What is whole herd performance recording?
Whole herd performance recording is a new recording programme for pedigree beef farmers to ensure accurate recording of data to include in genetic evaluations. Pre-2017, only some animals in pedigree herds were weighed and scored and this led to some inaccuracies in genetic evaluations. It will ensure confidence in data when commercial farmers are purchasing pedigree animals.
What is the purpose of the programme?
The ICBF introduced the scheme to ensure that all data collected is of very high quality. High-quality data is extremely important when calculating genetic evaluations. The more quality data is included on pedigree animals, the more accurate the genetic evaluation will be. While the focus up to now was on scoring young bulls in herds, it is now changing to cow attributes like calving ability, fertility and ability to feed a calf. This will help farmers participating in BDGP make more informed decisions around breeding and animal selection.
What are the details of the scheme?
The programme is co-ordinated by the ICBF and it is hoped that all breed societies will encourage breeder participation. Pedigree breeders fill in extra information at insemination time, calving time and have a visit annually from an ICBF scorer. At this visit, all animals on the farm between one and 149 days are weighed and animals between 150 days and 700 days are weighed and scored.
An animal will only be scored once; ie there will be no need to re-score an already scored animal on a previous visit.
All cows in the herd are scored for functionality including the presence of evidence of previous caesareans. Cows with a calf at foot are also be weighed as part of the visit. Preferential treatment will also be recorded where some calves may be sucking foster cows.
What does it mean for pedigree farmers?
The programme means a level playing field will in time be established for all pedigree breeders by ensuring that all data collected, such as birth dates, is true and accurate. It will mean a small extra burden of inputting information around insemination and calving time and also facilitating a visit once annually from the ICBF scorer.
In return, pedigree farmers participating in the programme will be part of an elite group of herds who will have certified quality data and in turn more accurate indexes behind their breeding stock.
What are the benefits of the scheme?
For pedigree farmers:
Programme participants will be listed on new ICBF “Bull finder online tool”. This facility will allow commercial farmers to search, for example, for five-star terminal bulls in Co Carlow. This is seen as one of the major benefits of the new programme for pedigree breeders.Increased Euro-star accuracy.Useful scoring data on the functionality and docility of animals in the herd.Certified quality data stamp on all sales catalogues.Highlight bulls in programme on ICBF “Bull search facility”.The unique opportunity to sell bulls to the Gene Ireland progeny testing programme. Non-participating herds will not have this option.For commercial farmers:
More confidence when purchasing from Irish pedigree herds that data is accurate.Higher accuracy in genetic indexes will mean a lower probability of indexes moving a lot in the animals’ lifetime.Higher accuracy on calving ease figures.Higher accuracy on milk and fertility sub-index.More informed decision-making.A level playing field to make comparisons when purchasing animals.Commercial farmers looking for herds participating in the programme can log in to the ICBF website and go to the bull finder section. This details all the bulls in Ireland participating in the programme which can be searched under specific criteria like terminal index,replacement index, breeder location, etc.
These pedigree breeders have demonstrated their willingness to make sure all data is recorded in their herds for the benefit of commercial farmers. Commercial farmers should reward these farmers by purchasing bulls from these herds. They have shown a willingness to incur extra costs and labour to make sure their data recorded is 100% accurate.
What is whole herd performance recording?
Whole herd performance recording is a new recording programme for pedigree beef farmers to ensure accurate recording of data to include in genetic evaluations. Pre-2017, only some animals in pedigree herds were weighed and scored and this led to some inaccuracies in genetic evaluations. It will ensure confidence in data when commercial farmers are purchasing pedigree animals.
What is the purpose of the programme?
The ICBF introduced the scheme to ensure that all data collected is of very high quality. High-quality data is extremely important when calculating genetic evaluations. The more quality data is included on pedigree animals, the more accurate the genetic evaluation will be. While the focus up to now was on scoring young bulls in herds, it is now changing to cow attributes like calving ability, fertility and ability to feed a calf. This will help farmers participating in BDGP make more informed decisions around breeding and animal selection.
What are the details of the scheme?
The programme is co-ordinated by the ICBF and it is hoped that all breed societies will encourage breeder participation. Pedigree breeders fill in extra information at insemination time, calving time and have a visit annually from an ICBF scorer. At this visit, all animals on the farm between one and 149 days are weighed and animals between 150 days and 700 days are weighed and scored.
An animal will only be scored once; ie there will be no need to re-score an already scored animal on a previous visit.
All cows in the herd are scored for functionality including the presence of evidence of previous caesareans. Cows with a calf at foot are also be weighed as part of the visit. Preferential treatment will also be recorded where some calves may be sucking foster cows.
What does it mean for pedigree farmers?
The programme means a level playing field will in time be established for all pedigree breeders by ensuring that all data collected, such as birth dates, is true and accurate. It will mean a small extra burden of inputting information around insemination and calving time and also facilitating a visit once annually from the ICBF scorer.
In return, pedigree farmers participating in the programme will be part of an elite group of herds who will have certified quality data and in turn more accurate indexes behind their breeding stock.
What are the benefits of the scheme?
For pedigree farmers:
Programme participants will be listed on new ICBF “Bull finder online tool”. This facility will allow commercial farmers to search, for example, for five-star terminal bulls in Co Carlow. This is seen as one of the major benefits of the new programme for pedigree breeders.Increased Euro-star accuracy.Useful scoring data on the functionality and docility of animals in the herd.Certified quality data stamp on all sales catalogues.Highlight bulls in programme on ICBF “Bull search facility”.The unique opportunity to sell bulls to the Gene Ireland progeny testing programme. Non-participating herds will not have this option.For commercial farmers:
More confidence when purchasing from Irish pedigree herds that data is accurate.Higher accuracy in genetic indexes will mean a lower probability of indexes moving a lot in the animals’ lifetime.Higher accuracy on calving ease figures.Higher accuracy on milk and fertility sub-index.More informed decision-making.A level playing field to make comparisons when purchasing animals.Commercial farmers looking for herds participating in the programme can log in to the ICBF website and go to the bull finder section. This details all the bulls in Ireland participating in the programme which can be searched under specific criteria like terminal index,replacement index, breeder location, etc.
These pedigree breeders have demonstrated their willingness to make sure all data is recorded in their herds for the benefit of commercial farmers. Commercial farmers should reward these farmers by purchasing bulls from these herds. They have shown a willingness to incur extra costs and labour to make sure their data recorded is 100% accurate.
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