EBI DAIRY OPEN DAY. Thursday, 8th September 2011

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1 EBI DAIRY OPEN DAY Thursday, 8th September 2011

2 EBI Dairy Open Day Foreword On behalf of the Deise 1250 Discussion Group I would like to welcome you to the National EBI Open Day farm walk and sincerely thank the Budds Family for hosting this event on behalf of the group. Our attendance at Farm Walks and Group meetings in the past has greatly improved our knowledge and decision making on our own farms. I hope everyone here today gains some knowledge and ideas to take home. 2 I would like to thank our own group members for all the time and effort they put into our project for today entitled Ladders of Opportunity which was coordinated by Karen Brosnan. Many people in the dairy industry were interviewed by group members and asked to identify the steps that need to be taken in order to exploit the opportunities that will be presented by the abolition of quota in This booklet presents the views expressed. Our group would also like to remember our former colleague Vincent Wall who died in a tragic accident in December Vincent was a valued, founding member of the group. I would like to thank the sponsors of the EBI competition, ACC Bank, ICBF, The Irish Farmers Journal and Teagasc for their support and help in preparing for today. I would also like to acknowledge and thank our two Teagasc facilitators Brian Hilliard and Owen Power. Without their expertise and guidance we would not be where we are today. Owen Hallahan Chairman Deise 1250 Group. Vincent Wall

3 Foreword Today s open day presents an excellent opportunity for us to witness the excellent achievements of the Deise 1250 Dairy Discussion Group. ACCBank is delighted to once again sponsor this competition which we have supported since it began in Since 2005, the Individual EBI Competition winners and subsequent Group Competition winners have provided excellent examples of best practice for Irish Dairying. Once again, this year s competition winners have shown us what can be achieved in the areas of breeding, grassland management, and financial management. Seán Farrell The annual gains in national average EBI is a welcome development. Further increases in EBI across the National Herd in the coming years will help position the Irish Dairy industry to avail of the opportunities which will present themselves post As sponsors, we greatly appreciate the hospitality of our host farmers Liam and Matthew Budds, and thank them for making their Farm available for today s walk. We also acknowledge the contribution of our competition partners; Teagasc, ICBF and the Farmers Journal, who have all contributed significantly to this competition to make it into the success which it has become. Seán Farrell National Agri. Manager ACCBank

4 EBI Dairy Open Day Foreword Making the right breeding decisions has never been more important. With much talk of growth and expansion of the Irish dairy industry, the breeding decisions made now will provide the heifers which will underpin milk production in the years immediately following EU milk quota removal. Research and on-farm experience has shown that the type of cow needed has to be able to produce good volumes of milk solids, go back in calf on-time and last in the herd. Use of EBI and the ICBF Active Bull List will enable dairy farmers to achieve these objectives. The ACCBank EBI Competition has highlighted the importance of breeding decisions over the last seven years. The experience of entering the competition has benefitted many dairy farmers in that time. 4 I would like to thank the Deise 1250 Discussion Group, and especially the host farmers, Liam and Matthew Budds, for hosting today s event. The performance of the Deise 1250 group in winning the 2010 competition was of the highest order and this event offers all dairy farmers the opportunity to learn the secrets to their success. A key message is the important role that discussion groups play in motivating and supporting dairy farmers in the decisions taken on their farms. The EBI Discussion Group Competition would not be possible without the generous sponsorship of ACC Bank and the assistance of ICBF and Irish Farmers Journal. I also wish to acknowledge the work of all Teagasc staff involved in the preparation for this event and the EBI Discussion Group Competition and in their ongoing work with discussion groups. Tom O Dwyer, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer Teagasc

5 Deise 1250 Discussion Group Profile Group Average Group Formed January 2008 Number of Members Age range of members Years SEPTEMBER 2011 Total Ha Milking Platform Days at Grass in Ha 53 Ha 300 Days Days at Grass 2011 (mid-aug) Kgs Meal / Cow 2010 Kgs Meal / Cow 2011 (mid-aug) 196 Days 606 Kgs 362 Kgs % Cross Breeding 82% (14) % Using AI on Heifers 100% (17) 5 Quota 615,000 litres (4,300 litres /cow) 2010 Supply (Jan Dec) 637,000 litres (4,455 litres/ cow) % over Quota (2010 / 2011) 7% (3 under/ 2 on quota) 2020 Projected Production 1,085,000 (+ 448,000 litres = + 70%) % Bought Quota (since 1/1/2008) 71% (12) % of Farms mapped by GPS 77% (13) % Farm area reseeded in % (of usable area) Vaccinations Salmonella 100% (17) Lepto 82% (14) BVD 77% (13) IBR 65% (11)

6 EBI Dairy Open Day The Budds Farm 6 Farm Size - 52 ha (32 ha milking platform) 83 Cows Milking Platform S.R LU/ha Herd EBI Milk Solids 1,078 kg/ha 6 Week Calving Rate 73% Meal Usage - 725kg/cow Farm Map

7 Why this Group is the National Winner! Group Average Finalist Average Positives Herd EBI year old EBI year old EBI year EBI Increase Profit Monitor Common Profit (c/l) Common Cost (c/l) Growth Focused - 70% by cows 2011 Median Calving Date 18th Feb % AI Bred Heifers Areas to Improve 6 Week Calving Rate - 64% Calving Season 16 weeks 7

8 EBI Dairy Open Day Improving Grass Production and Utilisation t DM/ha t DM/ha 8 Message: High Grass Use = High Profitability

9 Autumn Grassland Planner 9 MESSAGE : Close up 60% of the farm by the start of November

10 EBI Dairy Open Day Group Physical Performance

11 Financial Performance incl. 6c/litre own labour charge 11

12 EBI Dairy Open Day Data from the Deise 1250 Group herds is presented in the following table. The top group had an average EBI of 132 of which 44 came from milk index and 70 from fertility index. Between lactations 1 and 3 they produced an average of 1,132 kg milk solids per cow. Their calving interval averaged 370 days. At the birth of their fourth calf, 88% of them remained in the herd in other words 136 calved down for the fourth time out of the original 155 calving. In the bottom 20% most of their EBI is coming from milk index. They produced 152 kg less milk solids on average per cow. Their calving interval explains some of the difference in milk production it was almost one month longer than the high EBI group. Survival rate suffered as well because cows calving progressively later at each calving tend to leave the herd. Within this group, 76 were culled by the fourth lactation from 155 cows that entered the herd as first calvers. The data for the middle 20% of cows is intermediate for both milk production and fertility. In summary our data shows that the higher EBI cows last longer, are more fertile and produce more milk than lower EBI cows. EBI is working for The Deise 1250 Group group. 12 EBI works for the Deise 1250 Group MESSAGE : Use top EBI bulls - High Yielding Long Lasting Cows

13 Replacement Heifers 13

14 EBI Dairy Open Day Replacement Heifers Target Weights 14 Key criteria for achieving target weights economically Sufficient colostrum 2 to 3 litres in first 6 hours Wean based on weight Grass only for bigger calves Worming programme start early if turning out early to grass Feed high quality grass to heifers for high growth rates Early turnout after 1st winter prioritise stock below target Feed meal if stock below target weight

15 Deise 1250 Group Breeding Objectives 15 Message: Focus on AI usage - Key to Increase Herd EBI

16 EBI Dairy Open Day Animal Health - Group Approach 16

17 Future Animal Health Issues 17

18 EBI Dairy Open Day 2010 EBI COMPETITION SCORE SHEET Discussion Group: Deise 1250 Discussion Group Activity 18

19 2010 EBI COMPETITION SCORE SHEET (CONTINUED) Discussion Group: Deise 1250 Discussion Group Activity 19

20 Farm Finance Dairy Farm Finance Land Purchase Loans Farm Business Current Accounts Forestry Finance Seasonal and Working Capital Loans Our Agribusiness teams understand the needs of commercial farmers and our specialists are available to call to your farm. If you would like more information please call into your local ACCBank or telephone us on: Cork (021) Drogheda (041) Dublin (01) Galway (091) Kilkenny (056) Limerick (061) Mullingar (044) Sligo (071) Waterford (051) ACC Bank plc trading as ACCBank is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. ACC Bank plc is part of the Rabobank group.