Shift to beef genomics threatens dairy heifer numbers

A recent trend for dairy farms to address cashflow concerns by using more beef genetics could result in a heifer shortage, genetics companies are warning.

Higher calf values and cheaper beef semen are among the reasons for a “huge swing to beef” as dairy farms continue to ride out a challenging market downturn.

Cogent says it has noticed an increasing number of its customers now buying beef semen and this week (7 September), Sterling Sires announced it would be dropping the price of dairy semen to avert competition with beef semen.

See also: Advice on breeding dairy replacements

Cogent salesman Bryan Challenor warns that buying beef semen only brings “short-term gain”.

“It is very tempting to use Belgian Blue semen at the moment because the price of the calves is so high and the price of the semen is so cheap,” says Mr Challenor.

He says he has also seen a swing to people using cheaper genomic bulls. But he warns this is a dangerous game to play, adding that lower-ranking genomic sires become much poorer quality than higher-ranking ones if they fall in value once proven.

“If you are looking to save money, use the best genomic bulls and sexed semen on the heifers, because you get the best conception rates, and then use Belgian Blue on your bottom-end cows,” he advises.

For the rest, he recommends a good-quality proven bull, which can be cheaper than the best genomic sires.

If selecting a genomic bull, however, his advice is to pick animals with at least three proven bulls in their pedigree to help improve reliability.

With analysts predicting more dairy market stability in the middle of next year, maintaining heifer numbers could pay dividends down the line, says Sterling Sires general manager Simon Gee, who recently announced a discount on dairy semen.

“In addition to immediate cost savings, this gives farmers willing to speculate and buck the trend an opportunity to breed more cows to dairy sires at affordable costs and be in a position to sell high-value surplus heifers in three years’ time,” says Mr Gee.

Shopping around

Making the right sire choice starts with assessing your current herd and then deciding what strengths or weaknesses a bull can complement or address, advises Marco Winters, head of genetics at AHDB Dairy.

He suggests farmers that milk-record use the Herd Genetic Report on the AHDB Dairy website to benchmark their herd and assess individual cows for fertility scores and somatic cell counts.

On the bull side, he says the Available Bull List, also online, gives a comprehensive breakdown of sires of all main dairy breeds.

“Our advice is to use a mix of proven and genomic sires,” says Mr Winters, stressing the importance of calving-ease traits for dairy heifers.

He says proven bulls are only worth considering above £300 PLI.

“This is the top 50% of proven bulls. Then you can focus on bulls with good fertility, longevity and milk characteristics.”