22 April 2025
Enticing more customers through better beef genetics
Alan Dillon, Manager of the Teagasc DairyBeef 500 Campaign, takes a closer look at William Dennehy’s beef breeding policy, designed to improve the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) of his calves to entice more customers.
Farming near Currow, outside Killarney, Co. Kerry, William Dennehy milks 100-110 cows, a number of which are crossbred and carry 20-30% Jersey genetics.
Given the herd is crossbred in nature, William wanted to increase the beef value of his calves to entice more customers at the local marts. AI is used on the majority of the herd, with an Angus stock bull in place also, However, as a result of the dam genetics, research was needed to ensure the calves produced had sufficiently high CBVs to attract repeat custom.
To address this, William sat down in 2024 and put a plan in place to use some of the best beef genetics available through AI. A range of breeds were decided on including Charolais, Limousin, Angus and Hereford. These breeds were selected, as they are in most demand from local buyers and in the export trade.
Table 1: William Dennehy’s beef sire team for 2024
| Breed | AI code | DBI (€) | Beef sub-index (€) | Carcass value (kg) | Calving difficulty (%) | Gestation length (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charolais | CH4321 | 139 | 194 | 43 | 5.6 | 2.08 |
| Angus (second calvers) | AA6682 | 148 | 99 | 11.5 | 3.1 | -2.4 |
| Hereford | HE6841 | 131 | 108 | 8.7 | 3.1 | +0.7 |
| Angus (heifers) | AA4089 | 174 | 104 | 9.7 | 2.5 | -3.6 |
| Limousin | LM9379 | 170 | 195 | 33.2 | 5.43 | -0.21 |
On how this breeding policy has played out on the ground, William commented that he was extremely impressed with some of the continental sires used, adding:
“I found no issue with calving difficulty or gestation length. I found the Charolais and Limousin especially to be spot on in terms of gestation length and calving ease. I only had to assist one Angus calf from a heifer this year and the calves definitely do look better quality.”
While it’s easy to sell calves this year and the actual net effect of using better quality bulls is hard to quantify when beef prices have risen, it is in unfavourable calf trade years where the changes William has made will be of benefit. Even in difficult years for the calf trade, its always easier to find a home for good calves.
As a result of this year’s successful calving season, William has picked a similar team of bulls for this year’s breeding season. Continental sires such as CH4321 and some early-maturing Angus and Hereford sires will be used again on his herd.
The changes made on this farm show that calf quality can be improved in every herd and can leave a higher margin for dairy farmers who make the effort to select good quality sires.
Alan Dillon is Manager of the Teagasc DairyBeef 500 Campaign. The above article was adapted for use on Teagasc Daily from an article first published as part of the DairyBeef 500’s Dairy Beef Index Series on Agriland.
Find out more about the Teagasc DairyBeef 500 Campaign here.
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