Advancements in Animal Breeding Webinars
In the webinars below Teagasc researchers gave an insight into the modern-day strategies to identify genetically elite farm animals.
Webinar 13 – Achieving Sustainable Genetic Gain in Farmed Animals
Wednesday 3rd March 2021, 9:30 am
The panellists on this webinar gave an insight into the process of how genetically elite parents of the next generation are identified and selected using modern-day breeding tools.
Presenter:
Donagh Berry – Teagasc Researcher & Director of VistaMilk SFI Research Centre
Panellists:
- Sinéad McParland – Traditional breeding using ancestry information
- Áine O’Brien – DNA-based breeding
- Fíona Dunne – Decision support in breeding decisions
Presentations
- Basics of Genetic Evaluations (PDF) – Sinead McParland
- Decision Support in Breeding Decisions (PDF) – Fíona Dunne
- DNA Based Breeding (PDF) – Áine O’Brien
Webinar 14 – New Reproductive Technologies to Increase the Sustainability of Milk and Beef Production
Thursday 18th March 2021 at 9.30 am
The panellists on this webinar discussed the development of new reproductive technologies in relation to heat detection, sexed semen, IVF and male fertility.
Presenter:
Pat Dillon – Head of Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Programme
Panellists:
- Stephen Moore – Automated heat detection
- Stephen Butler – Sexed semen and IVF
- David Kenny – Early life nutrition of young bulls
Presentations:
- Automated Heat Detection (PDF) – Stephen Moore
- New Reproductive Technologies (PDF) – Stephen Butler
- Early Life Nutrition Advances Sexual Development and Semen Availability in the Bull (PDF) – David Kenny
View questions and answers from the webinar here: Questions and Answers (PDF)
Webinar 15 – Increasing the Value of Beef from the Dairy Herd
Wednesday 31st March 2021 at 9.30 am
This webinar is the final of three sessions discussing modern-day strategies to identifying genetically elite farm animals. Teagasc researchers gave an insight into how the co-evolution of breeding and management strategies can deliver on maximising the value of beef from the dairy herd; this can be best achieved by selecting genetically elite beef sires and implementing best management practices in dairy beef systems. Decision support tools such as the dairy-beef index to identify beef bulls suited for mating to dairy females are now being actively used; this index, which is based on the principles of other successful national breeding indexes, attempts to marry the desires of both the dairy and beef producers. Harnessing this genetic superiority through associated optimised grass-based management system will help ensure a return on investment which is resilience to external factors but also responsible in terms of social acceptability stewardship of the environment
Presenter:
Donagh Berry – Teagasc Researcher & Director of VistaMilk SFI Research Centre
Panellists:
- Alan Twomey – DBI – Selecting the best beef sires for the dairy herd
- Nicky Byrne – Optimising dairy-beef systems of production
- Padraig French – Using dairy-beef genetics to reduce methane output
Presentations:
- Selecting the best beef sire for the Dairy Herd (PDF) – Alan Twomey
- Optimum Dairy-Beef Systems (PDF) – Nicky Byrne
- Increasing Efficiency of Dairy Beef (PDF) – Padraig French