The latest proof run shows a meteoric rise to seize second place, as Ann Hardy reports.
Genetic indexes published for August are the first under the new AHDB Dairy banner and show that the Canadian supremacy is being challenged by a new high flying entrant.
Canadian Gen-I-Beq Lavaman still holds on to the top position with a Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) of £615, transmitting balanced production with positive milk solids and good daughter fitness. This Man-O-Man son also breeds daughters which require less feed for maintenance due to their smaller size. His Maintenance Index is -4.
The highest new entrant coming straight into second place is from an AI company relatively new to the UK, Trans-America Genetics. De-Su Ransom is a Robust x Ramos and his early daughter information from the USA helps earn him a high lifespan (+0.7) and daughter fertility index (+10.3), together with solid production. His PLI is £595.
UK-bred Prehen Omen is edged from second into third position, despite improving his impressive milk solids to +0.15% fat and +0.16% protein. His PLI is now £582.
Fourth place goes to Kings-Ransom Erdman, whose continuing improvement for daughter lifespan index sees him rank with the breed’s best for this trait at +0.7. He improves his PLI to £561.
Mainstream Manifold (PLI £535) in fifth position is now an established name in the rankings, with 1760 UK daughters contributing to his figures. He is closely followed by the second UK-bred sire in the top 10, Laurelhill Classic (PLI £530). Classic sees further gains to his lifespan index (now +0.6) and his impressive daughter fertility index (+15.8).
Runaway
Climbing into the top 10 is a popular sire of sons who started his career as a high genomic young sire, Seagul-Bay Supersire. When it comes to milk and solids, Supersire is a runaway leader with 908kg milk, 37.2kg fat and 27.7kg protein.
The fact he combines this with solid fitness figures explains his international popularity and earns him a PLI of £527. Supersire shares seventh place with Beacon son, Roylane Flex, who makes gains for daughter fertility and conformation.
With nearly 9000 UK daughters now contrib-uting to his production proof, Gran-J Oman McCormick ranks in ninth position with a PLI of
£524. With a massive daughter fertility index of+19.5, he is the breed leader for this trait.
Massey son No-Fla AltaEverglade rounds off the top 10 and firms up his former ranking with a PLI of £517.
Newcomers
Other new names in the proven top 25 which have come through with daughter indexes having formerly been marketed as young genomic sires include Rosylane-LLC AltaBarney (PLI £512);
Looking to the 37th position we find the first UK-bred new entry which takes the shape of Denmire Merchandise, with a PLI of£468.
Marco Winters, head of genetics for AHDB Dairy, remarks on the high calibre of top PLI sires and their broad production pattern.
He says: “What they all have in common is superb daughter lifespans and fertility – something the PLI was designed to deliver.
“Producers are reminded the PLI has been developed with these aims in mind, and therefore using this ranking to shortlist sires for use on-farm is strongly advised,” he adds.
Genomic leader gains ground
Young genomic sires are now the increasing focus of farmers’ attention, accounting for more than 40 per cent of the UK’s black and white inseminations.
Highest PLI
The highest PLI bull among them is Sandy-Valley-I Penmanship who holds on to his leading position, now with a lead of 66 points. An Enforcer x Numero Uno, he transmits a remarkable combination of high production with outstanding daughter lifespan (+0.7) and fertility (+12.0), which sees his PLI move up to £743. With figures based largely on his own DNA together with an element of his offspring’s performance, it is the latter which has improved over the past few months.
Second ranking Stantons Checkers (Predestine x Freddie) is one of four newcomers to the top 10, making his debut with a PLI of £677, a high percentage fat (+0.25%) and a high lifespan index (+0.7). He also scores favourably for maintenance (-2), and is the highest type transmitter in the top 10 (type merit 2.35).
Climbing to third is De-Su Firewall (PLI £669), another sire with an excellent maintenance index (-9) which he combines with solid production, low somatic cell counts (-25), high lifespan (+0.6) and good daughter fertility (+11.1).
Top 10 Holstein bulls with genomic indexes ranked on Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) August 2015
| Rank | £PLI | Bull name | £PLI
Rel% |
Milk kg |
Fat kg |
Ptn
kg |
Fat
% |
Ptn % |
SCC | LS | FI % |
dCE | TM | Supplier GB/NI |
| 1 | 743 | Sandy-Valley-I Penmanship | 64 | 665 | 31.0 | 27.4 | 0.06 | 0.07 | -17 | 0.7 | 12.0 | 0.8 | 2.01 | SMX |
| 2 | 677 | Stantons Checkers | 63 | 250 | 29.9 | 13.8 | 0.25 | 0.07 | -16 | 0.7 | 10.3 | 1.8 | 2.35 | SMX |
| 3 | 669 | De-Su Firewall | 298 | 298 | 26.5 | 14.8 | 0.18 | 0.06 | -25 | 0.6 | 11.1 | 1.3 | 2.04 | SMX |
| 4 | 660 | Topcroft Pesky Trix | 306 | 306 | 27.0 | 19.5 | 0.18 | 0.12 | -18 | 0.4 | 11.6 | 0.8 | 2.17 | GEN |
| 5 | 657 | Boardshop | 593 | 593 | 25.7 | 23.2 | 0.03 | 0.05 | -19 | 0.5 | 11.9 | 1.2 | 1.85 | SMX |
| 6 | 657 | Comestar Loic | 397 | 397 | 35.8 | 23.7 | 0.24 | 0.13 | -11 | 0.7 | 9.1 | 0.5 | 1.03 | SMX |
| 7 | 652 | Apina Nadal | 458 | 458 | 34.0 | 21.3 | 0.19 | 0.08 | -16 | 0.5 | 8.8 | 0.8 | 2.25 | GEN |
| 8 | 648 | De-Su Apex | 474 | 474 | 18.7 | 14.0 | 0.00 | -0.02 | -32 | 0.7 | 11.8 | 1.4 | 2.26 | GEN |
| 9 | 637 | De-Su Octavian | 767 | 767 | 35.7 | 25.8 | 0.06 | 0.01 | -29 | 0.5 | 6.8 | -0.4 | 1.77 | GEN |
| 10 | 630 | Amax | 479 | 479 | 29.5 | 22.0 | 0.13 | 0.08 | -22 | 0.4 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 2.20 | MGN |
AIS = AI Services; ALT = Alta; BUL = bullsemen.com; CBL = Cogent; DOV = Dovea; GEN = Genus ABS; GG = Global Genetics; MGN = Mastergen; SMX = Semex; SRL = Sterling Sires; TAG = Trans-America Genetics. £PLI = Profitable Lifetime Index; FI = Fertility Index; LS = Lifespan Index; TM = Type Merit.
Pesky
UK breeding features in fourth position, with Topcroft Pesky Trix making his debut from Tom Crawford’s Suffolk herd. Trix is the first Pesky son on the market and is backed by a pure British family which is chalking up high lifetime yields and maintaining its fertility. His superb all-round index features production and fitness with a PLI of £660 and a type merit of 2.17.
Boardshop holds his PLI at £657 and shares fifth place with newcomer Comestar Loic (Flame x Sudan), whose breeding pattern is notable for its high milk components.
Also new in the top 10 are seventh-ranking Apina Nadal (PLI £652) and De-Su Apex in eighth (PLI £648). Nadal, as a Rocky x Goliath, has a pedigree different from the norm but comes from a family which has produced several high genomic animals already, including 24th ranking Norman.
Apex’s pedigree (Cashcoin x Numero Uno) is more familiar and he is maternal half-brother to Battlecry in 20th position. Apex has superb transmitting abilities for fitness traits, with very low daughter maintenance (-16), low SCCs (-32) and long lifespans (+0.7).
Rounding off the top 10 are De-Su Octavian (PLI£637) and Amax (PLI £630), who both featured in the top 10 in the last index run in April.
Other new names to watch out for are Sonray-Acres PRD Justice (Predestine x Man-O-Man), a bull transmitting good milk quality and low maintenance (-4) and with a PLI of £620; Sandy-Valley-I Picasso (full brother to Penmanship) with a PLI of £619; and Bush-Bros JC Justify (Jacey x Denim), one of the best daughter fertility impro-vers in the top 25 (+12.6), with a PLI of £613.
Danish breeding dominates Jerseys
- The Jersey ranking is dominated by Danish breeding, led by Danish VJ Link, with a PLI of£467. His high daughter fertility index (+10.5) combined with solid production puts him ahead of newcomer, Danish VJ Hilario, whose fertility index is +9.4 and PLI is £446. Danish DJ Holmer (PLI £401) moves into third place.
Popularity
Mr Winters says: “The quality of genetics in this August index run is undeniably high, so it is no surprise young sires are growing in importance and popularity. Farmers are certainly encouraged to use young sires which are capable of bringing qualities to their herds which are harder to come by among the daughter-proven sires, but they are always advised to choose their sires with care.
“It is important not to forget the reliability of these bulls is still lower than that of the daughter-proven bulls, so I would recommend choosing a group of sires – roughly choosing two young sires in the place of every one proven bull you would traditionally have used.”
Stablemates share Friesian hot spot
The Simpson family from Leicestershire and their Catlane herd are celebrating a double triumph with their bulls, Catlane Caleb and Catlane Chad at the top of the British Friesian £PLI ranking.
Each from different branches of the Christine family, the bulls both have a PLI of £373. Caleb is the highest milk components Friesian available with +0.3% fat and +0.14% protein and transmits good daughter fertility while Chad transmits the highest weight of fat and protein in the breed, but has breed average daughter fertility.
Newcomer Deangate Quaich (Centurion x Hylke) ranks third with a PLI of £293 and a good all-round production and fitness profile.
Source: FGinsight
