Breeding
An increasing level of data is being available to farmers to help them choose the sires of replacement heifers for their dairy herd. The Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) places economic weights on the data to provide one comparative figure on which to rank and compare the sires available. The webpages on Genetics provide detailed information on how to use and interpret this data and on the training provided by Cafre Dairying Development Farmers to help farmers in the process, including:
- Sire Selection using PLI
- Herd Genetic Summaries
- Top 100 sires available in NI by PLI
- Impact of UK Fertility Index in the Future Herd
- Impact of sire Lifespan Index on daughter lifespan in Future Herd
Infertility has been identified as the number one problem on dairy farms and is estimated to cost dairy farmers in Northern Ireland approximately £50 million per year. Improving fertility performance, by addressing management factors contributing to poor fertility, can decrease culling rates and reduce replacement costs. The web pages on Fertility include information on:
- The Dairy Herd Fertility Challenge farmer training programme
- Fertility Benchmarking Online
- The fertility performance of the Cafre Future Herd
- Dairy herd fertility management technologies
Replacement heifer rearing involves considerable expenditure for dairy farmers and represents a major investment in the future of a dairy enterprise. It is crucial that heifers are reared cost effectively to calve at an age and body size that will maximise lifetime performance. The web pages on Replacement Heifer Rearing include:
- Results from the AFBI/CAFRE Heifer Rearing Survey
- Analysis of farmer attitudes to technology transfer among Northern Ireland dairy farmers
- Findings on calf rearing practices on dairy farms in Northern Ireland
- A farmer booklet entitled ‘Rearing your 2010 herd’
- Guidance on how to use a heifer liveweight measuring tape
