Denis keeps his best bred dairy herd title
Denis Downing of Grenagh has continued to dominate the cow breeding statistics, according to ICBF’s Economic Breeding Index (EBI) list. This index was introduced in November 2000, following a major review of dairy breeding in Ireland.
It is based on the cow’s genetic merit for milk, fat and protein yield, survival rate and calving interval.
The EBI is an economic index expressed in euros, predicting a cow’s economic contribution.
Denis Downing’s Morrisheen herd includes the top rated QBO Audeen with an EBI of 148.
In third place, he has SPW Audeen, rated 131, and in fourth is Bolero Averil, rated 126.
Only the second placed Smearlaview Wade Vixan ET (rated 137), owned by Co Kerry farmer Timothy Kirby prevented Denis from a top four finish.
Vixan was a big winner at the National Dairy Show last month in Millstreet, Co Cork, with the Kerrygold Total Performance and Highest EBI awards among the prizes she took back to the Kirby farm. The EBI runner-up at Millstreet Tuavela Jet Julia, owned by John Hayes, Rosscarbery, Co. Cork is fifth rated nationally, with an EBI of 117 .
The fourth rated cow is Clonlack Zebo Vanessa ET, owned by James Julian.
Other dairy farmers with two or more cows in the EBI top 25 are Thomas Osborne, Michael Murphy, Michael Curtin and John J Kelleher.
