Improving Genetics

When selecting bulls there are many factors that farmers should look at to determine bulls that will help them finish younger. Firstly, carcass weight and confirmation indexes are valuable as they help to determine which cattle will finish better.  

Low calving difficulty is hugely important especially for dairy farmers using Irish Angus genetics. However, choosing bulls exclusively on calving difficulty can lead to smaller less profitable cattle. Therefore, farmers should look to strike a healthy balance between calving difficulty and other metrics.  

While we’ve touched on commercial beef value (CBV) in other areas of the project, it is certainly a highly useful tool for determining which Irish Angus bulls to use. It can give insights into a bulls expected genetic performance in areas which impact sustainability. Farmers who want to breed early finishing cattle should look to integrate CBV into their decision-making process. 

Certified Irish Angus Elite Breed Improvement programme.

One key iniative pioneered by the Certified Irish Angus producer group to improve genetics within the Irish Angus breed is the Elite breed improvement programme in collaboration with Dovea Genetics. As part of this programme members are encouraged to use bulls such as Drumcrow Tribesman.