Irish dairy farmers will have access to sexed semen from New Zealand this spring. LIC, a farmer-owned co-op, will be aiming to offer up to eight sexed bulls, with five currently confirmed.
LIC’s European general manger Mark Ryder said the bulls that would be offered would be the company’s top bulls who were proven to perform within a grass-based system. He also said they were bulls proven to sex well.
Semen will be collected from the bulls in January and the straws will then to into quarantine and storage. After a number of tests are performed, the semen will be shipped and LIC aims to have supplies available in Ireland from the start of march.
Fertility
“Fertility has been one of the biggest challenges facing the Irish dairy industry in the past 10 years and many farmers have made improvements in this area,” said Ryder.
“No one will want to throw away the gains made, so sexed semen will not be for everyone, especially when farmers need to keep to a very tight block-calving system. It’s a case of not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
Ryder said sexed semen must be used wisely and suggested maiden heifers that were the most fertile and most likely to go in-calf. He also suggested a cow that calved early and displayed strong heat prior to mating.
Conception rates
Research from New Zealand had shown lower pregnancy rates on average with sexed semen. Ryder said the figure was an average within which there had been very good and very bad figures.
“It’s all about selecting the right heifers or cows, and management around them, but there are still no guarantees,” he points out.
“As the technology improves, so will the conception rates,” he adds. “This may not be a solution for all, but it’s a huge step in the right direction and will certainly help to address the male calf issue, which is a growing challenge across the world.”
The bulls
The five confirmed bulls that will be available are:
Maire IG Gauntlet-ET (62 113086). “A pedigree Holstein Friesian A2A2 bull who produces milky daughters with great temperament, type and capacity unrivalled by other Holstein bulls, a rare find when combined with great fertility.”Bells CM Conrad (312057). “A Jersey sire, also A2A2 producing large capacious daughters with exceptional production and fertility. He will be partnered by NZ favourite Okura LT Integrity (311013).”Glen Koru Epic (514018). “A KiwiCross™ and another A2A2 sire, strong right across the board and improving each time his daughters are analysed, currently top five in New Zealand. He will be accompanied by Arkans Beaut-ET (511026). This bull has sired more daughters than any other bull in New Zealand over the past three years and is in high demand here.” Read more
Semen handling techniques in cattle
Sexed semen trial ‘ready to rock’
Irish dairy farmers will have access to sexed semen from New Zealand this spring. LIC, a farmer-owned co-op, will be aiming to offer up to eight sexed bulls, with five currently confirmed.
LIC’s European general manger Mark Ryder said the bulls that would be offered would be the company’s top bulls who were proven to perform within a grass-based system. He also said they were bulls proven to sex well.
Semen will be collected from the bulls in January and the straws will then to into quarantine and storage. After a number of tests are performed, the semen will be shipped and LIC aims to have supplies available in Ireland from the start of march.
Fertility
“Fertility has been one of the biggest challenges facing the Irish dairy industry in the past 10 years and many farmers have made improvements in this area,” said Ryder.
“No one will want to throw away the gains made, so sexed semen will not be for everyone, especially when farmers need to keep to a very tight block-calving system. It’s a case of not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
Ryder said sexed semen must be used wisely and suggested maiden heifers that were the most fertile and most likely to go in-calf. He also suggested a cow that calved early and displayed strong heat prior to mating.
Conception rates
Research from New Zealand had shown lower pregnancy rates on average with sexed semen. Ryder said the figure was an average within which there had been very good and very bad figures.
“It’s all about selecting the right heifers or cows, and management around them, but there are still no guarantees,” he points out.
“As the technology improves, so will the conception rates,” he adds. “This may not be a solution for all, but it’s a huge step in the right direction and will certainly help to address the male calf issue, which is a growing challenge across the world.”
The bulls
The five confirmed bulls that will be available are:
Maire IG Gauntlet-ET (62 113086). “A pedigree Holstein Friesian A2A2 bull who produces milky daughters with great temperament, type and capacity unrivalled by other Holstein bulls, a rare find when combined with great fertility.”Bells CM Conrad (312057). “A Jersey sire, also A2A2 producing large capacious daughters with exceptional production and fertility. He will be partnered by NZ favourite Okura LT Integrity (311013).”Glen Koru Epic (514018). “A KiwiCross™ and another A2A2 sire, strong right across the board and improving each time his daughters are analysed, currently top five in New Zealand. He will be accompanied by Arkans Beaut-ET (511026). This bull has sired more daughters than any other bull in New Zealand over the past three years and is in high demand here.” Read more
Semen handling techniques in cattle
Sexed semen trial ‘ready to rock’
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