National Dairy Show chosen for launch of milkrecording system
It's yet another first for the event which has paved the way for Ireland's "arrival" last February as a EU dairy breeding power at the Agribex Show in Brussels.
There, the Millstreet champion of four months earlier, Quantana Melissa Grand, was crowned overall European champion cow, and all of the Irish team of 10 cows were placed first, second or third.
The Agribex performance has confirmed the Millstreet show as one of the top shows in Europe. But there will be much more to see at the north Cork venue next week than the cows whose genetics will help to shape Irish and European dairy farming in the coming years.
Visitors will also benefit from the display of major recent developments in cattle breeding jointly organised by the Irish Holstein Friesian Association, Irish Cattle Breeding Federation and milk recording and AI companies.
Of major interest in this addition to the trade stands serving the commercial needs of dairy farmers will be the launch of an entirely new milk recording system.
Electronic DIY milk recording ends inconveniences such as writing on bottles in the parlour, manual milk sampling, writing down results, and typing up results in the office.
A measure of its success came when it was recently introduced to 290 non-milk recording Dairygold Co-op milk suppliers, and 70 of them signed up for two DIY tests this year, and expressed interest in signing up 2005.
They will benefit from vital management information supplied by milk recording. But Irish dairy farmers as a whole stand to gain a €100 million per year income boost from the full range of cattle breeding developments that will be displayed to them and explained at Millstreet.
"Now that the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation have evaluated these traits, much information is available to be included as part of a breeding programme that includes values for fertility, udder health and calving ease", said Sean McSweeney, head of the group of farmer members of the Cork Holstein Friesian Breeders who organise the Millstreet show.
At the recent show press launch, he said the Show will start at 10.30 am at the Green Glens, Millstreet.
As well as an increased attendance of commercial milk producers checking out breeding advances, he anticipated more overseas visitors coming to see the Irish cows which are now rated the best in European dairying, vying at Millstreet for victory in the Irish Examiner Farming Supreme Championship.
See next week's Farming for a full guide to what will be on show at Millstreet, and details of our competition for farmers who attend the event.
