{"id":33695,"date":"2024-04-24T15:18:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T15:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.progressivegenetics.ie\/?p=33695"},"modified":"2024-04-29T10:06:36","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T10:06:36","slug":"breeding-a-robust-cow-for-meath-autumn-calving-herd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.progressivegenetics.ie\/breeding-a-robust-cow-for-meath-autumn-calving-herd\/","title":{"rendered":"Breeding a robust cow for Meath autumn calving herd"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row padding_bottom=&#8221;32px&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text]The first focus farm in the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agriland.ie\/farming-news\/progressive-farm-program-to-highlight-importance-of-farm-efficiency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Progressive Farm Program<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0takes a look at Peter and Gerry Moore\u2019s autumn-calving dairy system in Bellewstown, Co. Meath.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"430122562\" title=\"Breeding a robust cow for Meath autumn-calving herd | Progressive Farm Program\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/-P72sfdPEzg?feature=oembed&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;autohide=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.agriland.ie\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-31370679_48=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-28=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Peter Moore<\/h2>\n<p>The first focus farm is a mixed tillage and dairy operation \u2013 with all cows calving during autumn, and Holstein Friesian being the most prominent breed within the herd.\u00a0Peter said that one of the main things that he looks for, is a low maintenance cow that can be easily managed over the winter months.\u00a0Production for the year averaged at 17.5L\/cow, with a fat content of 4.58% and a protein content of 3.7%.\u00a0Calving in 2023 went very well according to Peter, with 90 cows calved down.<\/p>\n<div class=\"advert instream-ad\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-instream-1213529-9\" class=\"ajax-advert ad-loaded\" data-position=\"instream\" data-google-query-id=\"COamnYuQ24UDFVmHUAYd0t8M0Q\">\n<h2 id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/16304992\/pe-instream_0__container__\">Breeding<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When it comes to breeding, Peter said that a major focus is placed on improving fat and protein percentages, fertility and overall economic breeding index (EBI).\u00a0Michael Quinn is Peter\u2019s breeding advisor, and has been working with the Moores over the course of the last five years.\u00a0Peter explained that he and Michael sit down and set out the targets they want to achieve for the upcoming breeding season.\u00a0Once this has been done, Michael will produce a team of bulls for the Moores to use.<\/p>\n<p>Sexed semen was used for the first time in 2023, with only a certain number of cows bred to Friesian and the remaining cows bred to beef. Overall, Peter has been very pleased with the results.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The Moores signed up to the Longhorn Scheme with Progressive Genetics and the Buitelaar Group, in which 30 calves were born onto the farm during that time frame.\u00a0Once the calves weighed 55kg, they were collected without any hassle involved.\u00a0As a result, Peter is planning to increase the number of Longhorn straws that will be used on the farm this breeding season.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bull selection<\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to bull selection, Michael leaves no stone unturned in putting together a team of bulls that will deliver for Peter\u2019 s herd. \u201cI take a look at the previous years figures and see how Peter is progressing, and after that, I start to build a picture of what bulls he can use to progress his herd further.\u201d\u00a0537kg of milk solids were produced on the farm in 2022, with an average milk price of 61c\/L achieved.\u00a0Continuing, he said: \u201cIt is alright looking at one year, but Peter is achieving this every year. On average over the last five years, 531kg of milk solids has been produced.\u00a0\u201cHe has bred himself a very robust cow, with a 363-day calving interval \u2013 which is a calf\/cow\/year on the button \u2013 fertility is excellent here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael says that bulls like\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressivegenetics.ie\/product\/igtankardsrock-teak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tankardsrock Teak<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressivegenetics.ie\/product\/igcloonigney-lobster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cloonigney Lobster<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressivegenetics.ie\/product\/igtobermartin-francis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tobermartin Francis<\/a><\/strong> are just some of the bulls that have been used on the farm.\u00a0As Peter is part of the Longhorn Scheme, it means that he is getting a guaranteed outlet for his calves and a guaranteed price, Michael commented.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AgriNet HerdApp<\/h2>\n<p>Peter has been using AgriNet HerdApp on the farm since he got his first computer.\u00a0\u201cWe are mainly using it for registering calves. I would say we are using it since we brought a computer back in 1996,\u201d Peter said.<\/p>\n<p>AgriNet HerdApp allows Peter to register calves, apply for movement permits, record inseminations and drug usage, and to keep a very close eye on his herd. It is fully Bord Bia compliant and eliminates the need for unnecessary paperwork, as all of the herd\u2019s information is stored on the app.\u00a0AgriNet HerdApp is Ireland\u2019s leading farm management tool, that allows farmers to manage all the key day-to-day functions on a typical Irish dairy or beef farm, empowering farmers to make the right management decisions for more profitable dairy farming.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"555806120\" title=\"Peter Moore &amp; AgriNet HerdApp, Progressive Farm Program\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/XxoRoiN1V7w?feature=oembed&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;autohide=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.agriland.ie\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-31370679_48=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-28=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Milk recording<\/h2>\n<p>Milk recording is a vital tool on the farm for aiding breeding decision, monitoring production of the cows, and for selecting and identifying high cell count.\u00a0Peter also uses milk recording data when he is selecting cows suitable for selective dry cow therapy (SDCT).\u00a0Peter\u2019s aim is to produce more from less cows, and he also invested in low emission slurry spreading (LESS) technology for sustainability reasons.<\/p>\n<p>To maximise profit on the farm, Peter said that it comes down to keeping costs low, and to focus on breeding to increase milk solids\/cow.\u00a0Long-term, Peter hopes to move into robotic milking to reduce the labour required on the farm.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on\u00a0AgriNet HerdApp,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.agrinet.ie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, for more information on Progressive Genetics,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressivegenetics.ie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">click here<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\" agni-image custom-image-container text-center\">\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"agni-image-figure\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"vc_figure-caption\"><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first focus farm in the Progressive Farm Program takes a look at Peter and Gerry Moore\u2019s autumn-calving dairy system in Bellewstown, Co. Meath.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":33460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[142,162,163,135,161,170,167],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Breeding a robust cow for Meath autumn calving herd - Progressive Genetics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The first focus farm in the Progressive Farm Program takes a look at Peter and Gerry Moore\u2019s autumn-calving dairy system in Bellewstown, Co. 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