Sustainable Breeding - what are the options? скачать в хорошем качестве

Sustainable Breeding - what are the options?

The EBI continues to evolve and contribute towards improved performance and proitability on Irish dairy farms, as well as favourably impact some environmental credentials of milk production. Crossbreeding, particularly with Jersey bulls, can also improve herd productivity and profitability metrics, but non-replacement calves typically have low financial value, and are a potential welfare concern for the dairy industry. For these reasons, crossbreeding with Jersey bulls should only be undertaken with sexed semen. It is anticipated that the uptake and usage of sexed semen will increase markedly in the coming years, which will facilitate a simultaneous increase in the usage of high DBI beef bulls on all dams that are not required to generate replacements. This will have the welcome effect of markedly reducing the number of male dairy calves and increasing the number of beef-cross calves born. In vitro embryo production is a viable technology for seasonal calving systems, and will become an important tool to accelerate genetic gain in both dairy breeds and beef breeds suitable to crossing with dairy dams. Watch back this talk from Donagh Berry from Moorepark21 on sustainable breeding