A range of Angus, Hereford, Belgian Blue, Limousin, Charolais, Speckle Park and Aubrac sires dominate Dovea Genetics’ dairy beef sires panel for 2023.
John Lynch, beef programme manager at Dovea Genetics, previewed some of the AI company’s top dairy-beef sires during a recent breeding webinar entitled ‘getting cows in-calf’, which it hosted in conjunction with Interchem.
Lynch told webinar viewers that “with the use of sexed semen, we are going to see a lot more beef being utilised and more beef calves being born in February each year.”
He previewed the following ten sires that he recommends for use early in the breeding season that lies ahead:
Belgian Blue
BB4494 – Bricolage de Beauffaux
- “Number 1 BB commercially available” – Lynch;
- €130 DBI;
- Easy calving at 7% on dairy cows;
- Short gestation at 283 days;
- 28kg carcass weight;
- Lynch’s remarks: “He ticks the boxes with lovely calf quality.”
BB4597 – Affute de Thiboumont
- 5% calving difficulty on dairy cows;
- Very short gestation at 282 days;
- 32kgs carcass weight – slightly better than the previous bull;
- Lynch’s remarks: “Farmers are using Affute on mature cows that are capable of calving a better type bull and are using Bricolage de Beauffaux on younger cows.”
Limousin bulls
Ewdenvale Ivor – LM2014
- No 1 Limousin bull on DBI [Source: ICBF Dairy Beef Bull List – March 2023 evaluation;
- “Very” well-proven on dairy cows;
- Very easy calving at 3.7% on dairy cows;
- 288 days gestation;
- Progeny with “super carcasses” – Lynch.
Brooklands Marco – LM5443:
- 3% calving difficulty;
- ‘Exceptional’ calf quality;
- 288-day gestation.
Charolais:
Love P – CH5626
- New French polled sire – Semen from France;
- High DBI;
- Calving difficulty of 7% on dairy cows;
- 287-day gestation;
- 43kgs carcass weight;
- Lynch views him as a replacement for Bivouac.
Angus sires:
Keirsbeath Karma S539 – AA4638
- 284-day gestation;
- 5kg carcass weight;
- DBI of €135;
- 8% calving difficulty.
Lisduff Red Pepper R3638 – AA4303
- Red Angus;
- 3% calving difficulty;
- DBI of €149;
- 5kg carcass weight.
Hereford sires:
Skehanore Fruitful – HE7545
- New HE bull that is newly becoming proven
- 3% calving difficulty;
- 15kgs carcass weight (Dovea Genetics received newly updated CD and CW figures this week)
- 280-day gestation – initial reports;
- DBI of €144.
Timolinpoll 1 Hercules – HE7374
- Heterozygous polled bull;
- 8% calving difficulty;
- 12kg of carcass.
Aubrac:
Deerpark Rowe – AU8953
- Lynch: “Predicted easy calving sire – young bull”;
- DBI of €183;
- Carcass figure of almost 22kg;
- New – test sire for 2023.
Note to That’s Farming’s readers:
Second article to follow on more dairy-beef sire recommendations – focusing on later-in-the-season decisions.
See a link to Dovea Genetics’ dairy-beef catalogue.
Thursday night’s virtual information session focused on how to optimise fertility with sexed semen, how to manage cows, synchronisation (research and protocols) and dairy and dairy-beef sires for the 2023 breeding season and featured a range of speakers, including Dr. Federico Randi DVM & PhD – International Technical Manager, Ruminants Corporate Marketing, CEVA Santé Animale, Dr. Lauren Popiolek DVM, BSA – Interchem’s Veterinary Technical Advisor, Dovea Genetics’ dairy programme manager, Niall Duffy, and Dovea Genetics’ beef programme manager, John Lynch.
