John Kingham: IMPROVING suckler herd fertility

Meet John Kingham, Farm Manager at Tateetra & Rathmore Farms

John Kingham is the farm manager at Tateetra & Rathmore Farms, located in Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland. The farm is home to the largest suckler herd in the Republic of Ireland, a project that began nine years ago with a complete farm overhaul.

To establish a strong foundation herd, John and his team sourced high-quality genetics from the Ireland, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and Belgium. The farm has since flourished, holding annual sales for the past seven to eight years, and is now expanding to two sales per year—one in spring and one in autumn.

CALVING & BREEDING Improvements

Through the Tateetra & Rathmore Farms Facebook page, John noticed dairy farmers working with AHV and decided to reach out to AHV Consultant William White to see if it could bring benefits to his own farm. His primary goals were to increase fertility rates, tighten the calving pattern, and improve overall herd health. The results have been highly encouraging:

• Better post-calving recovery, with cleaner, more active cows
• Fewer health setbacks in animals
• Significant improvements in AI conception rates, rising from 50–60% to 75–80%
• Cows coming into heat sooner, with strong long lasting heats
• High embryo transfer success, even with recently purchased heifers

“Since using the AHV Transition and Fertility Programme,specifically Metri, StartLac Paste, Aspi, and Booster -we’ve noticed significant improvements. We’re seeing far fewer retained cleanings, cows coming into heat much quicker after calving, and fewer complications both during and after calving.

It’s been a real game-changer for us,” shares John.

“When we moved from calving to AI (artificial insemination), we saw a major improvement in semen retention, normally, we’d see 50-60% success, but now we’re achieving 75-80%. We also brought in a batch of heifers for embryo transfer, and despite only being on the farm for 14 days, with no time to adjust to a specific diet—we still achieved a very high conception rate.”

Looking Ahead

John is confident in the continued use of this product and it’s benefits for the farm’s long-term success:

“I’ll keep using AHV because the results speak for themselves. Of course, every farm is different – what works for me might not work for someone else, but in my case, the impact has been clear. You have to trial it to see if it fits your operation. For me, I’ll be using it from now on at Tateetra & Rathmore Farms.”

PROTECTING YOUR INVESTMENT IN GENETICS

John’s story is a reminder of the bigger picture: genetics alone do not guarantee results. For pedigree suckler farmers, the true return comes when fertility, calving ease, and recovery all line up.

That’s where AHV can make the difference — helping beef breeders:

• Protect their investment in elite genetics
• Improve fertility outcomes and conception rates
• Shorten calving intervals and reduce semen costs
• Produce healthier, higher-value calves

For pedigree beef breeders seeking to improve fertility and deliver greater returns from their top genetics, AHV’s proven solutions offer a powerful partnership.

AHV TRANSITION & FERTILITY Programme

14 days before calving

AHV Booster Tablet

Immediately after calving

1x AHV Metri Tablet

1x AHV StartLac Paste OR 2x Tablet

(1x tablet at calving and 1x 12-24 hours later)

1x AHV Aspi Tablet

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