Dovea Genetics has launched a new video series, highlighting how its panel of sires is proving beneficial on beef farms.
In the first episode, the bovine genetics company visits the Berkery family, who are taking advantage of top beef genetics to boost the quality of calves produced from their cows on their Limerick-based enterprise.
They farm spring-calving Limousin-cross-Friesian cows with 100% AI used as part of a weanling system. With a focus on selecting AI terminal bulls with traits including ease of calving, carcass weight and conformation LSP, EBY and MPB are commonly used.
“The name of the game on this farm is selling weanlings and to get the most money out of these calves by the month of October.”
Making reference to one of the family’s LSP daughters, John Lynch of Dovea Genetics, said: “It is a super example of what can done with this kind of a cow, a straight R grading cow, no fanciness to them, but good, honest and hard-working with plenty of milk”.
“Once you can get the right sire to click on them, they will do a super job,” Lynch added.
Heat detection and benefits of AI
The owner of the enterprise explained that the main methods of heat detection include tail paint and a teaser bull with breeding females AI’d in line with the AM-PM rule.
He explained the benefits of choosing AI over the use of a stockbull, citing convenience and selective matings, with a view to producing “the best quality weanling”.
Image and video source: Dovea Genetics / Youtube
