The task of finding a new beef bull for your herd in Ireland today is not a simple one. So many bulls and breeds to choose from and of course, making sure that the bull has the right stars, can turn it into a daunting task. That’s where the ICBF stockbull finder comes in.
A group of beef pedigree breeders and ICBF have put a system in place that will greatly aid farmers in selecting stock bulls. These pedigree breeders (currently 550 of them) have voluntarily signed up to the ICBF WHPR (Whole Herd Performance Recording) programme. As the name suggests, it is a recording programme that covers the whole herd, from birthweights to liveweights and linear scores.
These breeders are making the information on their bulls fully available in a totally transparent way so you will have all the information you need at your disposal before you pick up the phone to make your enquiry.
WHPR is ICBF’s on-farm performance recording program for pedigree breeders - Whole Herd Performance Recording.Participating pedigree breeders sign up voluntarily. Participating herds have their whole pedigree herd independently weighed and checked by ICBF. Stockbull finder bulls are young bulls (10 months to three years old) that have been weighed by ICBF. These bulls are automatically advertised for sale on the stockbull finder after a herd’s annual WHPR visit from ICBF. The Whole herd programme recording visit will cover your BEEP weighing requirements.Full Transparency
Displayed below is an example of the weight data that is publicly available on a young pedigree Simmental bull currently up on the stockbull finder. All of the bull’s weight data is shown by clicking on the show button in the weight column. The weight data recorded by the breeder (DIY on-farm), as well as the weight recorded by ICBF is displayed. As can be seen, this bull was weight recorded at birth (47kgs). Many bull buyers get a lot of confidence about how a bull has been fed and reared by seeing this weight data. By seeing the daily gains and knowing that the ICBF weight is an independent recording of the animal, this gives buyers extra assurance about his date of birth and also from his feeding and rearing side – how hard he has been pushed.
Access
Step 1: Go to www.icbf.com and click on the stockbull finder logo on the front page:
Step 2: Put in your search criteria as regards: Location, Breed and Stars.
Step 3: Scroll through the bulls that came back from your search. Click on the ‘Owner’s’ name to get the phone number to ring, to enquire about possibly buying the bull.
Simmental pedigree breeders and WHPR participants
John, David and Mark Finnegan
“We operate in Cork under the ‘Leeherd’ prefix within the Simmental breed and have been using WHPR and the stockbull finder since it started. We are strong advocates of the WHPR scheme, we have been recording data since the days of the Tully bull intakes, so it’s an added bonus to have the annual on-farm weighing and inspections to allow us to stand over our own data recording, birth weights and ADGs etc. The WHPR visit itself is a hassle free event and the fact that it also covers us for the BEEP scheme is an added bonus. We buy a herd sire every two to three years and the last two have been sourced from other WHPR herds.
“The stockbull finder tool is a useful service and we have found that over 50% of all bull enquiries are now coming through it. In the last month we have sold four bulls off farm, three buyers came via the service. Interestingly, the majority of visitors will have called to three to four other WHPR herds (of different breeds) as part of their selection process, so once they have narrowed their search via the online finder, the visual assessment piece is still very important to them.
“Something else that struck us recently was how buyers like to see the full herd of cows when they come to visit. They seem to get more comfort in making a purchase when they understand the environment that the bull was reared in. They will often then return home before deciding on where/what breed to purchase.”
ICBF advice
For a beef farmer looking for a new stockbull, the stockbull finder is the best online place to start looking, as it is the only search engine for beef bulls in Ireland where all of the bulls have been independently weighed and scored by ICBF before being displayed. ICBF does not advise farmers to purchase a bull on figures alone. The bull must be seen. This is why the stockbull finder records the actual weight of each bull, which is shown alongside the bull’s €uro-Star data. For more information, call ICBF today to help you find your next beef stockbull at 023 8820452 or email whpr@icbf.com.
The task of finding a new beef bull for your herd in Ireland today is not a simple one. So many bulls and breeds to choose from and of course, making sure that the bull has the right stars, can turn it into a daunting task. That’s where the ICBF stockbull finder comes in.
A group of beef pedigree breeders and ICBF have put a system in place that will greatly aid farmers in selecting stock bulls. These pedigree breeders (currently 550 of them) have voluntarily signed up to the ICBF WHPR (Whole Herd Performance Recording) programme. As the name suggests, it is a recording programme that covers the whole herd, from birthweights to liveweights and linear scores.
These breeders are making the information on their bulls fully available in a totally transparent way so you will have all the information you need at your disposal before you pick up the phone to make your enquiry.
WHPR is ICBF’s on-farm performance recording program for pedigree breeders - Whole Herd Performance Recording.Participating pedigree breeders sign up voluntarily. Participating herds have their whole pedigree herd independently weighed and checked by ICBF. Stockbull finder bulls are young bulls (10 months to three years old) that have been weighed by ICBF. These bulls are automatically advertised for sale on the stockbull finder after a herd’s annual WHPR visit from ICBF. The Whole herd programme recording visit will cover your BEEP weighing requirements.Full Transparency
Displayed below is an example of the weight data that is publicly available on a young pedigree Simmental bull currently up on the stockbull finder. All of the bull’s weight data is shown by clicking on the show button in the weight column. The weight data recorded by the breeder (DIY on-farm), as well as the weight recorded by ICBF is displayed. As can be seen, this bull was weight recorded at birth (47kgs). Many bull buyers get a lot of confidence about how a bull has been fed and reared by seeing this weight data. By seeing the daily gains and knowing that the ICBF weight is an independent recording of the animal, this gives buyers extra assurance about his date of birth and also from his feeding and rearing side – how hard he has been pushed.
Access
Step 1: Go to www.icbf.com and click on the stockbull finder logo on the front page:
Step 2: Put in your search criteria as regards: Location, Breed and Stars.
Step 3: Scroll through the bulls that came back from your search. Click on the ‘Owner’s’ name to get the phone number to ring, to enquire about possibly buying the bull.
Simmental pedigree breeders and WHPR participants
John, David and Mark Finnegan
“We operate in Cork under the ‘Leeherd’ prefix within the Simmental breed and have been using WHPR and the stockbull finder since it started. We are strong advocates of the WHPR scheme, we have been recording data since the days of the Tully bull intakes, so it’s an added bonus to have the annual on-farm weighing and inspections to allow us to stand over our own data recording, birth weights and ADGs etc. The WHPR visit itself is a hassle free event and the fact that it also covers us for the BEEP scheme is an added bonus. We buy a herd sire every two to three years and the last two have been sourced from other WHPR herds.
“The stockbull finder tool is a useful service and we have found that over 50% of all bull enquiries are now coming through it. In the last month we have sold four bulls off farm, three buyers came via the service. Interestingly, the majority of visitors will have called to three to four other WHPR herds (of different breeds) as part of their selection process, so once they have narrowed their search via the online finder, the visual assessment piece is still very important to them.
“Something else that struck us recently was how buyers like to see the full herd of cows when they come to visit. They seem to get more comfort in making a purchase when they understand the environment that the bull was reared in. They will often then return home before deciding on where/what breed to purchase.”
ICBF advice
For a beef farmer looking for a new stockbull, the stockbull finder is the best online place to start looking, as it is the only search engine for beef bulls in Ireland where all of the bulls have been independently weighed and scored by ICBF before being displayed. ICBF does not advise farmers to purchase a bull on figures alone. The bull must be seen. This is why the stockbull finder records the actual weight of each bull, which is shown alongside the bull’s €uro-Star data. For more information, call ICBF today to help you find your next beef stockbull at 023 8820452 or email whpr@icbf.com.
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