Future Beef Newsletter April 2025
Olivia Hynes
Ger McSweeney - Farm Update | Technical Update - Synchronisation in the Beef Herd | Technical Update: Best Fertiliser Strategies for First Cut Silage: Maximising Yield & Quality | Upcoming Events | Top Tips for April | The Beef Edge Podcast
Upcoming Events
Join us tonight at 8.00pm for the final night of the Future Beef breeding webinars on: ‘The latest technologies and how to use them’. Click here to register for breeding webinar night 3.
Top Tips for April
Farm Update – Olivia Hynes Prepares for Breeding Season with Vasectomised Bulls & Lepto Prevention
Olivia shared her knowledge during a recent Future Beef breeding webinar
Olivia farms 69ha in Four Roads, Co. Roscommon, where she manages a 50-cow spring-calving suckler herd, alongside a 230-ewe early lambing flock. Her suckler calves, bred exclusively through 100% AI, are primarily sold as weanlings in October and November.
Recently, Olivia shared insights during a Future Beef breeding webinar, where she discussed key strategies to improve herd genetics and farm efficiency.
Breeding replacement heifers to calve at 24 months
Olivia focuses on breeding her own replacements by:
▶ selecting heifers from milky, docile cows that calve in February and March;
▶ prioritising cows with good feet, strong udders, and wide pelvises;
▶ targeting a breeding weight of 380-420kg at 14 months;
▶ ensuring heifers have cycled at least once before breeding;
▶ using easy-calving bulls (<8% calving difficulty, >90% reliability); and,
▶ turning heifers out to grass early after calving to boost fertility for the next cycle.
One of Olivia’s heifers with her calf at foot.
100% AI with heat detection
To ensure accurate heat detection for AI, Olivia uses:
▶ two vasectomised dairy-beef bulls to run with cows and heifers;
▶ chin-ball harnesses on the bulls, topped up throughout breeding season; and,
▶ nose rings for safety, fitted by a vet.
Vasectomised bull fitted with chin ball harness
Leptospirosis vaccination protocol
After an outbreak last year led to herd infertility due to bought-in heifers, Olivia implemented a leptospirosis vaccination programme:
▶ first vaccine: four to six weeks before the booster, e.g., February 14 – Valentine’s Day;
▶ booster shot: March 17 – St Patrick’s Day; and,
▶ note: final vaccine/booster must be given least two weeks before breeding.
Watch the webinar
Olivia was joined by Dr Colin Byrne (Nutriobio) and Donal Lynch (Slieve Bloom Veterinary) for an in-depth discussion on herd health and breeding strategies. Watch the webinar here and for more on Olivia’s farm, click ‘Read more’.
Farm Update: Ger McSweeney prepares for the breeding season by making use of the Eurostar and suckler cow reports from the ICBF to select bulls for breeding replacements
Ger uses 100% AI to get the best genetics available
Ger runs a suckling to beef system consisting of 35 spring-calving suckler cows. The males are finished as under-16 months bull beef, while the heifers not retained for breeding are finished at 23-24 months. He is using 100% AI to allow him to get the best genetics available. Ger spoke on night two of the breeding webinar series to discuss selection of sires to breed replacements, and also on choosing the correct terminal sire for his under-16 month bull finishing system.
Ger focuses on breeding a balanced, fertile suckler cow using his own records and Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) reports, like the Eurostar report and suckler cow report. This helps him identify cows' strengths and weaknesses in milk production, carcass weight, and calving interval. As he uses AI, he can select bulls to ‘balance’ each cow, i.e.:
▶ if she is low on milk he will pick a bull with good milk figures; and,
▶ if she is low on carcass he will choose a bull with good carcass traits.
Choosing the right terminal sire: maximising carcass quality
Ger stresses the importance of selecting the right terminal sire to maximise carcass weight and quality while ensuring calving ease.
Enhancing herd genetics with myostatin genes
One of Ger's key strategies for improving carcass quality is the use of myostatin genes to enhance muscle growth in cattle. In the webinar, Ger dives into how these genes can boost muscle development and increase beef yield. He also highlights how to carefully select sires that carry these genes, without compromising calving ease, to avoid the pitfalls of challenging calvings.
Watch the webinar
Ger was joined by Rosalish Goulding (National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC)), Chris Daly (ICBF) and Dr Cliona Ryan (Teagasc) for an in-depth discussion on breeding the ideal cow, bull selection, improving herd genetics, and understanding the role of myostatin genes in cattle breeding.
Watch the webinar here, and find out more about what Ger has been up to by clicking here.
Technical update – Heat synchronisation in the beef herd
Oestrous synchronisation involves using synthetic hormones to regulate the reproductive cycles of cows, facilitating better breeding management. This technique is particularly beneficial for beef farmers aiming to increase artificial insemination (AI) usage, which remains low in Ireland, with less than 20% of calves in beef herds bred through AI.
Synchronisation can help to reduce workload
Benefits of oestrous synchronisation:
▶ planned breeding: farmers can schedule breeding to align with labour availability;
▶ timed AI: enables insemination of all cows on a predetermined date, regardless of observed heat signs;
▶ inducing heat: can stimulate oestrous in non-cycling (anoestrous) cows – though initial conception rates may be lower;
▶ genetic improvement: facilitates the use of superior AI bulls, enhancing herd genetics; and,
▶ compact calving: shortens the breeding season, leading to a more uniform calving period.
Teagasc synchronisation protocol for beef cows
Teagasc conducted a study involving over 2,200 cows across 85 herds, resulting in a recommended protocol:
1. Day 0 (morning): insert PRID or CIDR device and administer GnRH.
2. Day 7 (morning): remove PRID/CIDR, administer prostaglandin, and 400 IU eCG (PMSG).
3. Day 8: monitor for signs of heat.
4. Days 9-10: inseminate cows based on observed heat or perform fixed-time AI at 72 hours post-device removal, administering GnRH to those not showing heat.
This protocol achieved a 55% pregnancy rate from the initial timed AI, with 80% of synchronised cows pregnant within the first three weeks of the breeding season.
Recommendations for success:
▶ cow condition: ensure cows have a body condition score (BCS) of 2.5-3.0, are at least 35 days calved, and are on an upward nutritional plane;
▶ management level: high management standards and proficient heat detection are crucial; and,
▶ semen quality: use high-fertility semen handled by skilled inseminators.
Implementing oestrous synchronisation can significantly enhance reproductive efficiency and genetic progress in beef herds. Further information is available by clicking here.
Technical update: best fertiliser strategies for first-cut silage: maximising yield and quality
Mark Plunkett, Training and Development Specialist with the Signpost Programme, shares the best fertiliser strategy for silage fields in 2025.
Maximise nutrient efficiency: apply slurry to silage fields
Returning slurry to silage fields is the most effective way to:
▶ replenish essential nutrients – nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) – for optimal crop growth;
▶ reduce N loading on grazed areas, cutting potential N losses;
▶ increase organic matter and carbon, boosting grass yields by up to 1.5t DM/ha/year; and,
▶ supply ~30% of N needs, reducing reliance on chemical fertilisers.
Best fertiliser options when slurry is limited
If cattle or pig slurry isn’t available, use a balanced fertiliser with N, P, K and sulphur (S):
▶ cost-effective fertilisers: 13-6-20 + S, 10-5-25 + S, 0-7-30, MOP 50% K, Super 16% P;
▶ better value for P and K than high-N options (e.g., 24s / 27s); and,
▶ lower carbon footprint compared to high-N fertilisers.
Application tips for maximum efficiency:
▶ split applications improve N-use efficiency and reduce losses;
▶ S boosts grass yields by 23%, especially on sandy soils; and,
▶ a 5t DM/ha crop of silage will need 80-100 units of N, 16 units of P and 100 units of K/acre. Lower index soils will require more P and K, if fertiliser allowances permit.
Further information is available here.
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