‘It’s more responsibility as you’re trying to get a good in-calf rate’

works — it is a regular income for him as well,” he said.

However, communication is key as both sides must be kept informed as the year is progressing. “I think there is going to be an increase in this as it can compliment a beef or sheep enterprise. It might give a steadier income.”

FOR Kieran Henry it was all about finding the right dairy farmer to work with.

“We had talked about it for about six months beforehand and we’d gotten to know each other a bit. It is a little bit more responsibility as you are trying to get a very good incalf rate,” said Kieran, who along with his wife Caroline took over her father Henry Carr’s farm in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo in 2011.

The pedigree Limousin breeder who currently has a herd of 30 cows feels that his work as an AI technician does give him an added edge as it is the most important point of the season.

“We were seeing the heifers around three times a day and I’d urge people not to be in a hurry. Watch them and you’ll build up a picture,” he said. “We carried out AI for six days and anything not seen in heat was given estrumate and all 56 had AI carried out within 14-15 days.”

He explains that it was the stability of income that drew them to it a couple of years ago.

“It is a regular cheque each month whereas the pedigree enterprise is only one or two pay days a year. Will it provide more for me than the pedigree herd? We’ll be seriously considering that in the future we might concentrate more on the contract rearing,” he said.

Currently, their first batch from the Dunphy’s landed in April and are all going back in-calf next month.

“We are working on a contract at the moment to take the next batch through from October to the following October,” he said, with work already underway under TAMS II on a five bay slatted shed with creep area to house the stock.

“We’d be on mediumheavy type soil so we are struggling at the minute but we have nothing housed. Most of the stock are on 12hour breaks. There is a good bit of work in moving the wires and keeping ahead of them,” he said.

Kieran advises anyone considering going down the route to brush up on their grassland management. “Find a farmer that you can work with, after that have good record keeping and good heat detection records in the weeks prior to breeding. Keeping a diary of records is crucial,” he said.