Weighing deadlines: There are just two weeks left to submit weights under the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme Sucklers (BEEP-S) and the dairy-beef calf programme.

Weights must be recorded and loaded into the ICBF database by 5.30pm on Monday 1 November.

This is a change to last year, when farmers had the ability to load the weights seven days after the scheme had closed. This change is important where weights are submitted by post.

You need to make sure weighing forms are posted in good time so they are received by ICBF by Monday 1 November.

According to ICBF, there are still a large number of the 27,000 herds in BEEP-S and the 8,000 herds in the dairy-beef programme that have yet to submit weights.

ICBF has also advised that the scales rental system gets busy in the last two weeks and farmers should make sure they have organised themselves to avoid any delay in weighing. There are 100 depots in Ireland providing a scales rental service. Locations can be found on www.icbf.com. Scales rental costs €50/day.

Cows and calves must be weighed on the same day on farm using a scales registered with ICBF prior to weighing. If you have any queries in relation to weighing for both schemes, you can contact ICBF on 023 -832883 or email beep@icbf.com.

BDGP deadline: There are also only two weeks left to make sure your herd is fully eligible for the 2021 BDGP payment being paid out in December. Participants must have 50% of the reference number of females in the herd genotyped four- or five-star on the replacement index by 31 October. Heifers must be 16 months or over on 31 October to be eligible.

Sixty per cent of the reference number of animals need to be genotyped in 2021. This means if you get paid on 20 cows you need to genotype 12 animals this year. These can be male or female and the ICBF sent out tags earlier this year for genotyping purposes. These should be returned to ICBF as soon as tagging is complete. If animals selected for tagging have been sold, tags for replacement animals can be ordered from the ICBF. Surveys need to be completed on calving difficulty, calf vigour, health incidences, weanling quality, cow milkability, stock bull docility and functionality, and reasons for culling. These can be filled out on paper and posted to ICBF or completed online via HerdPlus.

Tullamore Farm heifer sale: Tullamore Farm will hold its annual in-calf heifer sale on Wednesday 27 October in Central Auctions, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, at 8pm. There are 20 in-calf heifers and five maiden heifers entered in this year’s sale. All heifers are spring 2020-born, with most sired by AI sires like Tomschoice Ironstone, FSZ, ZAG, QCD, Ewdenvale Ivor, Ulsan and Curaheen Earp. Heifers have been bred to calve at two years old in January, February and March 2022 and are in-calf to LM2014, EBY, Ulsan and a Salers stock bull. Most of the heifers are genotyped four- and five-star and are eligible for the BDGP. Heifers have all been vaccinated for BVD and Leptospirosis and will be available for viewing from 5pm on the day of the sale. Heifers can also be viewed on farm. Online bidding via martbids.ie.