The Thrive dairy calf to beef programme was set up in spring 2019 following the purchase of 102 calves in 2018 for a contract-rearing demonstration farm in Cashel, Co Tipperary. A further 142 calves were purchased in 2019. The purpose of the project is to highlight the role genetics has to play in running profitable dairy calf to beef systems. The project also aims to bridge the knowledge gap that exists on beef farms around calf rearing and managing dairy beef calves. There are a number of issues regarding the use of some bulls on the dairy herd. One is carcase weight. In the quest to achieve minimum calving difficulty and short gestation, carcase weight has been forgotten about and this is a key driver of profitability in a dairy calf to beef system. This project aims to highlight these issues and change the mindset on the genetics currently being used.