More and more farmers are becoming aware of the commercial beef value (CBV) and its importance in determining the genetic beef potential of an animal, particularly dairy-beef calves.

While this may be the case, knowing if the CBV for the calf is deemed good, average or poor is essential if the CBV is to be of any use to the farmer sourcing the calves.

In a presentation on the Teagasc dairy-beef webinar which took place on Thursday night, January 17, Chris Daly from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) shared the CBV breed percentiles based on 2024-born beef calves from the dairy herd.

The table below details poor, average and good CBVs for dairy-beef calves based on the 2024 breed percentiles:

In December last year, the ICBF updated its services to provide the online CBV and Finishing Profiles to all herd owners including non-HerdPlus members, free of charge.

According to the ICBF: "These new tools are designed to enhance the management and profitability of beef enterprises."

To access these tools, farmers can log into their ICBF account or farmers who are not already registered can do so by returning the ‘farm data release form’.

This is available on the website via the ‘services’ dropdown tab. Alternatively, farmers can contact the ICBF HerdPlus team.

The CBV focuses on seven traits that are particularly relevant for drystock enterprises:

Carcass weight: 35%;
Feed intake: 24%;
Factory in-spec: 12%;
Carcass conformation: 11%;
Age at finish: 10%;
Carbon: 7%;
Docility: 1%.

According to the ICBF, the CBV offers "valuable insights into the beef genetic potential of commercial prime cattle, allowing farmers to make informed purchasing decisions, especially when buying calves and weanlings".

The CBV is displayed as € value and star rating on the mart screen. For private purchases the seller can provide this information.