The Irish Cattle and Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Teagasc have urged farmers to begin planning their breeding strategies to enhance herd sustainability, profitability, and efficiency as the 2025 dairy breeding season approaches.
There will be a few cows in the herd yet to calve but as the end of March closes in, the breeding season edges closer which means a plan must be put in place for breeding the next generation of milkers and saleable quality beef calves.
The goal remains clear – to breed dairy cows that are healthy, efficient and carbon-friendly while producing higher-quality calves for the beef industry.
To support this, ICBF and Teagasc have developed essential breeding guidelines to help farmers maximise their herd’s potential.
Breeding season
Maximising Economic Breeding Index (EBI) for profitability remains a strong focus for the ICBF and Tegasc as every €1 increase in EBI translates to €2 in additional profit.
The scorecard is a valuable tool in setting breeding objectives and selecting artificial insemination (AI) bulls aligned with these goals.
Breeding high-EBI dairy replacements is crucial as farmers are encouraged to breed high-EBI females (minimum EBI €185) using dairy AI bulls, either sexed or conventional semen.
Selecting a well-balanced team of high-EBI AI bulls from the ICBF Active Bull List is crucial, ensuring no more than 15% of services come from a single bull.
Larger herds of 200+ cows and heifers should incorporate additional bulls into their breeding program.
DBI
Selecting the right beef bulls using the Dairy Beef Index (DBI) enables dairy farmers to select beef bulls that are easy-calving, have a short gestation, and provide high carcass merit.
Here is some key advice to farmers to prepare for this breeding season:
- Review the DBI active bull list;
- Set a calving difficulty threshold suitable for their herd;
- Select bulls with a minimum €100 beef sub-index.
Leveraging sexed semen for future heifers is another important aspect for those aiming to generate dairy heifer calves for 2026, sexed semen is a highly effective tool.
With the level of sexed semen now currently available for high EBI bulls, farmers are encouraged to incorporate some level of sexed semen usage into their breeding strategy.
Farmers are also advised to implement the following breeding strategies for heifers:
- Use at least two high-EBI sexed semen straws per required dairy female;
- Prioritise insemination in the first three weeks of the breeding season;
- Focus on maiden heifers, younger cows (lactation 1-4), and earlier calving cows (January/February);
- Ensure AI is timed optimally -14 to 20 hours post-onset of standing heat.
The ICBF HerdPlus Sire Advice Tool is available to help farmers this breeding season to:
- Manage inbreeding and improve both dairy and beef matings;
- Breed more balanced females in terms of milk production and fertility;
- Enhance beef merit while minimising calving difficulty risks.
Farmers have an opportunity to breed cattle that are less likely to become TB reactors by selecting cows and bulls with the highest EBI and the lowest TB breeding value, herds can improve resilience against TB.
Bulls with a breeding value below 8.5% are recommended, with those under 6.5% offering even faster improvements.
ICBF has introduced a traffic light system to simplify interpretation, highlighting the top 30% in green and the lowest 30% in red.
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