Five-star cows deliver more
Farmers attending BEEF2024 were told of an analysis completed by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), which compared the performance of one-star and five-star suckler cows on basis of their Replacement Index.
Narrowed to cows born between August 2017 and April 2018, key findings of the analysis which compared the performance of ~40,000 cows from ~20,000 herds nationally were shared by the ICBF’s Eoin Frawley, who joined Alan Nolan, Teagasc Drystock Advisor, and John Pringle, Future Beef Programme participant, as part of a live demonstration on breeding and fertility in the Suckler Beef at the Teagasc National Beef Open Day.
The results of the analysis, as presented in table 1 below, show that five-star cows produced an additional €317 in total progeny carcass revenue in comparison to one-star cows, with Frawley adding: “The final figure is an accumulation of small gains across all the different traits – the key finishing traits like carcass, but also the key maternal traits like fertility, age of first calving and average calving interval.”
Table 1: A comparison of the performance of one-star versus five-star cows born between August 2017 and April 2018
| One-star cows | Five-star cows | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Replacement Index | €38 | €149 | +€111 |
| Percentage of cows still alive in 2024 | 57 | 65 | +8% |
| Age of first calving (days) | 959 | 889 | -69 days |
| Calving interval (days) | 419 | 388 | -32 days |
| Cow 200 day post calving weight (kg) | 637 | 600 | -37kg |
| Calf 200 day weight (kg) | 285 | 295 | +10kg |
| Progeny slaughtered to date (avg count) | 1.15 | 1.42 | +0.27 |
| Age at slaughter (days) | 806 | 778 | -28 days |
| Total progeny carcass revenue | €2,815 | €3,132 | +€317 |
In terms of key performance indicators for suckler herds, ICBF’s analysis shows that five-star cows had a higher retention rate, younger age at first calving, a shorter calving interval, produced a heavier calf at 200 days old, while still being lighter themselves 200 days post calving.
Additionally, the work found a higher output of beef from the five-star cows, due to having more progeny finished, while the age at slaughter of progeny between five and one star cows also differed.
Frawley added: “On all the key traits, the 5-star cows are outperforming their one-star counterparts and that’s where the improved profit from additional revenue in terms of carcass revenue is coming from.”
After reminding farmers of the next Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) requirement to have 65% of females four or five star on October 31, 2025, Alan Nolan asked the ICBF representative what farmers should do where they have one-star cows that are performing in their herds, given that there may be scope to retain such cows if sufficient four and five star animals are available.
Frawley responded: “If a farmer is happy with how a cow is working on the farm, regardless of their star rating, by all means work away and breed that cow.
“These one-star cows may be performing on some farms due to exceptional management and she is outperforming what her predicted performance is going to be. If you put that cow in a different setting, she may well not perform. A lot of it comes down to management, breed the cow if you are happy with her.”