The Progressive Genetics team were delighted to visit the farm of Kevin Murphy in Clonroche, Co. Wexford, for an in-depth look at his impressive dairy and dairy-beef enterprise.

Kevin was joined on the day by Padraic Mulconroy, beef specialist with Progressive Genetics, and his brother Ger Murphy, a Progressive Genetics artificial insemination (AI) technician with over 30 years of experience.

Kevin is currently milking approximately 140 high Economic Breeding Index (EBI) Holstein Friesian cows, achieving an impressive 500kg of milk solids per cow.

His herd showcases generations of Progressive Genetics AI breeding, resulting in significant genetic gains in recent years.

Milk recording is a vital tool on Kevin’s farm, helping to identify top-performing females for the use of sexed semen. This approach allows early use of beef semen in the breeding season, optimising herd performance.

According to Ger, there has been a noticeable shift in mindset among dairy farmers when it comes to dairy-beef sire selection.

The focus is now on choosing sires with a high beef sub-index while maintaining calving ease and short gestation.

These traits help improve herd performance by getting cows back in calf quicker while also increasing kilograms of milk solids due to selection of shorter gestation sires.

Kevin, like many other farmers, is targeting the breeding of high beef sub-index calves from proven AI sires.

This results in calves that command premium prices for dairy farmers and offer better returns for beef finishers due to higher carcass weights, confirmation, and shorter finishing times.

Kevin reports a highly successful 2025 calving season, using the Progressive Genetics Proven Premium range of Belgian Blue and Charolais sires, along with a small number of Simmental straws.

The resulting dairy-beef calves were easily born, very vigorous, and saleable - an ideal outcome for any dairy-beef system.

Ger highlighted that one of the key advantages of AI is the ability to be more selective in sire choice. Matching the right sires to the right cows leads to improved outcomes across the herd.

Kevin’s results speak for themselves - his dairy-beef calf crop boasts a Commercial Beef Value (CBV) of €144, placing it in the top 8% nationally.

Alongside his dairy operation, Kevin also runs a successful dairy-beef finishing system, bringing up to 100 steers and heifers through to slaughter annually.

He mainly finishes Belgian Blues and Limousins, with exceptional performance across the board.

Animals are finished between 22–26-months-of-age. Average carcass weights are 340kg for heifers and 365kg for steers.

The impact of superior genetics is evident, with Kevin achieving good grades and high carcass weights within a relatively short finishing period.

Ger outlined some standout sires currently performing well on Kevin’s dairy-beef enterprise:

Villablues Oxo (BB8283)• High Beef Sub Index: €165 – resulting in high CBV calves• Carcass Weight: +27 kg• Recommended for use on mature cows

Romarin Pp (CH8580)• High Beef Sub Index: €181 – resulting in high CBV calves• Carcass Weight: +37 kg• Heterozygous polled – 50% of progeny will have no horns

Orbi (CH6490)• Ireland’s No. 1 proven easy calving Charolais• 4.5% Calving Difficulty at 94% reliability• Beef Sub Index: €170• Carcass Weight: +35 kg

Ger also introduced the Proven Premium range of sires from Progressive Genetics, featured in the new 2025 Dairy Beef Catalogue.

These sires are selected by Ireland’s largest beef breeding programme, NCBC, and are highlighted in gold with a "Proven Premium" logo.

Each sire in the range is proven for fertility, calving ease, short gestation, and superior carcass traits—removing the guesswork for farmers when it comes to dairy beef sire selection.

These sires represent the most profitable dairy-beef sires currently available on the Irish market.

Plan your 2025 breeding season with Proven dairy-beef sires 

Partner with Progressive Genetics and Munster Bovineto access the full range of NCBC sires designed to maximise dairy and beef profits for Irish dairy farmers.