Rise in electronic milk recording

A 7% increase in milk recording in 2006 was due to substantial expansion in the electronic do-it-yourself (EDIY) milk recording service, according to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation.

EDIY is now available throughout Ireland. It has proven popular with herds that were not milk recording previously, with 50% of herds on EDIY being newcomers in 2006, according to ICBF, which hailed the decline in AI usage as another important achievement last year. In the spring, ICBF provided leadership and technical support in the initiative to halt the decline in AI, teaming up with Teagasc, AI service providers and the wider industry. “The success of the campaign can be attributed to a combination of growing recognition of the EBI as a tool for breeding profitable dairy cows and the ready availability of good quality AI services,” said ICBF.

Cattle breeders will also benefit from the new beef evaluation system, which now includes a range of important maternal traits, and from the extension of the dairy EBI, to cover all dairy breeds with sufficient data. This provides farmers with much improved information for making breeding choices where two or more breeds are involved.

ICBF has also welcomed high uptake by farmers of the “user pays” information service, HerdPlus, and substantially increased numbers of dairy bulls progeny tested in the Gene Ireland programmes’ second year.

That so much has been achieved in 2006 is a reflection of the skills and commitment of the ICBF team, according to Chief Executive Brian Wickham. “By working together with DAF, Teagasc, Irish cattle farmers and the wider industry we are able to deliver much more value than any one group can on their own,” he said.