Media
- Farm walk on Fri 5th June at 6.30pm
- Video outlining farm update for spring
- Details of topics for farm walk included
- Synchronisation programme started 13th April
- 54 cows AI’d on 23rd June to maternal SI bulls
- Breeding stock vaccinated against bluetongue
Breeding
Breeding
John and James are planning to continue with their AI and synchronisation programme again for 2026. It helps to simplify their workload as cattle are only handled 3 times – firstly for progesterone device insert, secondly for device removal and finally for fixed time AI. They began on 13th April with the synchronisation programme and fixed time AI will took place on 23rd April. This is 1 week earlier than 2025.
The beef research recommended programme for synchronising cows with fixed time AI is as follows:
- Day 0 (10am on 13th April): Progesterone device inserted + GnRH injection
- Day 7 (10am on 20th April): Progesterone device removed + prostaglandin injection + eCG injection
- Day 10 (10am on 23rd April): Fixed time AI + GnRH injection
This protocol was developed on 85 suckler beef herds using 2,200 cows. The expected pregnancy rate will be over 50% to the first serve and 80% after 2 serves, all within 3 weeks.
Up to 60 cows will be put on the programme that are over 35 days calved and they will be bred to maternal bulls SI4250 (Lis-Na-Ri Gucci) and SI4350 (Rubyjen Here’s Johnny). Both bulls were used in 2025 and gave no trouble at calving this year. They have the following traits respectively:
- Replacement index: €164 & €166
- Cow calving difficulty: 3.9% at 99% reliability & 4.2% at 97% reliability
- Daughter milk: 9.2kg & 8.1kg
- Carcass weight: 18.6kg & 25.1kg
- Daughter calving interval: -0.71 days & -1.05 days
- Age at finish: -4.18 days & -5.42 days
Cull cows have been selected based on lameness and poor bags. The remaining cows will be bred to the Charolais bull for terminal traits.
The heifers will all be bred to the Angus bull for ease of calving. He is also breeding potential replacement heifers and is delivering strong calves which John and James are very happy with. Heifers have been pre-selected on their milk and fertility figures, but John and James will weigh them all pre-breeding and decide the final group then which will amount to approximately 20. They will also be given a copper bolus.
Figure 1: A second calver with her Charolais calf at foot
The cows, breeding heifers and stock bulls have been given their first vaccination against bluetongue and will be due their second shot 3 weeks later. Immunity will develop ~3 weeks after the second dose. While there are fewer clinical signs in cattle in Ireland to date than in Europe, infertility remains the biggest concern if there is an outbreak in the herd. It can be transferred 3 different ways:
- Midge transmission – the main route of infection. A midge bites an infected animal and the virus replicated. After 4-20 days the midge can infect another animal.
- Semen transmission – infected bulls can spread the virus through semen.
- Transplacental transmission – the virus can pass from the dam to the foetus.
The stock bulls have been hoof-pared and will be fertility tested pre-breeding.
Figure 2: The oldest calves and their cows and calves are at grass full time
Performance
Some of the yearling cattle were weighed as they were turned out to grass on the outfarm. The 2025 born suckler heifers (12) averaged 316kg and gained 0.71kg/day over the winter since 11th November. The bullocks (22) averaged 335kg and gained 0.76kg/day during the same period.
Figure 3: Some of the suckler beef heifers before turnout
Meanwhile the 2025 born dairy beef heifers (31) averaged 278kg and gained 0.72kg/day since 11th November. The dairy beef bullocks (45) averaged 306kg and gained 0.81kg/day during the same period.
They will graze on the outfarm for the summer and the breeding heifers will also remain over there with the Angus stock bull.
John and James finished 18 heifers on 20th March. They averaged 266kg carcass weight and graded O=4- at 24.9 months of age making €1850/head.
They sold 17 heifers live on 19th March that averaged 516kg and they made €1849/head at 23.9 months of age.
Figure 4: The stores and finishing cattle to be sold