Invariably bulls are only proven for milk traits and not for female fertility traits which remains a key issue for dairy farmers. If you want to improve fertility and other traits related to fitness on your farm then you need to use teams of bulls. In this short clip, Margaret Kelleher from ICBF speaks about when planning what bulls to use this breeding season, also plan how to use each bull equally across your herd.

The breeding season on Irish dairy farms has become increasingly concentrated in the late April to June period. Teagasc in conjunction with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) will run a dairy breeding week this March.

Bryan Kingston (ICBF) explains the role of the national breeding programme in the Irish dairy Industry