The event, hosted by Caryn Webster on her 116-acre farm, will feature Daniel Pitt, Animal Genetics Manager at AHDB, who will discuss practical approaches to breeding for genetic gain and production while targeting traits that can improve dairy cow longevity and efficiency across different farming systems.
The event, which starts at 11am, is the third UK-DCN on-farm event to take place in Northern Ireland, following successful meetings in April and July. The events give farmers the opportunity to see project work being implemented on commercial farms and meet members of the UK-DCN team.
“This farm walk will give farmers the opportunity to see how genetic information, genomic testing and targeted bull selection can be used in practice, while also hearing directly from AHDB's breeding team,” said Jonathan McAleese, UK-DCN Farm Liaison Officer at AgriSearch.
The UK-DCN is working with over 50 dairy farms across the UK to put practical, farm-ready solutions for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into action. Led by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the project is driven by a UK-wide consortium of leading research institutions and industry organisations. The Northern Ireland UK-DCN Farm Network is managed by AgriSearch.
Caryn Webster milks 60 Holstein autumn calving cows, yielding around 7,500 litres on 2 tonnes of concentrate per cow. Cows are typically grazed from March until October day and night, with cows fed baled silage and concentrate in-parlour.
In the first year as part of the UK-DCN project, Caryn selected actions such as breeding, nutrition, as well as improved forage and grazing management.
Caryn was immediately drawn to the breeding option, having a keen interest in Holstein genetics. Caryn has been working with World Wide Sires for bull selection for a number of years, as well as classifying through Holstein UK and taking part in the Holstein Northern Ireland Herds Inspection competition. Breeding a robust, fertile cow with high components has been incredibly important for Caryn to produce quality milk from grass on an extended grazing system, while in a relatively exposed climate on the coast.
As part of the UK-DCN project Caryn selected the ‘Breeding for Improved Feed Efficiency’ option to better understand her current herd position, as well as being able to take up the opportunity to genomic test youngstock with the project.
Caryn was able to benefit from impartial advice from AHDB’s breeding team, as well as the information provided by her Herd Genetic Report, which highlighted the best traits within the herd, as well as those that could be improved. With support provided by the project, areas for improvement have been taken into account within the selection criteria for bulls, as well as AHDB’s EnviroCow index which helps breed more environmentally friendly cows by improving production, longevity and feed efficiency.
Genomic testing of both the maiden heifers and calves born during autumn 2025 has taken place with project support, with the results to be used to make more informed breeding decisions. Caryn said, “Using my genomic results, I’ll be able to select my best heifers for breeding to sexed semen that will provide me with enough replacement heifers while also getting the most genetic gain. I can also better match my bulls to suit my heifers.”
All are welcome to attend. A light lunch will be provided to all those who register in advance. For further information and to register to attend click here
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Caryn Webster, who will host the UK Dairy Carbon Network farm walk in Islandmagee on 3 September, pictured with Jonathan McAleese, UK-DCN Farm Liaison Officer at AgriSearch.