This week on Tullamore Farm, farm manager Shaun Diver and his team have been busy monitoring the cows and heifers for heat detection.

The breeding season has started on Tullamore Farm, with both the heifer and cow groups commencing AI this week. That will mean calving will start in the first week of February 2023.

A teaser bull with a chin ball is currently being used for heat detection with the heifers.

The early calving cows have also been placed with a teaser bull as well. This bull has been fitted with a heat detection collar instead.

Shaun comments: "I find these two methods to be the most accurate way to pick up heats for both the cows and heifers.

"The heifers tend to have a lot more activity when in heat, which can lead to inaccurate heat detection results with the collar system."

There have been six cows and four heifers AI-ed this week. Curaheen Earp, a Simmental bull, and Norman Inventor, a Limousin bull, are two of the bulls that have been used to serve the cows this week.

Grass cover

The grass cover this week is 887kg DM/ha, which has increased by 45kg DM/ha from last week’s grass cover.

The average growth rate per day has increased a lot from last week to 62kg DM/ha/day.

Shaun said: "With the recent good weather and application of both slurry and fertiliser, I am not surprised with an increase in the overall grass growth this week.

"From analysing the PasturedBase system, we are seeing that growth is well above our demand this week.

"If there is any sign of more rainfall in the coming days, I also plan on spreading more fertiliser on grazing ground."

Lambing

Lambing is coming towards the end, with a handful of hoggets left to lamb and the remaining ewe lambs, which will be lambing outside.

With warmer weather and more hygienic conditions outside, it suits to keep the ewe lambs outside and lamb them in paddocks close to the yard.

Calving

Calving remains slow, with just 10 cows remaining to calf in the sheds.

More cows and calves have been turned out this week, with cows being vaccinated for BVD and lepto.

The April-born calves were also brought in to be vaccinated against clostridial disease.