McClure Farms: Using precision technology to support fertility and herd performance
At McClure Farms in Northern Ireland, a combination of targeted breeding, precision technology and attention to detail is delivering improvements in fertility, herd health and production.
For Richard at McClure Farms, fertility has always been a key priority.
The farm is working towards a more compact block-calving pattern, with a long-term ambition to concentrate calvings between September and December over the next three to five years.
To support that goal, the herd operates a targeted breeding strategy using sexed dairy semen on the highest genetic merit heifers and younger cows to maximise replacement females from the best genetics. While lower merit females are bred to beef sires, improving beef calf value.
Working alongside Cogent Ai Services’ Genetics Consultant Jonathan Kelso, Richard and the team focused on breeding cows suited to their autumn-calving, grass-based system.
· North Coast, Northern – Ireland
· Approximately 180 milking cows
· Two full-time and one part-time staff
· Grazing by day during summer, housed at night
· Using Cogent Ai Services PrecisionCOW Nedap collars and Cogent Ai Services PrecisionREPRO AI technician
· Working towards a more compact September to December calving pattern over the next three to five years
Moving beyond walk and chalk
That ambition made reliable heat detection central to the farm's next step. Richard needed a system that could support a compact calving target without relying solely on visual observation and chalking.
"We were chalking and missing too many cows, and we wanted to tighten our calving pattern," says Richard.
After discussing the technology with Cogent Ai Services’ Genetics Consultant Jonathan Kelso, Richard decided to install PrecisionCOW collars in July 2025, alongside using a PrecisionREPRO AI technician.
The goal was simple: use collars and reproductive technology to identify more cows at the correct time for service, improve fertility performance and give the team better day-to-day visibility of herd health.
Early impact on breeding performance
The impact was noticeable from the first breeding period with the collars in place.
Richard recalls that the first month of AI with the collars in place resulted in 20 more cows being served compared with the same period the previous year.
The system has been particularly useful for identifying very quiet heats that may previously have gone unnoticed through visual observation alone.
“The collars are picking up small, very quiet heats that we could have missed before,” he explains.
Current herd fertility figures show significant improvements compare with pre-installation performance.
Services per pregnancy (SPP), which measures the average number of inseminations required to achieve a confirmed pregnancy reduced from 2.4 to 1.7.
At the same time, conception rate rose from 41.5% to 57.8% and pregnancy rate increased from 24.0% to 39.0%.
For Richard, these improvements are helping move the herd closer towards its long-term goal of a tighter, more compact calving pattern.
The reduction in calving interval from 408 days to 389 days represents an improvement of almost three weeks, helping improve herd efficiency and lifetime productivity.
Supporting herd health
The benefits of the PrecisionCOW collars have extended beyond fertility.
Changes in activity and behaviour can be identified quickly, helping the team investigate potential health issues earlier.
"Cows that are taken sick are picked up very quickly," says Richard.
He believes the ability to identify problems sooner has helped reduce the need for medication and veterinary intervention, while giving the team greater confidence that issues are being addressed before they become more serious.
Improvements across the herd
Richard believes the improvements seen on farm are the result of combining genetics, technology and strong day-to-day management. Improvements in milk components are driven by the breeding strategy and genetic selection, while breeding efficiency and health monitoring are supported by the PrecisionCOW collars, PrecisionREPRO service and the wider use of data on farm.
Herd performance figures demonstrate the progress made over recent years.
Milk yield and solids performance
Between 2021 and 2025, total milk solids increased from 102.6 tonnes to 121.1 tonnes, an increase of 18.5 tonnes or approximately 18%.
Importantly, this was achieved while increasing cow numbers by only 15 head.
Milk solids production per cow also rose significantly, from approximately 640kg per cow in 2021 to 690kg per cow in 2025, an increase of around 50kg per cow.
Between 2021 and 2025:
· Butterfat increased by 0.31%
· Protein increased by 0.16%
For a milk solids-based contract, like the McClure Farms have, these improvements are particularly significant. Higher butterfat and protein levels mean more value being generated from ever litre of milk produced.
Average somatic cell count also reduced significantly over the same period, falling from 186,000 cells/ml to 121,000 cells/ml.
A team effort
Richard is keen to emphasise that the farm's progress is the result of teamwork.
"It's a team effort between the vet, the workmen on the farm who do the feeding, the diet feeding every day, and Cogent Ai Services. It's not just down to one person."
He is particularly positive about the support provided by Cogent Ai Services’ Genetics Consultant Jonathan Kelso, who has worked closely with the farm on its breeding strategy.
"Having known the McClure family for a number of years, we are focused on identifying the type of cow best suited to their autumn-calving, grass-based system. Coupled with the farm’s hard work, dedication and attention to detail, they have made full use of the top genetics, products and services Cogent Ai Services have to offer; and the results speak for themselves. Improvements in fertility, calving interval and milk solids production are a result of their top class management working together with strong genetics and precision technology.
They are no longer just customers, they are friends and a joy to work with, and we wish them continued success in the future.” – Jonathan Kelso, Cogent Ai Services Genetics Consultant
Bringing it all together
Pregnancy rate improved from 24.0% to 39.0%
Conception rate improved from 41.5% to 57.8%
Insemination rate improved from 58.0% to 68.9%
Services per pregnancy reduced from 2.4 to 1.7
Calving interval reduced from 408 days to 389 days
Milk solids increased from 102.6t to 121.1t
Milk solids per cow increased from 640kg to 760kg
Somatic cell count reduced from 186,000 to 121,000 cells/ml
Richard believes the progress made so far reinforces the value of combining of targeted genetics, precision technology and good herd management.
While the farm continues to work towards a more compact autumn-calving pattern, improvements in fertility, calving interval, health monitoring and milk solids production demonstrate the benefits of a joined-up approach.
No single facto can take credit for the results, but together, genetics PrecisionCOW collars, PrecisionREPRO AI services and a dedicated farm team are helping McClure Farms move closer to achieving its long-term goals.