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Know How / Beef / Breeding and fertility

Good fertility is the foundation of a profitable beef herd. Here you can find the latest breeding developments including advice on selecting genetics, using genomics and EBVs. Learn how to improve heat detection and conception rates to maximise the number of calves born in your herd.

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BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How heat detection kit helps cut calving interval by 25 days

A Welsh suckler beef herd’s calving interval has been shortened by 25 days, to 367 days, since measures including the use of heat-detection technology were introduced to improve fertility. Sub-fertility…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Video: Maternal traits ensure fertile and low-cost sucklers

Sourcing functional bulls that suit a forage-only, minimal intervention organic system has led one Northumberland suckler unit to consider a three-week heifer bulling period. It has also allowed them to…

BEEF

How a Simmental herd made £79 a cow before subsidy

Focusing on three key efficiency measures has ensured the pedigree suckler cow and bull beef enterprises at Strathisla Farms, Perthshire, have remained commercially viable. The cattle have made a profit…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Suckler herd saves £100 a calf by focusing on grassland

Listen to Michael Priestley read this article or see the text below. Farmers Weekly · Suckler herd saves £100 a calf by focusing on grassland Replacing creep feed with nose…

BEEF

4 ways to cut carbon footprint of suckler beef

Embracing a combination of cow and youngstock management changes could help suckler herds reduce the carbon footprint of every kilogramme of meat produced. Ballymena farmer Billy O'Kane recently carried out…

BEEF

10 ways one farm makes suckler beef profitable

In 10 years, Philip Jones has shaved 36 days off his calving index, cut heifer age at first calving to 24 months and eliminated bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) from his…

Practical advice

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BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How to select a stock bull to breed herd replacements

There is plenty to consider when searching for a new stock bull, including health status, fertility checks, historical management, feeding practices, and if the animal is fit for purpose. The…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Advice on feeding yearling heifers to calve at 22-24 months

Calving at two rather than three years old reduces rearing costs by about £600 a heifer and increases its lifetime productivity.  In addition, it ensures genetics with the best potential…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

5 KPIs to measure to improve suckler herd performance

With the changes in agricultural payments around the corner, there has never been a more appropriate time to focus on maternal key performance indicators (KPIs) and your cost of production…

LIVESTOCK

Calculating beef weaning efficiency and why it is important

Vets and consultants are urging suckler farmers to quantify how good their cows really are at rearing beef by looking at a calf’s 200-day weight as a percentage of cow…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How to ensure heifers calve at two years old

For suckler cows to be most profitable, calving for the first time at 24 months old is considered optimum. Research suggests that calving heifers for the first time at this…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Advice on optimising suckler fertility with better nutrition

The post-calving period is a time of major metabolic change for a cow, and ensuring her nutrition needs are met over the next few months is critical in hitting a…

Insights

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BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How pedigree breeds have changed in each sector

We looked at the latest data and spoke to industry experts to find out more about the changing picture for pedigree animals. We look at the dairy, beef, sheep and…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Lim-gate: What next for EBVs?

The exposure of errors relating to the registration of birth dates and parentage of cattle last year brought into question the legitimacy and accuracy of data feeding into Estimated Breeding…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Why calving ease should be suckler herd priority

Selecting bulls with a positive calving ease estimated breeding value (EBV) should be a priority for suckler producers who are aiming to improve herd efficiency, a study has shown. Researchers…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Livestock gene editing: Current rules and potential benefits

The potential to make our own legislation after leaving the EU could provide scope for gene editing of livestock to become mainstream in the UK. Gene editing changes a precise…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Trial shows huge merit of using EBVs with beef herds

Using bulls with a higher terminal index can be worth more than £80 a finished calf, according to new research carried out at Harper Adams University. Using Hereford bulls, the…

LIVESTOCK

Finishing results reveal high reliability of EBVs

Repeating a trial comparing the performance of terminal beef sires has shown estimated breeding values (EBVs) are highly reliable, with higher genetic merit progeny outperforming calves bred from bulls with…

BEEF

Breeder outlines a new direction for a better beef industry

The beef industry requires an urgent change of direction with emphasis put on breeding and feed efficiencies to counter the effects of continuing commodity price volatility and uncertainty over farm…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Finishing performance of terminal sires compared

Calves sired by bulls with higher terminal indices record heavier carcass weights resulting in returns worth an additional £45/animal when compared to progeny of bulls with lower genetic merit. Harper…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Sire selection one of easiest ways to improve fertility

Keeping records and making better efforts to select the right sire is key to helping beef producers improve fertility and increase profitability on their farm, according to scientists. Research by…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Target daily liveweight gains to cut beef finishing times

Setting strict targets for daily liveweight gains and getting rid of animals that are not hitting the grade is helping beef finisher Meilir Jones keep a tight rein on costs…

BEEF

Manipulating EBVs counterproductive for beef producers

Beef industry leaders believe it’s getting tougher for breeders to get away with manipulating estimated breeding values (EBVs) to improve the value of cattle. Claims persist – particularly on social…