Breeding is under way on Tullamore Farm, with 30 of the mature cows now bred.

Heat detection collars went on to cows a number of weeks ago and now that the collars have synched up to individual cows' behaviours, farm manager Shaun Diver is pleased with how they have been working.

"We are using a large amount of sexed semen on cows, with the time of AI and the window for breeding cows with sexed that the collars are telling us seems to be matching up well.

"The collars show a heat index depending on how strong the heats are, so any cow with a heat index of under 70 is served with conventional semen," explained Shaun.

Synchronised heifers

The 30 heifers that were synchronised a number of weeks ago were due in heat this week, with eight repeats recorded.

Of the 10 heifers served with sexed semen, only one heifer repeated, though Shaun points to the fact that these heifers were chosen beforehand as the were the heaviest heifers showing good heats.

The warm weather is pushing on grass growth on both the grazing and silage ground. A prolonged hot, dry period is not desired on the farm, as Cloonagh, the outblock, has free-draining soil that tends to burn up.

There is a good deal of sheep work to be completed next week, as 40-day weights of lambs are to be recorded, with lambs also to receive a white wormer and a clostridial vaccine as well as a footbath.