Talking to farmers around the country, autumn calving seems to have gone well, considering the very tough summer endured on many farms in the south of the country.

With dry cows curtailed on tight pastures, condition scores were probably a little back on other years and this led to reduced issues around calving.

The next important milestone in the calendar is getting these cows back in calf and this week’s focus provides a comprehensive overview of breeding, from bull choice to breeding management to winter breeding health.

Pat Donnellan outlines the ICBF active bull lists - autumn 2018" target="_blank">replacement index and how it is made up, including profiling 35 of the top bulls in AI across both the terminal and replacement indices. We also go into detail on the top five terminal bulls in Irish AI at the moment. The terminal index is often forgotten about, but is a very important driver of weaning weights and carcase conformation and weight.

Many farmers who are not breeding their own replacements should be using these bulls to drive performance on their farm. Aidan Brennan Plenty of time to pick dairy sires" target="_blank">covers sire selection, along with choosing a start date for AI and breeding management in winter milk herds.

Journal vet Tommy Heffernan outlines some 10 health tips for successful autumn breeding " target="_blank">top health tips for a successful breeding season across both dairy and beef herds.

In the beef herd, Matthew Halpin focuses on Getting breeding up and running" target="_blank">body condition scoring, breaking the cow-calf bond, nutrition in the autumn-calving suckler herd and important targets to meet.