Tipperary Farmer Credits CoseIcure Cattle Bolus With Addressing Herd’s Molybdenum-Related Fertility Issues

Eamonn Cleary, Ardcroney, Nenagh, Co Tipperary

Eamonn Cleary runs a dairy farm in Ardcroney, Nenagh, Co Tipperary with his bother Con, and his parents Con & Una. The Cleary herd consists of 300 spring-calving dairy cows, plus followers on a grazing platform spread over three farms. Eamonn & Con took over the running of the farm in 2001. The herd is a Holstein x Friesian cross herd.

65% of the cows calve in a 6-week calving interval. Milk is supplied to Arrabawn Co Op. Heifer calves are kept, whilst bull calves are sold. 80-90 heifers enter the milking herd annually. The farm produces 5800kg of milk, butterfat is 4.3%, protein is 3.6% and scc is 110.

The farm is in an area containing high Molybdenum in the soil, and this has caused issues with copper availability to the animals on the farm for many years. Copper supplementation of various forms has always been used in the animals. Issues with fertility in cows, and embryonic death were common over the years in the breeding season. Eamonn started using copper injections, then went onto a copper oxide bolus, and saw some improvements.

Analyses was done on forage, bloods and soil on the farm, and this identified average to low blood copper levels, and high Molybdenum in the forage. Eamonn did research on the internet and came across the Coseicure bolus. He then started using the Coseicure bolus in his herd. He found they worked well in his herd and following their introduction, fertility improved.

Other items were improved on the farm also. Every cow has their own diagnostic device for capturing data with health alerts, better animal husbandry, improved nutrition and cow management systems in place. All these activities aided production and performance over the years.

Through the data set used on the farm, all cows have a target for AI on day 40 post calving. If this is not achieved, these cows are examined by his vet and these cows are treated and brought back into line. Eamonn believes that the Coseicure bolus works well on this farm and he credits it with contributing to improved performance and fertility. The heifers improve and have a good coat colour after introducing the bolus on the farm. As a result of these improvements, Eamonn has now started using the Coseicure calf bolus in his calves.

Eamonn would recommend the Coseicure bolus to other farmers who want to improve herd fertility and animal performance, where high molybdenum or other trace element issues are negatively impacting the herd. The use of data to identify mineral imbalances is critical to understanding one’s own farm challenges and Eamonn recommends by engaging with your vet and farm advisors to understand any trace element issues on your farm, and then working together to address these.

ICBF Summary Data 5-year trend on the Cleary Farm:

• Fertility Sub-Index increased from 33 in 2017 to 65 in 2021 (Nat Ave is 55)
• Herd Calving Interval improved from 403 in 2017 to 379 in 2021 (Nat Ave is 387)
• Heifers calved 22-26 months improved from 68 in 2017 to 91 in 2021 (Nat Ave 74%)
• Herd EBI grew from 71 in 2017 to 137 in 2021 (Nat Ave 120)