The idea of picking low economic breeding index (EBI) bulls will be a foreign idea to many, but for one farmer, picking these bulls is resulting in high EBI cows.
Farming near the village of Emly in Co. Tipperary, Simon Breen milks 250 Jersey-cross cows in a spring-calving grass-based system.
The farm moved to the cross-bred cow a number of years ago, with Simon looking for a cow that would work in the system that he wanted to operate.
LIC KiwiCross® sires have been exclusively used on the farm for the last number of years, with excellent results being achieved.
Picking bulls on BW (breeding worth) along with advice from his LIC breeding advisor David Power has been key to Simon’s success.
EBI
The introduction of the EBI over 20 years ago changed the system of breeding dairy cows in Ireland forever.
With Simon’s herd having excellent EBI figures for production, this has been achieved by using bulls with low EBI.
The herd has an average calving interval of 364 days, with a six-week calving rate of 93% and empty rates of below 10%.
| Animal group | Number of cows | Milk kg Fat % Protein % | Milk | Fertility | Carbon | Calving | Beef | Maintenance | Management | Health | EBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cows with EBI | 252 | -57 13.5 / 0.27 7.4 / 0.16 | €76 | €66 | €19 | €40 | €-35 | €30 | €6 | €4 | €206 |
| First lactation | 59 | -53 15.0 / 0.30 8.8 / 0.19 | €88 | €65 | €19 | €39 | €-41 | €31 | €6 | €1 | €206 |
| Second lactation | 47 | -75 13.4 / 0.28 7.2 / 0.17 | €77 | €62 | €18 | €41 | €-36 | €28 | €7 | €2 | €198 |
| Third lactation | 38 | -39 12.9 / 0.24 7.9 / 0.16 | €77 | €62 | €17 | €42 | €-34 | €28 | €6 | €2 | €200 |
| Fourth lactation | 29 | -46 14.1 / 0.27 7.3 / 0.15 | €77 | €68 | €19 | €41 | €-35 | €30 | €6 | €4 | €209 |
| Fifth lactation(+) | 79 | -62 12.4 / 0.25 6.1 / 0.14 | €67 | €72 | €19 | €40 | €-31 | €31 | €6 | €8 | €212 |
EBI summary report
The continued progression of the herd can be seen in the figures for the young stock.
| Animal group | Number | Milk kg Fat percentage Protein percentage | Milk | Fertility | Carbon | Calving | Beef | Maintenance | Management | Health | EBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 calves | 80 | -100 16.4 / 0.36 7.7 / 0.2 | €89 | €71 | €19 | €39 | €-45 | €31 | €8 | €4 | €215 |
| 2023 calves | 70 | -71 16.3 / 0.34 8.9 / 0.2 | €93 | €74 | €19 | €39 | €-40 | €30 | €6 | €-1 | €220 |
EBI summary for young stock
Simon describes the herd as being high efficiency, with mature cows weighing 490kg producing over 500kg of milk solids.
Herd performance
The low-EBI bull selected by Simon means that he is given a one-star rating in the co-op, but in the performance area, he is achieving five-star ratings.
This shows that although the bulls have a low EBI, they have good BW values which results in highly efficient cows.
This cow type suits the grass-based system that Simon is operating on this Co. Tipperary farm.
| Your herd | Tipperary average | Tipperary top 10% | Rank out of 100 | Star rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milk performance for 2022 (Jan-Dec) based on Tipperary data | |||||
| Fat + protein (kg/cow) Average fat and protein yield/cow | 503 | 409 | 515 | 87% | ***** |
| Litres/cow/day Average L of milk/cow from Jan-Dec | 15.24 | 14 | 17.3 | 59% | *** |
| Fat percentage to end of December | 4.89 | 4.26 | 4.48 | 99% | ***** |
| Protein percentage to end of December | 3.88 | 3.53 | 3.65 | 99% | ***** |
| Average milk price c/L | 68.0 | 59.8 | 62.8 | 99% | ***** |
| Somatic cell count (SCC) (,000 cells/ml) | 120 | 204 | 105 | 84% | ***** |
| Fertility and calving data | |||||
| Calving interval | 364 | 384 | 364 | 93% | ***** |
| Spring 6-week calving rate | 93% | 72% | 88% | 97% | ***** |
| Percentage of known sires | 100% | 59% | 100% | 100% | ***** |
| Percentage of AI-bred replacements | 91% | 52% | 100% | 62% | **** |
| Percentage of heifers calved at 22-26 months | 100% | 78% | 100% | 100% | ***** |
| EBI statistics | |||||
| Herd EBI 2023 | €204 | €155 | €190 | 97% | ***** |
| EBI of 2023 inseminations | €211 | €268 | €320 | 17% | * |
Dairy herd performance report
The data shows that although low-EBI sires are being used, it is resulting in highly efficient and profitable cows.
Sire selection
The importance of having good advice was also highlighted by Simon, with breeding advisors David Power’s knowledge of bulls being vital.
Simon has an aim to reach 5% fat, from its current level of 4.90% and 4% protein from its current level of 3.90%.
The bulls that have been selected for this year’s breeding season have an average figure of 5.5% for fat and 4.3% for protein.
A high-EBI calf is not important for his herd, according to Simon, admitting that he is instead looking for a high-EBI cow that will perform within the herd.
This article is part of Agriland Media Group’s farmer-focussed Breeding Series.
