 40 acres of lowland and also has commonage and sheep. All the cows on the farm originated from the dairy herd.
The cows are a mixture of Limousin, Angus and Blue crosses. The suckler herd calves mainly from November to January with the remaining few calving in February and March. The majority of cows are served to AI before they are let out to grass in late March.
Edward feels that using AI allows him much more choice in matching the right bull to the right cow. Maternal bulls are used on the
best cows and terminal sires used on the remainder. Calving ease is a major focus on the farm too as he is employed off-farm and is not around during the day. Out of the 18 cows that calved down in 2014, none were assisted. Fertility is also important, with a clear focus on getting cows to calve down as close as possible to 365 days. On-off suckling is carried out to try and get cows cycling quicker and is working well so far.
In addition, there is a clear focus on nutrition. After calving indoors, cows are supplemented with 1-2kg
concentrates per day until they have gone back in
calf or until they go out to grass.
Edward is entering four Limousin cross heifers into the sale. He said that as his herd is young, he will be able to sell them. Usually some of them would be kept for replacements as they are out of some of his best functional and milky cows. He said that when he heard the sale was being set up, he made up his mind quickly to enter them into it.
He said they are well-bred replacements and would be sorry to see them sold on to a finisher.
The sale, which takes place on Tuesday, 2 December, will include over 40 breeding heifers which will be shown with €uroStar ratings. The sale has been organised by Teagasc, ICBF, the Irish Farmers Journal, Mayo-Sligo Mart and the farmers partaking in the sale. Another sale will take place in spring in conjunction with Aurivo Mart Balla.
Over the last 10 to 15 years, the terminal index or beef traits of the national suckler herd has been increasing. Improvements in animal quality on confirmation have, in some cases, come at the expense of fertility, longevity and milk in the national suckler herd.
This has led to increasing difficulty in sourcing suitable replacement heifers that have the ability to rear a calf, go back in calf quickly and provide enough milk to ensure good weight for age for the calf.
The margins in suckler-to-weanling or suckler-to-beef systems are small as the cost of keeping the cow forms the majority of the system costs, particularly in suckler-to-weanling systems. For that reason, the suckler cow needs to be functional and productive. She needs to produce a quality calf, have a calf every year, and have enough milk to rear a good calf without the need to rely on expensive concentrates.
In order to improve the functionality of the herd and reduce costs, we must plan our breeding policy to improve the maternal traits of replacement heifers. This can be done by purchasing replacements or breeding your own. If you are breeding your own replacements, select the best early calving cows and mate to proven maternal bulls. It may often be beneficial to consult your AI technician for advice on selecting the right bull to complement the cow.
Buying a maternal bull
Traditionally, farmers tended to use another breed as a maternal bull, for example Simmental. However, it should be noted that there is as much variation in genetics within breed as there is between breeds. When purchasing a bull from which to breed replacement heifers, look at the maternal index of the bull and the reliability and use of these figures along with your own physical assessment of the bull to make the decision.
Buying in replacements
John Noonan, Teagasc B&T adviser and one of the sale organisers, said: “Buying in replacements can be difficult, as often you are not aware of the sire and dam details. To keep disease risk to a minimum, ideally replacement heifers should be bought directly from a farm with a known herd health status. Knowing that the sire of the heifer is a maternal bull is only one part of the puzzle. The cow is just as important as the bull as it contributes 50% of its DNA to the heifer. The ideal heifer will have milk in its mother’s background too, and ideally should be out of a fertile cow that calves every 365 days.”
In the early stages of organising the event, the organisers and farmers came together to agree the basis on which heifers could be selected for the sale.
The minimum qualifying criteria are:
The heifer must be homebred. It was agreed that bought-in heifers would not be allowed at the sale as a disease safeguard. The minimum weight for the sale was decided at 280kg. Heifers under this weight would find it difficult to get to 60% of mature weight at bulling in May/June. All heifers entered must have a €uroStar maternal index of at least three stars and have a positive for milk.All heifers must be vetted by two impartial inspectors to ensure the heifers are suitable for breeding and are not overly muscled. The vetting of the heifers for the sale is fundamental for the sale. Although the heifers must tick the boxes on paper, the farmers are adamant that only the best-quality maternal heifers are selected for the sale in order to keep the quality high.
The heifers were assessed on weight, and feet and legs were inspected, as were functional attributes, such as pin bone and pelvic size and structure, to denote calving ease. Heifers extreme in muscle were excluded.
Although some farmers in specialist systems may prefer these types, calving ease on commercial suckler farms is paramount.
Chris Daly of the ICBF said: “This sale is a great initiative. It offers farmers the opportunity to assess both the visual appearance of a heifer as well as the genetic index before making a purchase. In the past, farmers had little or no information when buying heifers, so this sale and others like it are a very positive development for suckler breeding. Hopefully these sales will become more widespread in the future.”
Tommy Browne –
Westport, Co Mayo
Tommy (pictured) is one of the farmers who will have heifers at the sale. He farms 54 acres just outside Westport town. For the last 50 years he has been using AI on the farm, with no stock bull having been owned. He runs a herd of 12 Charolais, Limousin and Belgian Blue cross cows and a flock of 40 ewes. The herd has a calving interval of 379 days and are docile. Although he retired from his day job some time ago, farming continues to be his passion and the farm is also used as a demonstration farm for agriculture students in the nearby Teagasc office. He has a clear focus on producing quality calves. Like many other farmers, he feels that by using AI he can match the bull to the cow and ensure that a better-quality calf is produced.
“The reason I never had a bull is for safety, but even if I had a bull he would only compliment some of the cows in the herd,” he says.
The cows on the farm are all bred from AI and almost all have some cross of an old Fleck bull called Panzer back through their breeding. He has used terminal bulls such as EDZ, a Belgian blue. Tommy said his cows always calved easy but the calf would grow into a well-muscled animal.
Calving ease is high on Tommy’s priority list. The calf should be easy calved but grow into a well-muscled animal. He also uses maternal AI sires to breed replacements from his milkier cows. Calving on the farm starts in December and runs to February. The reason for this is to ensure that most cows are served in the shed.
No heat detection aids or vasectomised bull are used. Cows are observed twice a day. Tommy also has a camera set up in the shed to watch cows from the house. The camera also provides sound so any rising, movement or other noise can be heard easily in the house.
Edward Gibbons –
Louisburgh, Co Mayo
Having previously been involved in dairy production, Edward changed over to suckling 10 years ago. Functionality, milk and quality were high on his agenda when starting to farm. He runs 18 cows on 40 acres of lowland and also has commonage and sheep. All the cows on the farm originated from the dairy herd.
The cows are a mixture of Limousin, Angus and Blue crosses. The suckler herd calves mainly from November to January with the remaining few calving in February and March. The majority of cows are served to AI before they are let out to grass in late March.
Edward feels that using AI allows him much more choice in matching the right bull to the right cow. Maternal bulls are used on the
best cows and terminal sires used on the remainder. Calving ease is a major focus on the farm too as he is employed off-farm and is not around during the day. Out of the 18 cows that calved down in 2014, none were assisted. Fertility is also important, with a clear focus on getting cows to calve down as close as possible to 365 days. On-off suckling is carried out to try and get cows cycling quicker and is working well so far.
In addition, there is a clear focus on nutrition. After calving indoors, cows are supplemented with 1-2kg
concentrates per day until they have gone back in
calf or until they go out to grass.
Edward is entering four Limousin cross heifers into the sale. He said that as his herd is young, he will be able to sell them. Usually some of them would be kept for replacements as they are out of some of his best functional and milky cows. He said that when he heard the sale was being set up, he made up his mind quickly to enter them into it.
He said they are well-bred replacements and would be sorry to see them sold on to a finisher.
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