Just over 10% of pedigree beef bulls born and sold for breeding on Irish suckler farms do not produce a calf. It’s a startling statistic and poses the question – why are these animals not able to produce offspring?
Is it down to the management regime prior to sale, buying a young bull too close to the start of the breeding season or is it simply down to mismanagement during the animal’s first breeding season?
Given that many stock bulls purchased by commercial suckler farmers will cost between €2,000 and €5,000, buying a bull that is not able to breed is a serious financial drain on a suckler herd. The knock-on effect of having to replace such a bull in the middle of a breeding season can last for several years.
The calving pattern can slip badly and will not be rectified in one year. Trying to source a replacement stock bull in midsummer is problematic as most pedigree herds target the spring and autumn time to have young bulls ready for sale.
Furthermore, having to replace a bull in the middle of the breeding season means you need a bull that is ready to use.
Table 1 outlines the number of progeny produced from 2,092 pedigree beef bulls that were on commercial suckler farms and sold for slaughter in 2015. These bulls were on herds that have participated in the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme (SCWS), BDP and BDGP.
While 10.4% of bulls do not produce any progeny, a further 6% of bulls sold for breeding sired less than 10 calves by the time they were culled at approximately 24 months of age.
In total, almost one in four pedigree bulls will produce less than 20 calves by the time the animal reaches 36 month of age. Does this highlight a serious problem with sub-fertility or bulls that have mobility problems as a result of overfeeding?
For the long-term good of the national suckler herd, these statistics have to improve. It is not in the best interests of either pedigree or commercial herd owners to have such a low level of output from the breeding bulls.
At the opposite end of the scale, Table 1 shows that around one-third of pedigree bulls on commercial suckler herds will go on to produce more than 100 calves.
Over 17% of bulls produced an average of 122 calves by the time they reached eight years of age. A further 9.4% of bulls produced an average of 170 calves, with another 6.7% of bulls siring more than 200 calves. What is different about the management of these bulls to achieve such longevity?
On average, a pedigree bull sold to a commercial herd for breeding will produce around 80 calves in its lifetime. It will be slaughtered at an average age of 5.7 years.
Data recording
Just how much information is recorded on a young pedigree bull? With so much attention on Euro-star ratings, the data recorded through ICBF needs to be accurate. But we are reliant on breeders to be proactive and record such data.
Accuracy is increased when more information is recorded and there is greater connectivity between herd genetics. On average, 54% of pedigree bull calves are bred from an AI sire.
Presenting bulls for sale with accurate data will be an advantage to the commercial farmer. But how accurate is the data submitted by breeders that goes into the Euro-star traits?
The following data outlined on these pages is based on ICBF data for 15,652 pedigree bulls born in 2013 across 12 beef breeds that were sold on for breeding by 2015.
Calving survey
A total of 87% of the 15,652 pedigree bulls born in 2013 and sold for breeding in 2015 had a calving survey recorded which would indicate a fairly robust data set on calving ease. Yet only 5% of these calves had their actual birth weight submitted along with the calving survey.
Of the calving surveys submitted, 90% of these animals are recorded as requiring no assistance at birth. This seems a high figure for unassisted calving. A similar set of calving surveys submitted for commercial calves born in 2013 indicate 82% of calves born required no assistance at birth.
In both surveys of pedigree and commercial calves, just 1% of calves born required veterinary assistance. This data has to be taken at face value.
Weight recording
For all pedigree bulls born back in 2013, there were 32% of animals that had a liveweight recorded. This figure drops to 28% (or 4,391 animals) of bulls that had both a liveweight and a calving survey submitted.
It is worth noting that the herds in the G€N€ IR€LAND programme were much better at recording and submitting data, with 71% of bulls possessing a calving survey and a liveweight recorded. Approximately 23% of bulls born on Gene Ireland herds will record a birth weight.
Age
The average age that a pedigree bull is sold for breeding to a commercial suckler herd is 17.5 months. This age range ties in with the society sales which take place in spring and autumn. Around 20% of pedigree bulls are culled before they reach 18 months of age.
With an average age of 5.7 years before a pedigree bull is sold for slaughter, breeding bulls are on suckler farms for just over four years.
There are a number of reasons for slaughter at this age. For example, there will be herds that breed their own replacements and have too many daughters bred from a bull in the herd.
One in five pedigree herds have dairy cows
Maternal data is extremely difficult to determine accurately in pedigree beef bulls. The time lag from when heifer calves are born until they are rearing calves can be three to four years at the earliest.
If maternal weaning weight is used, there needs to be greater policing of herds to ensure that genuine weights are submitted. It is not uncommon for some pedigree calves to be fostered on to a dairy cow to increase weight gain.
Approximately 16% of 3,227 pedigree herds had dairy bred cows present on farm. These herds were identified based on:
Having bull calves born in 2015. Having no calves born through embryo transfer as a dairy cow could be kept for recipients.Having less than five dairy cows registered in their herd in case there was a small fattening enterprise. The breakdown of the herds with dairy cows present was:
0 cows = 2,711 herds.1 cow = 345 herds.2 cows = 106 herds.3 cows = 41 herds.4 cows = 23 herds.More than half of caesarean sections were not declared
On 300 herds participating in the G€N€ IR€LAND programme, on-farm checks of 900 cows within the maternal bull breeding programme, revealed that 136 cows had evidence of a C-section performed. Yet, only 44% of these 136 cows were actually recorded as having a caesarean section and 24% of these cows were incorrectly registered as having no assistance required at birth.
It poses the question who is reponsible for carrying out these checks. Surely ICBF and the breed societies both have a responsibility to check data accuracy.
Pedigree societies must take greater responsibility to address the level of incorrect data submitted on bulls. Young bulls sold on the strength of calving ease will not do the image of the pedigree society, or its members, any good if such a bull turns out to be extremely difficult to calve.
It is extremely unfair on the pedigree breeders who are recording data accurately to be penalised because of other society members who submit inaccurate data in order to avoid having a bull with poor Euro-star ratings.
For Irish suckler herds operating a spring-calving system, the breeding season will be under way on the majority of farms. Approximately 70% of suckler bred calves are recorded as being born between the months of February and April.
This year, there has been increased focus from herd owners on bull selection. With the BDGP, suckler herd owners have been asking pedigree breeders about Euro-star indexes when they were purchasing new stock bulls or selecting AI sires.
Commercial herd owners are reliant on pedigree breeders to record accurate data that is then used, in part, to produce Euro-Star ratings. This data should then allow the commercial herd owner to choose an AI sire, or a new stock bull, that will deliver benefits in terms of calving ease, improved maternal ability and increased growth rates.
They are also reliant on pedigree breeders to produce young bulls that are fit for purpose. Many commercial herd owners state that too many pedigree bulls sold through society sales are over-fed with concentrates and lack longevity as a result.
Good faith
Young bulls are bought in good faith based on visual appearance and Euro-Star data. When such bulls present serious problems in terms of calving ease or a lack of growth, it does the suckler industry no good.
Yet how many commercial herd owners will buy a young pedigree bull within a few weeks from the start of the breeding season? Or how many commercial herd owners will be naturally drawn to the biggest and heaviest muscled bull in the sale ring?
There needs to be better communication and integration between pedigree and commercial suckler farmers to deliver breeding bulls that will deliver for Irish suckler herds. Producing what the customer wants, rather than what wins in the show ring, will increase the number of repeat sales every year for pedigree breeders.
Improved performance
By purchasing bulls from pedigree herds with accurate calving surveys and weight gains, the commercial herd owner will have more live calves born every year, as well as improved cattle performance that improves herd profit.
The long-term focus in cattle breeding has to be based on commercial production. If the commercial suckler herd suffers because of too many bulls with inaccurate breeding data, then the pedigree herd is lacking its main market outlet.
Just over 10% of pedigree beef bulls born and sold for breeding on Irish suckler farms do not produce a calf. It’s a startling statistic and poses the question – why are these animals not able to produce offspring?
Is it down to the management regime prior to sale, buying a young bull too close to the start of the breeding season or is it simply down to mismanagement during the animal’s first breeding season?
Given that many stock bulls purchased by commercial suckler farmers will cost between €2,000 and €5,000, buying a bull that is not able to breed is a serious financial drain on a suckler herd. The knock-on effect of having to replace such a bull in the middle of a breeding season can last for several years.
The calving pattern can slip badly and will not be rectified in one year. Trying to source a replacement stock bull in midsummer is problematic as most pedigree herds target the spring and autumn time to have young bulls ready for sale.
Furthermore, having to replace a bull in the middle of the breeding season means you need a bull that is ready to use.
Table 1 outlines the number of progeny produced from 2,092 pedigree beef bulls that were on commercial suckler farms and sold for slaughter in 2015. These bulls were on herds that have participated in the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme (SCWS), BDP and BDGP.
While 10.4% of bulls do not produce any progeny, a further 6% of bulls sold for breeding sired less than 10 calves by the time they were culled at approximately 24 months of age.
In total, almost one in four pedigree bulls will produce less than 20 calves by the time the animal reaches 36 month of age. Does this highlight a serious problem with sub-fertility or bulls that have mobility problems as a result of overfeeding?
For the long-term good of the national suckler herd, these statistics have to improve. It is not in the best interests of either pedigree or commercial herd owners to have such a low level of output from the breeding bulls.
At the opposite end of the scale, Table 1 shows that around one-third of pedigree bulls on commercial suckler herds will go on to produce more than 100 calves.
Over 17% of bulls produced an average of 122 calves by the time they reached eight years of age. A further 9.4% of bulls produced an average of 170 calves, with another 6.7% of bulls siring more than 200 calves. What is different about the management of these bulls to achieve such longevity?
On average, a pedigree bull sold to a commercial herd for breeding will produce around 80 calves in its lifetime. It will be slaughtered at an average age of 5.7 years.
Data recording
Just how much information is recorded on a young pedigree bull? With so much attention on Euro-star ratings, the data recorded through ICBF needs to be accurate. But we are reliant on breeders to be proactive and record such data.
Accuracy is increased when more information is recorded and there is greater connectivity between herd genetics. On average, 54% of pedigree bull calves are bred from an AI sire.
Presenting bulls for sale with accurate data will be an advantage to the commercial farmer. But how accurate is the data submitted by breeders that goes into the Euro-star traits?
The following data outlined on these pages is based on ICBF data for 15,652 pedigree bulls born in 2013 across 12 beef breeds that were sold on for breeding by 2015.
Calving survey
A total of 87% of the 15,652 pedigree bulls born in 2013 and sold for breeding in 2015 had a calving survey recorded which would indicate a fairly robust data set on calving ease. Yet only 5% of these calves had their actual birth weight submitted along with the calving survey.
Of the calving surveys submitted, 90% of these animals are recorded as requiring no assistance at birth. This seems a high figure for unassisted calving. A similar set of calving surveys submitted for commercial calves born in 2013 indicate 82% of calves born required no assistance at birth.
In both surveys of pedigree and commercial calves, just 1% of calves born required veterinary assistance. This data has to be taken at face value.
Weight recording
For all pedigree bulls born back in 2013, there were 32% of animals that had a liveweight recorded. This figure drops to 28% (or 4,391 animals) of bulls that had both a liveweight and a calving survey submitted.
It is worth noting that the herds in the G€N€ IR€LAND programme were much better at recording and submitting data, with 71% of bulls possessing a calving survey and a liveweight recorded. Approximately 23% of bulls born on Gene Ireland herds will record a birth weight.
Age
The average age that a pedigree bull is sold for breeding to a commercial suckler herd is 17.5 months. This age range ties in with the society sales which take place in spring and autumn. Around 20% of pedigree bulls are culled before they reach 18 months of age.
With an average age of 5.7 years before a pedigree bull is sold for slaughter, breeding bulls are on suckler farms for just over four years.
There are a number of reasons for slaughter at this age. For example, there will be herds that breed their own replacements and have too many daughters bred from a bull in the herd.
One in five pedigree herds have dairy cows
Maternal data is extremely difficult to determine accurately in pedigree beef bulls. The time lag from when heifer calves are born until they are rearing calves can be three to four years at the earliest.
If maternal weaning weight is used, there needs to be greater policing of herds to ensure that genuine weights are submitted. It is not uncommon for some pedigree calves to be fostered on to a dairy cow to increase weight gain.
Approximately 16% of 3,227 pedigree herds had dairy bred cows present on farm. These herds were identified based on:
Having bull calves born in 2015. Having no calves born through embryo transfer as a dairy cow could be kept for recipients.Having less than five dairy cows registered in their herd in case there was a small fattening enterprise. The breakdown of the herds with dairy cows present was:
0 cows = 2,711 herds.1 cow = 345 herds.2 cows = 106 herds.3 cows = 41 herds.4 cows = 23 herds.More than half of caesarean sections were not declared
On 300 herds participating in the G€N€ IR€LAND programme, on-farm checks of 900 cows within the maternal bull breeding programme, revealed that 136 cows had evidence of a C-section performed. Yet, only 44% of these 136 cows were actually recorded as having a caesarean section and 24% of these cows were incorrectly registered as having no assistance required at birth.
It poses the question who is reponsible for carrying out these checks. Surely ICBF and the breed societies both have a responsibility to check data accuracy.
Pedigree societies must take greater responsibility to address the level of incorrect data submitted on bulls. Young bulls sold on the strength of calving ease will not do the image of the pedigree society, or its members, any good if such a bull turns out to be extremely difficult to calve.
It is extremely unfair on the pedigree breeders who are recording data accurately to be penalised because of other society members who submit inaccurate data in order to avoid having a bull with poor Euro-star ratings.
For Irish suckler herds operating a spring-calving system, the breeding season will be under way on the majority of farms. Approximately 70% of suckler bred calves are recorded as being born between the months of February and April.
This year, there has been increased focus from herd owners on bull selection. With the BDGP, suckler herd owners have been asking pedigree breeders about Euro-star indexes when they were purchasing new stock bulls or selecting AI sires.
Commercial herd owners are reliant on pedigree breeders to record accurate data that is then used, in part, to produce Euro-Star ratings. This data should then allow the commercial herd owner to choose an AI sire, or a new stock bull, that will deliver benefits in terms of calving ease, improved maternal ability and increased growth rates.
They are also reliant on pedigree breeders to produce young bulls that are fit for purpose. Many commercial herd owners state that too many pedigree bulls sold through society sales are over-fed with concentrates and lack longevity as a result.
Good faith
Young bulls are bought in good faith based on visual appearance and Euro-Star data. When such bulls present serious problems in terms of calving ease or a lack of growth, it does the suckler industry no good.
Yet how many commercial herd owners will buy a young pedigree bull within a few weeks from the start of the breeding season? Or how many commercial herd owners will be naturally drawn to the biggest and heaviest muscled bull in the sale ring?
There needs to be better communication and integration between pedigree and commercial suckler farmers to deliver breeding bulls that will deliver for Irish suckler herds. Producing what the customer wants, rather than what wins in the show ring, will increase the number of repeat sales every year for pedigree breeders.
Improved performance
By purchasing bulls from pedigree herds with accurate calving surveys and weight gains, the commercial herd owner will have more live calves born every year, as well as improved cattle performance that improves herd profit.
The long-term focus in cattle breeding has to be based on commercial production. If the commercial suckler herd suffers because of too many bulls with inaccurate breeding data, then the pedigree herd is lacking its main market outlet.
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