COYNE-FARMS DORCY

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12 Outcross Sires to Help Control Inbreeding

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Friday, October 24th, 2014

With dairy breeder`s constant objective of breeding the highest genetic index animals possible, inbreeding has become more of a problem than ever. Looking through the top index lists you realize with each new generation of sires that the rate of inbreeding is increasing at an alarming rate.

In 2011, nine bulls sired 50% of the 1,300 young bulls that entered A.I. in North America. A mere 18 bulls sired 50% of the 3,000 that entered A.I. globally. In sires entering AI in 2011, the rate of inbreeding increased 1% that year alone and is now over 7%. That is over 2% higher than it was in 1992 and 5% higher than it was in 1982.

In order to help breeders find outcross sires, the Bullvine has prepared this list of 12 sires that offer the greatest genetic diversity while still offering a high level of genetic gain.

Overall Performance Improvement

If you are looking for an outcross sire that offers balanced improvement for production, durability and health and fertility, you cannot go wrong with these three sires:

Dom *BY

014HO05936
Coyne-Farms Bolton Dom-ET BY
Bolton x Bret CV x Rudolph

DOM offers breed leading overall performance and has no Goldwyn, Shottle, Planet or Oman in the first three generations of his pedigree. He is a carrier of Brachyspina (BY) but Brachyspina is a recessive trait, and, to be an affected calf, both sire and dam must have passed the recessive gene to their offspring. So unless you are mating him to a BY female you should be okay. Dom is a very balanced sire offering strong overall production (+1558 lbs. milk) and solid components (+0.10 %F +0.01 %P) He is also strong for type and durability (+2.75 PTAT, +2.51 UDC, +2.92 FLC) and has solid health and fertility traits. Dom will need to be protected on his straightness of rear legs (posty), as well as his rumps, specifically his pin width.

Dorcy

029HO14142
Coyne-Farms Dorcy-ET BY
Bolton x Bret CV x Rudolph

There is Dom`s better-known full brother Dorcy. Dorcy is proving to be an outstanding longevity improvement sire, both through his sons and daughters. Breeders interested in a Bolton son from an outcross pedigree, top-notch udders, very good feet & legs and functional traits may consider DORCY. Dairy Strength and Rump are only slightly above breed norms. Like Dom he will need to be protected on his straightness of rear legs (posty) as well as his pin width.

Montross

007HO12165
Bacon-Hill Montross-ET TY
Mogul x Bolton x AltaRolex

If you are looking for a high genomic sire that offers overall improvement and is still an outcross, Montross will fit the bill. Montross is a Dorcy grandson (through sire Mogul, who is a Dorcy from a Marsh). As is typically the case with many actual outcross pedigrees, his maternal side is not that well known. However, his dam UNIQUE-STYLE BOLTON MONEY EX-91 DOM has certainly become a popular bull mother, with 15 sons at five different AI units. At +845 NM$ there is no question that MONTROSS will offer an excellent production kick and have enough durability, health and fertility to last. At over two points for UDC and FLC MONTROSS has strong functional type but should be protected for straightness of rear legs and overall frame and capacity traits. However, as we have seen from research in the past, you don’t need extreme frame traits in order to achieve extreme lifetime production. (Read more: She Ain’t Pretty – She Just Milks That Way!).

Production Improvement

For those of you that are more commercially focused or maybe those of you who have not focused enough on production and the milk check is showing it, in addition to Montross, here are our recommendations:

Ruble

029HO13991
Kings-Ransom B Ruble TY
Bolton x Boliver x Bombay

With no Goldwyn, Shottle, Planet or Oman, Ruble is a very unique high production sire. The cow family behind RUBLE features five consecutive generations of AI bull mothers. RUBLE’s five closest dams all produced milk records in excess of 32,000 lbs. RUBLE’s grand dam, Bombay Rale was a tremendous brood cow leaving 6-VG & 4-EX daughters in the herd by seven different sires. RUBLE daughters are moderate stature and dairy. Protect for strength as they can be narrow through the chest. Udders are everything you would expect from the two popular pedigrees. High, wide rear udders, smooth blending foreudders, and a deep seam to carry their high production through many lactations. Daughters track straight with a correct foot, though you need to protect for a slight set to rear legs and protect rumps for pin width.

Predestine

097HO40076
Claytop Js Predestine-ET TY
Jet Stream x Toystory x Boliver

A very popular outcross production sire is Predestine. At +2657 lbs milk and solid components, Predestine offers extreme production improvement. His daughters are durable (+2.8 PL) but not fancy (+1.63 PTAT, +1.68 UDC, +0.69 FLC). You will have to watch him on his SCS, but if you have a low producing solid conformation heifer with a big frame that needs a quick shot of production, Predestine will do just that.

Rocket

526HO00004
Rocket TL TD
Sudan x Freddie x Bolton

A genomic young sire that catches our eye is Rocket. Rocket is a Sudan son from Vieuxsaule Freddie Tanya VG-88, who is a grand daughter of Vieuxsaule Allen Dragonfly EX-94 2E 12* (Read more: VIEUX SAULE ALLEN DRAGONFLY: 2013 Canadian Cow of the Year Nominee). While there is Oman in this pedigree (3^rd generation through Freddie), given that Rocket is sired by Sudan, an extreme outcross sire, and has Bolton and Allen as the maternal great and great great grand sire, Rocket has a very low expected future inbreeding value. Rocket should sire component improvement (+0.09 %F and +0.02 %P) and strong production (1784 lbs milk). He also has the bonus of having very strong health and fertility traits (+3.5 PL, +2.78 SCS). While Rocket has a solid type evaluation (+2.68 PTAT, +2.28 UDC, +2.32 FLC), he will need to be protected on his bone quality and loin strength.

Longevity Improvement

For those of you that are looking to breed cattle that last lactation after lactation or maybe you are having problems with your 2 year olds not coming back for a 2nd lactation, in addition to Dorcy, we recommend the following outcross sires:

Reflector

007HO12105
S-S-I Mogul Reflector TY
Mogul x Super x Ramos

From the same family that produced Bookem, Reflector is an outcross sire that should get much attention. Bred through the ART program at Select Sires that was designed to produce outcross sires, Reflector is a great example of this. (Read more: Select Sires vs. Semex – A Contrast in Cooperatives and Should A.I. Companies Own Females?). At +6.6 for PL and over two points on all type composites (+2.77 PTAT, +2.16 UDC, +2.22 FLC) and at +2.8 DPR and +2.67 SCS, Reflector daughters are going to last. While show ring enthusiasts may not be quick to use Reflector (-7 height at front end, 0 for body depth), he will sire strong mammary systems and feet and leg improvement.

McGucci

179HO00099
Mr Apples McGucci-ET RC TY
McCutchen x Regiment-RED x Durham

From the legendary KHW Regiment Apple-Red-ET CV EX-96 3E DOM, comes McGucci an outcross longevity improvement sire, that you should be taking a look at. (Read more: KHW Regiment Apple-Red – Beauty, performance, and even more record) When Jerry Jorgensen of Ri-Val-Re Holsteins purchased a whole flush from Apple he was looking to produce something a little different and that is exactly what he got when he crossed her on McCutchen. (Read more: BREEDING RI-VAL-RE: Where Looking Good in the Stall Is Just As Important As Looking Good On Paper). While McGucci will not be considered an overall production improver, he does offer solid component improvement (+0.27%F and +0.16 %P), with high durability (+3.4 PL) and very high conformation (+4.03 PTAT, +3.20 UDC, +3.78 FLC), with solid health traits (+2.77 SCS, +0.01 DPR). He will need to be protected on his shortness of teats and high pins.

Deligent

147HO02426
Ronelee Dorcy Deligent-ET BY
Dorcy BY x Boliver x Outside

Combining two popular outcross pedigree`s, Deligent is a longevity improvement sire that you should consider using. His dam Ronelee Boliver Dreary-ET VG-86 2Y is a maternal sister to the popular, proven sire Domain. Deligent was bred to deliver long lasting daughters. With outstanding Herd Life/Productive Life, breed leading mammary systems scores and strong Feet and Legs scores, Deligent is a longevity specialist, though he does need to be somewhat protected for dairy strength. Look for DELIGENT to combine this longevity with reliable production and type numbers.

Health and Fertility Improvement

One area that is starting to get more attention by most breeders is health and fertility. While there is no question that every breeder knows that more pregnancies equals more profits, many of the top ranking sires actually have negative values for key health and fertility traits. In addition to Reflector and Predestine, here are three outcross sires that will help you improve the health and fertility in your herd.

Aaron-Red

007HO10647
Ladinodale Aaron-Red-ET TY
LB P-Red x Paradox-RED x Rudolph

If you are looking for an outcross sire that will help improve the health traits in your herd, you need to consider Aaron-Red. While he is certainly not a production improvement sire (+17 lbs Milk), he does offer some significant improvement in productive life (+3.7), DPR (+2.3) as well as calving ease (+4.8% SCE & 4.7% DCE). Aaron offers reliable type improvement (+2.01 PTAT, +2.06 UDC and +1.53 FLC). He will need to be protected on his high pins and overall dairy strength.

Howard

029HO13566
Brandt-View Howard-ET TY
Alton CV x Capri x Manfred

This reliably proven Alton son is from a 2E-92 Capri (by JUROR) with a top record of almost 58,000 in one lactation. The family is consistently noted for their extreme production values, consistent type and excellent health/fitness traits. Howard daughters are profit makers. They increase milk production while lowering SCS to qualify for milk premiums and possess outstanding health and fertility numbers (+3.3 PL, +1.2 DPR, 3.9% SCE). Typical Howard daughters are clean boned, hardworking and moderate sized and long necked, open in the rear rib and very clean through the thigh. Rear udders are high, wide, and capacious. He will need to be protected on his overall size and stature as well as his dairy strength.

AltaBowie

011HO11116
Rosylane-Llc Altabowie TY
Bowser x Ramos x O Man

Yes there is O Man in AltaBowie`s pedigree, but considering that he is sired by Bowser (Jet Stream x Boliver) and his dam is a Ramos daughter, AltaBowie has very low expected future inbreeding values (5.9%). From the exceptional breeding program at Rosy-Lane Holsteins (Read more: ROSY-LANE HOLSTEINS – “Don’t Follow the Herd!”), AltaBowie offers many plusses. He is +1419 for lbs milk (though low fat %), durable type (+7.6 PL), and high DPR (+3.6) and low calving ease (4.2% SCE and 3.7% DCE). While his conformation break down will not wow you (+1.44 PTAT, +1.67 UDC and +1.90 FLC), he is correct where he needs to be, (Udder depth, fore and rear attachments, as well as foot angle and heal depth). He will certainly need to be protected on his dairy strength and rumps.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Genetic diversity is a critical problem in the Holstein dairy cattle breeding industry. Indeed the rate of genetic gain has accelerated. But so too has the rate of inbreeding. With $23 lifetime cost per percent inbreeding, it is easy to overreact and try to avoid inbreeding at all costs. The trick is not to use sires that are inferior, but rather to have a balance of genetic improvement and enough of an outcross not to accelerate the inbreeding. These 12 sires will do just that and help control the rate of inbreeding in your herd.

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The 16 Sires Every Dairy Breeder Should Be Using to Accelerate Genetic Gain in Your Herd

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Wednesday, December 11th, 2013

With each new proof round comes new sires, new rankings and, frankly, new headaches. Wanting to do more than just pump out the same old lists that really do not mean anything to anyone but the semen marketers, or just promote the bulls from the studs who pay us the most money, the Bullvine took a look at the recent December 2013 Genetic Evaluations to find not only the list toppers, but a deeper look to find those unique sires that will address your key breeding challenges.

Overall Performance Improvement

When looking for the sire that will help improve your herd across the board, we looked for sires that have a balance of production and longevity, and most importantly a proven pedigree that ensures that their performance will last. We also wanted great health and fertility traits that will deliver a low maintenance cow (Read more – Fact vs. Fantasy: A realistic approach to sire selection). Here are our top four:

ROYLANE SOCRA ROBUST
Socrates x O Man x Manat
Proven Sire – Select Sires
+1464 lbs. Milk +0.12 %F +87 lbs. F +0.04 %P +53 lbs P 5.5 PL 2.95 SCS +1.95 PTAT +2248TPI
+1946 kgs Milk +0.41F +116 kgs. F +0.15 %P +79 kgs P +110 HL 3.00 SCS +5 Conf. +3188 LPI
Long a popular high genomic sire, with his high debut in August and sustained numbers as he adds more daughters, Robust has proven to be a great performance improver. He is a high NM$ (+765) Velvet-View-KJ SOCRATES-ET (EX-94-GM) son from Seagull-Bay Oman Mirror (VG-86-DOM). He transmits exceptional components (+.12% Fat, +87 Fat, +.04% Protein, +53 Protein) and outstanding longevity (+5.5 Productive Life). A Calving Ease and relative outcross sire, ROBUST moderates stature and adds height and width to the rear udder. Robust will work best on tall deep cattle that need feet and leg improvement.
KINGS-RANSOM B RUBLE
Bolton x Boliver x Bombay
Proven Sire – ABS Global
+2534 lbs Milk -0.07 %F +73 lbs. F -0.01 %P +72 lbs P 0.7 PL 2.95 SCS +1.84 PTAT +2067TPI
+2978 kgs. Milk -0.25F +85 kgs. F -0.05 %P +90 kgs P +102 HL 2.99 SCS +7 Conf. +2953 LPI
With so many O Man, Planet, Goldwyn, Shottle, and Freddie sons dominating the lists, it nice to see a sire like RUBLE ranking among them. The cow family behind RUBLE features five consecutive generations of AI bull mothers. RUBLE’s five closest dams all produced milk records in excess of 32,000 lbs. RUBLE’s grand dam, Bombay Rale was a tremendous brood cow leaving 6-VG & 4-EX daughters in the herd by seven different sires. RUBLE daughters are moderate stature and dairy. Protect for strength as they can be narrow through the chest. Udders are everything you would expect from the two popular pedigrees. High, wide rear udders, smooth blending fore udders, and a deep seam to carry their high production through many lactations. Daughters track straight with a correct foot, though you need to protect for a slight set to rear legs and protect rumps for pin width.
SILVERRIDGE V WICKHAM
Mogul x Snowman x Planet
Genomic Sire – Semex
+1964 lbs Milk +0.04 %F +81 lbs. F +0.01 %P +61 lbs P 4.3 PL 2.68 SCS +3.31 PTAT +2446 TPI
+2516 kgs. Milk +0.07F +100 kgs. F +0.01 %P +82 kgs P +113 HL 2.69 SCS +18 Conf. +3483 LPI
Wickham’s high genomic numbers should not surprise anyone. Coming from the same family that has produced genomic giants, Epic, Emmet and many others. Wickham is an early Mogul son from the Whittier-Farms Lead Mae family. Look for Wickham to sire tall angular daughters with average depth. Expect great mammary systems and feet and legs though he should be protected on straightness of leg and chest width.
DE-SU 11236 BALISTO
Bookem x Watson x O Man
Genomic Sire – ABS Global
+1725 lbs Milk +0.12 %F +96 lbs. F +0.01 %P +78 lbs P 4.3 PL 2.71 SCS +2.72 PTAT +2424 TPI
+1923 kgs. Milk +0.31F +104 kgs. F +0.30 %P +94 kgs P +111 HL 2.54 SCS +10 Conf. +3409 LPI
For those of you looking for a high genomic outcross sire, Balisto can certainly do the trick. Balisto is the Bookem brother to the #1 gLPI sire in the world De-Su Mg Davinci 11288. Their dam is the outcross Watson daughter of Pine-Tree Missy Miranda (Full sister to De-Su 199 Chart Topper), then of course Wesswood-HC Rudy Missy herself. Look for Balisto to sire outstanding components, with solid type and health traits. Balisto will need to be protected on rumps as he will tend to have a high rump angle and will be a touch weaker in the loins.

Production Improvement

It might be easy to just take the top milk lists or combine the fat plus protein and say those sires are the best for overall production. We here at the Bullvine would not want to totally forgo type as well as health and fertility, so we are looking for the sires that give you the maximum production gain, without sacrificing everything to get it. In addition to Robust, Ruble and Balisto mentioned above, some other production improvement sires to consider include:

FLEVO GENETICS SNOWMAN
O Man x BW Marshall x Aaron
Proven Sire
+2075 lbs Milk -0.03 %F +67 lbs. F -0.01 %P +61 lbs P 1.9 PL 2.79 SCS +2.43 PTAT +2109 TPI
+3059 kgs. Milk -0.15 F +98 kgs. F -0.03 %P +94 kgs P +104 HL 2.67 SCS +11 Conf. +3112 LPI
When it comes to production improvement it is hard to argue with Snowman. While many people are mixed on Snowman daughters, there is no question that they know how to milk. Snowman is your classic milk bull. He has extreme component yields with average type. However, as history teaches us, extreme sires are exactly the ones that we need to use most in order to accelerate genetic advancement. While not high type, Snowman daughters are surprising many by being solid VG milk cows. He certainly needs to be protected for fat percentage and straight rear legs and most definitely DPR. But if you have the high fat percent heifer or cow that needs an instant production hit, Snowman is the man. Since semen is in limited supply maybe consider a couple of his sons, full brothers SEAGULL-BAY PLATINUM or DIAMOND or maybe S-S-I SNOWMAN MAYFLOWER.
MARS ALTAFIXMAN
Fibrax x O Man x Sinatra
Proven Sire – Alta Genetics
+911 lbs Milk +0.19 %F +84 lbs. F +0.12 %P +60 lbs P 0.3 PL 3.13 SCS +0.91 PTAT +1986 TPI
+1246 kgs. Milk +0.52F +100 kgs. F +0.36 %P +78 kgs P +104 HL 3.22 SCS +3 Conf. +2918 LPI
With the exception of O Man, most breeders would probably never have heard of many of the sires in AltaFixman’s pedigree. That’s mostly a result of the international genetics marketplace these days, as his sire, Fibrax is from Italy and his dam, FROUKJE 375 is from the Mars herd in The Netherlands. But don’t let this relatively unknown pedigree scare you. It is actually based on generation after generation of strong type and production. Although his overall Milk numbers may seem average, his components are out of this world. At +.19%F +84 lbs of Fat and +.12%P +60lbs of Protein, AltaFixman is certainly a strong component punch whenever you need it. Type wise look for AltaFixman to sire good all around solid cows that could be protected on median suspensory ligament and body depth. As an added bonus, since AltaFixman is such a non North American pedigree, he is certainly an outcross to most North American cattle.
SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE
Robust x Planet x Shottle
Genomic Sire – Select Sires
+2342 lbs Milk +0.08 %F +107 lbs. F +0.02 %P +75 lbs P 5.4 PL 2.80 SCS +2.38 PTAT +2413 TPI
+2586 kgs. Milk +0.25F +122 kgs. F +0.06 %P +91 kgs P +111 HL 2.85 SCS +9 Conf. +3395 LPI
Of course it’s hard to mention any production improvement without including Supersire. This Robust son from AMMON-PEACHEY SHAUNA VG-87-2YR-USA, really is a genomic wonder. Not only does he have the highest genomic values in the breed for production but he also has great functional type and health traits to go with it. Here you have a sire that is 2342 lbs. for milk, with positive component deviations, 2.38 for type, and over +5 for productive life. Supersire daughters and sons are already topping many of the lists. While Supersire daughters will not be winning many shows, his no holes type linear has resulted in his widespread use and so far he has delivered on all expectations.
BUSH-BROS ALTABGOOD
Robust x Massey x Boliver
Genomic Sire – Alta Genetics
+1603 lbs Milk +0.13 %F +93 lbs. F +0.09 %P +71 lbs P 4.5 PL 2.85 SCS +2.41 PTAT +2373 TPI
+858 kgs. Milk +0.41F +113 kgs. F +0.28 %P +89 kgs P +110 HL 2.89 SCS +7 Conf. +3256 LPI
Another Robust son that should certainly get your attention is AltaBgood. While not an international pedigree like AltaFixman, AltaBgood’s pedigree will not spark instant recognition for most breeders. What you do get is generation after generation of genomic performance that is higher than their parent averages. While those wanting pedigree power to go with the genomic test may not want to use AltaBgood, those that have confidence in the genomic system should certainly take a look. Like AltaFixman, AltaBgood will also sire extreme component improvement (+.13%F +93lbs F +.09%P +71 lbs P). He combines these outstanding components with a strong type linear and average health traits. AltaBgood will need to be protected for high pins and dairy strength.

Longevity Improvement

While some would try to tell you that high type equals longevity, that is not necessarily the case. When it comes to longevity, it’s hard to argue with actual performance indices like Herd Life and Productive Life. In order to give a more balanced approach to longevity, we looked at both and came up with the following top sires:

COYNE-FARMS DORCY
Bolton x Bret x Rudolph
Proven Sire – ABS Global
+1603 lbs Milk -0.04 %F +46 lbs. F -0.01 %P +46 lbs P 4.9 PL 2.70 SCS +3.00 PTAT +2267 TPI
+1721 kgs. Milk -0.16F +48 kgs. F -0.02 %P +53 kgs P +114 HL 2.67 SCS +13 Conf. +2971 LPI
Another popular genomic sire that has become a mainstay on the proven sire lists is Dorcy. DORCY offers breeders a little different pedigree with no O Man, Planet, Goldwyn or Shottle in it. The impressive combination of type and production from his cow family and daughters are readily evident in DORCY’s proof with +1603M +46F +46P +623NM 2.70SCS +4.90PL and +3.00T +3.22UDC +3.07FLC. He has good ratings for all functional traits except for calving ease. Breeders interested in a Bolton son from an outcross pedigree, top notch udders, very good feet & legs and functional traits may consider Dorcy. Dairy Strength and Rump are only slightly above breed norms. Look for Dorcy to sire balanced dairy cattle that have great udders and very good feet & legs, though he will need to be protected for fat percent and dairy strength, specifically his body depth and chest width.
KINGS-RANSOM ERDMAN CRI
Planet x Ramos x Bullet
Proven Sire – Cooperative Resources International (CRI)
+1156 lbs Milk +0.11 %F +71 lbs. F +0.02 %P +39 lbs P 7.7 PL 2.76 SCS +0.93 PTAT +2157 TPI
+1386 kgs. Milk +0.36 F +90 kgs. F +0.06 %P +50 kgs P +112 HL 2.70 SCS +2 Conf. +2853 LPI
While Erdman is a Planet son, the rest of his pedigree Ramos x Bullet x Brandon actually makes Erdman a relative outcross sire. His pedigree also demonstrates one high productive life sire after another. A product of the Genesis program by CRI, he has been built to sire highly profitable (+803NM$) cattle. While many type breeders will not love his +0.93 PTAT, his 7.7 for productive life (112 herd life), his 2.76 SCS and 110 daughter fertility (+1.9 DPR) will certainly catch the eye of many producers. Expect Erdman daughters to have strong mammary systems and sound legs. He will need protected on foot angle, pin width and dairy strength.
JEANLU FIX
Mogul x Observer x Shottle
Genomic Sire – Semex
+908 lbs Milk +0.09 %F +56 lbs. F +0.03 %P +36 lbs P 7.4 PL 2.49 SCS +3.01 PTAT +2417 TPI
+1375 kgs. Milk +0.21F +73 kgs. F +0.08 %P +53 kgs P +119 HL 2.43 SCS +14 Conf. +3243 LPI
Fix’s dam SPEEK-NJ OBSERV FANDANGO VG-86-2yr has the rare combination of being high index and from 8 generations of EX behind her (Read more: FERME J.P. POULIN: YOU’RE ALWAYS WELCOME! TOUJOURS BIENVENU!) a testament to the longevity of his maternal lines Combine that with the high productive life sire Mogul and you certainly have an unbeatable longevity package. Look for him to sire great udders with strong feet and legs though he may need to be protected on stature for some breeders preferences.
LONE-OAK-ACRES ALTAROBLE
Mogul x Observer x Shottle
Genomic Sire – Alta Genetics
+1282 lbs Milk +0.03 %F +45 lbs. F +0.02 %P +50 lbs P 6.7 PL 2.64 SCS +3.12 PTAT +2426 TPI
+1666 kgs. Milk +0.05 F +66 kgs. F +0.09 %P +63 kgs P +118 HL 2.63 SCS +14 Conf. +3273 LPI
This seems to be the magic sire stack for longevity improvement. With a linear that is off the charts and strong production numbers and health and fertility traits, AltaRoble certainly deserves your attention. A +6.7 productive life, +2.4 Daughter Pregnancy Rate and +2.64 SCS certainly shows that AltaRoble not only has the type numbers, he actually has the longevity numbers to back it up. Breeders may want to protect him on body depth and teat length.

Health and Fertility Improvement

With the constant improvement in the accuracy of health and fertility index calculations, more and more breeders are confidently including Health and Fertility traits in their breeding requirements.

DE-SU OBSERVER
Planet x O Man x BW Marshall
Proven Sire – Select Sires
+1416 lbs Milk +0.00 %F +43 lbs. F -0.01 %P +49 lbs P 5.9 PL 2.84 SCS +2.64 PTAT +2186 TPI
+1973 kgs. Milk -0.05 F +68 kgs. F +0.02 %P +66 kgs P +111 HL 2.83 SCS +12 Conf. +3072 LPI
Carrying the flag and riding the wave of the health and fertility trend is De-Su Observer. This sire has been the poster child for high health and fertility since his early genomic numbers came back and catapulted him into international use. With his daughter performance validating his early numbers, Observer has to be one of the quickest sires in history to get to 99% Reliability. His daughters stamp out a pretty consistent pattern with strong production and solid type. Type wise he has actually performed pretty well, with daughters exhibiting outstanding udders (watch out for short teats) and solid feet and legs. One area you will also want to protect him on is his dairy strength, as his daughters are certainly not deep and could stand to have more chest width.
ZANI BOLTON MASCALESE
Bolton x O Man x Adam
Proven Sire – Semenzoo
+1562 lbs Milk +0.02 %F +53 lbs. F +0.01 %P +59 lbs P -0.3 PL 2.75 SCS +2.79 PTAT +2072 TPI
+2084 kgs. Milk -0.05 F +73 kgs. F +0.07 %P +75 kgs P +104 HL 2.76 SCS +14 Conf. +3091 LPI
With such a push on health traits over the past few years, it’s actually almost impossible to find an outcross sire on the top lists. If you are one of the few that didn’t go heavy on Mascalese as a genomic sire, you certainly can take advantage of that now by using him or one of his many sons. Possessing greater conformation than his sire stack would indicate, MASACLESE sires strong dairy cattle that are durable and possess good health traits. For those looking for a more outcross sire that is high for health and fertility, try Erdman mentioned above.
MR LOOKOUT P ENFORCER
Facebook x Shottle x O Man
Genomic Sire – Semex
+1628 lbs Milk +0.05 %F +62 lbs. F +0.03 %P +68 lbs P +4.7 PL 2.76 SCS +2.42 PTAT +2348 TPI
+1955 kgs. Milk +0.05 F +78 kgs. F +0.13 %P +78 kgs P +114 HL 2.82 SCS +13 Conf. +3352 LPI
This Marbri Facebook son has some of the highest DGVs in the breed. Look for him to sire extreme component yields from strong dairy cattle with great feet and legs. One area to be cautious about, when using him, is his body depth. Both his sire stack and his DGVs would say this area needs protecting.
CO-OP UPD HUNTER SALVINO
Hunter x Massey x Ally
Genomic Sire – Cooperative Resources International (CRI)
+1265 lbs Milk +0.21 %F +101 lbs. F +0.08 %P +61 lbs P +3.9 PL 2.81 SCS +2.46 PTAT +2401 TPI
+1474 kgs. Milk +0.51 F +107 kgs. F +0.22 %P +72 kgs P +112 HL 2.78 SCS +12 Conf. +3353 LPI
If you’re looking for something a little different and an outcross pedigree, try Salvino. Another product of the Genesis program at CRI, Salvino is a 2^nd generation product of this program. His dam’s sire, Massey, was one of the early success stories of this program. Look for Salvino to sire strong component improvement with a solid type linear. In a market place flooded with many of the same bloodlines, finding a sire that is a little different and yet still able to deliver top progeny can be a challenge. Salvino may be your best option for a relative outcross sire that still can compete with the other top genomic sires.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

We have stated it many times. In maximizing your genetic gain, you can’t just pick from the top of the TPI or LPI list. You need to make sure that your matings are the best corrective cross. Breeding great cattle is part art and part science. You need to have both parts. It takes careful consideration and generation after generation of corrective mating to breed great cow families. That is why, instead of just giving you a list of the top 12, we have tried to provide you with insight into which sires will provide you with the maximum gain in each specific area.

Check out our Genetic Evaluations Section for more information.

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16 Sires Every Dairy Breeder Should Look At For Their Breeding Programs

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Thursday, June 27th, 2013

If you are like most breeders between the time spent sorting through the many different lists from around the world and listening to the propaganda the A.I. companies put out promoting their sires, the hype is enough to make a breeder’s head spin. In order to bring clarity to the confusion, the Bullvine has filtered through the many lists, brought them into a common base and has developed the following four categories sires that you should take a look specifically for your breeding program.

Overall Performance

When looking for the sire the will help improve your herd across the board, we looked for sires that have a balance of production and longevity. Additionally, we wanted high health and fertility traits that deliver a low maintenance cow (Read more – Fact vs. Fantasy: A realistic approach to sire selection).

DE-SU OBSERVER
(Planet x O Man x BW Marshall)
With his validation from top genomic sire to proven sire status, Observer is a sire that should be on all breeders’ lists. This former No. 1 GTPI genomic young sire and worldwide father of sons is now the #1 gTPI sire in the USA and transmits excellent production (+1,602 Milk) and Protein (+52 Protein, +.02% Protein) with highly reliable data from over 200 milking daughters. OBSERVER daughters have exceptional udders (+3.02 Udder Composite) and Type (+2.70 Type). Observer will work best on tall females with lots of frame and that need udder improvement.
LONG-LANGS OMAN OMAN
(O Man x Aaron x Bellwood)
When it comes to your breeding goals, Man-O-Man certainly is a sire that should still get consideration even for the most aggressive genomic programs. Look for Man-O-Man to sire outstanding production from cattle that have correct feet and legs and strong mammary systems. One area to watch him for is his rump angle, as his daughters can be a touch high in the pins.
CO-OP BOSSIDE MASSEY
(MASCOL x FORM BRET x MANFRED)
Massey is a popular sire of sons combining elite indexes with a great outcross opportunity. Massey daughters are snug uddered with strong attachments. Though they should be protected for rump angle (high) and dairy strength, his low somatic cell score, high herd life/productive life and strong fertility make Massey a great sire for your breeding program.
MR LOOKOUT P ENFORCER
(Facebook x Shottle x O Man)
This Marbri Facebook son has some of the highest DGVs in the breed. Look for him to sire extreme component yields from strong dairy cattle with great feet and legs. One area to be cautious on using him is his body depth. Both his sire stack and his DGVs would say this area needs protecting.
DA-SO-BURN MOM EARNHARDT P
(Man-O-Man x Lawnboy x September Storm)
If you’re breeding for polled you are most certainly thinking of where the market is heading. One area that I always find interesting is those breeders who breed polled, but in fact are only selecting for type. If you are going to go polled you need to consider overall improvement and production as well. Earnhardt P is one of the premier gTPI polled bulls in the breed. He sires high protein and extreme NM$. He has been used heavily as a sire of sons as a result of his polled status and high Net Merit. Look for Earnhardt P to sire high components, with solid feet and legs and mammary systems. One area he will need to be protected on is his rumps, as he can leave high pinned daughters that are a touch narrow.

Production Improvement

It might be easy to just take the top milk lists or combine the fat plus protein and say those sires are the best for overall production. We here at the Bullvine would not want to totally forgo type as well as health and fertility so we are looking for the sires that give you the maximum production gain, without sacrificing everything to get it. In addition to Observer, Man-O-Man and Earnhardt P mentioned above we recommend the following sires to improve production.

UFM-DUBS ALTAESQUIRE
(O Man x AltaSam x Patron)
ALTAESQUIRE’s 2nd crop daughters seem to be outperforming his first crop proof. Watch for ALTAESQUIRE to sire more production and components as well as better mammary systems than his current proof would indicate. While offering dairy strength and rump improvement, ALTAESQUIRE needs to be used cautiously on mammary systems and feet and legs. But if you are looking to put a production punch into a good uddered and legged cow/heifer, ALTAESQUIRE will do the trick.
DE-SU ALTAGOALMAN
(Bolton x O Man x BW Marshall)
ALTAGOALMAN is a proven sire from the high Genomic Index De-Su herd. Though ALTAGOALMAN will sire outstanding production both his genomic proof and his daughter information would indicate that he needs to be protected on dairy strength. He delivers significant overall production improvement. While AltaGoalman will not hurt your udders and legs, he certainly needs to be protected on body depth and rump. AltaGoalman is most definitely best suited for commercial environments but can also be used for a shot of production, if used carefully.
SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE
(Robust x Planet x Shottle)
This Robust son from 2012 Golden Dam Finalist AMMON-PEACHEY SHAUNA VG-87-2YR-USA, really is a genomic wonder. Not only does he have some of the highest genomic values in the breed for production but he also has great functional type and health traits to go with it. Here you have a sire that is over 2500 lbs. for milk, with positive component deviations, 2.50 for type, and over 7 for productive life.
PINE-TREE OHARE-P
(O Man x Signif-P x Goldwyn)
For those of you looking to get into polled there is Ohare-P. Extreme production combined with functional type and good health traits make Ohare-P a sire that if you are breeding for the future, should be part of your program. He will need to be protected a little on % components, and frame and capacity.

Longevity Improvement

For those of you who are looking to breed cattle that last lactation after lactation, or maybe you are having problems with your 2 year olds not coming back for a 2nd lactation, we recommend the following sires:

MAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOOD
(Goldwyn x Durham x Storm)
While many would consider Atwood a show bull, and he is very good at that (Read more: 7 Sires to Use In Order To Breed the Next World Dairy Expo Champion) he is also a great longevity sire as well. Unlike many of the top show sires who are negative for production and low fertility scores, Atwood actually has solid components and acceptable health and fertility numbers. While you most certainly would want to protect him on production and daughter fertility, Atwood will add a punch of type to your high producing 2yr olds that, for whatever reason, may not be around for many more lactations.
COYNE-FARMS DORCY
(Bolton x Bret x Rudolph)
Dorcy is proving to be an outstanding longevity improvement sire, through both his sons and daughters. Breeders interested in a Bolton son from an outcross pedigree, top-notch udders, very good feet & legs and functional traits may consider using DORCY. Dairy Strength and Rump are only slightly above breed norms.
MR LOOKOUT PESCE ALTA5G
(Altakool x Atwood x Shottle)
An Atwood son sure to get a lot of attention is Alta5G. While not from a big name show ring family, this type sire has a breed leading +23 DGV for Conformation in Canada. Alta5G is from the same family at De-Su as Observer and, much like the other members of this outstanding genomic family, it seems that generation after generation keeping getting higher and higher numbers. Look for him to sire daughters with outstanding udders and feet and legs, with loads of dairy strength. One area that he will need to be protected on is his rumps, specifically rump angle and pin setting.
SILDAHL JETT AIR
(BAXTER x BW MARSHALL x MANFRED)
This outcross sire offers great longevity improvement combined with strong health and fertility. He does need to be protected on protein and milking speed. However his great feet and legs, udders and health and fertility make him an outcross sire you don’t want to miss.

Health and Fertility Improvement

One area that is not getting enough attention from most breeders is health and fertility. While there is no question that every breeder knows that more pregnancies equal more profits, many of the top ranking sires actually have negative values for health and fertility. The following are some sires that should help you change that:

BADGER-BLUFF FANNY FREDDIE
(O Man x Die-Hard x Metro)
If you are going to talk health and fertility, you’re going to have to take a look at Freddie. While his type numbers may scare some, you cannot deny his extreme health and fertility numbers combined with solid production. While I don’t expect to see many Freddie daughters in the show ring any time soon, he will work well in most commercial environments. He will leave moderate sized daughters that have strong udders but very much need to be protected for dairy strength.
S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM
(Domain x Bolton x O Man
S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM has some of the highest DGV’s for health and fertility. Lithium is from one of the top genomic cows in the breed, GLEN-TOCTIN BOLT LUCILLE VG-87-DOM. Combining high herd life, low Somatic Cell counts and high daughter fertility with over 1600 lbs. of milk, 110 of fat and protein and 2.5 points on type makes Lithium a great choice when looking for improvement. It is interesting to note that his DGV’s for health and fertility are almost 8% higher than the next highest genomic young sire (BRANDT-VIEW ALTAOTIS) and 50% higher than his own official index, indicating that he really is the sire to use when wanting to address this area that has flown under the radar far too long.
TIGER-LILY LADD P-RED
(Destry x Lawn Boy x September Storm)
For those of you that are really looking to breed to where the market is heading, there is LADD-P-RED. He is the highest health and fertility polled sire in the breed today. These are two key aspects that breeders around the world are looking for. (Read more: Why Is Everyone So Horny For Polled? and How Healthy Are Your Cows?). While LADD-P-RED will not wow you with his production, his strong components, with solid type make him a sire that will fit into most breeding programs.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

We have stated it many times. In maximizing your genetic gain, you can’t simply choose the very top of the TPI or LPI list. You need to make sure that your matings are the best corrective cross. Breeding great cattle is part art and part science. You need to have both parts. It takes careful consideration and generation after generation of corrective mating to breed great cow families. That is why, instead of just giving you a list of the top 16, we have tried to provide you with insight into which sires will provide you with the maximum gain in each specific area. It`s all about choosing what is best for you.

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12 Sires to Use in Order to Reduce Inbreeding

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Thursday, March 14th, 2013

Inbreeding, and more importantly its consequences, has long been a concern of breeders as it reduces production, lowers fertility, results in more stillbirths and leads to fewer days in the herd. When genomics was first introduced, the theory was that it could help limit the amount of inbreeding in Holsteins. In reality it has done the exact opposite. Research indicates that relationships within respective breeds could be accelerating even faster since genomics’ introduction five years ago and there is also evidence that genetic diversity, another factor of inbreeding, is shrinking.

When you look at the sires of the top 100 genomic young sires lists, you notice a decent variety of sires with 30 bulls siring the top 100 sires. However, a pedigree analysis on only the paternal side reveals that 90 percent of the bulls either have Oman, Planet or Shottle represented as the sire or grandsire. The remaining 10 bulls represent genetic diversity. However, the list needs further refining because 3 of the 10 remaining bulls have Oman’s sire or Shottle’s sire in the pedigree. That leaves seven bulls with unique sires among the Holstein breed’s elite.

To help guide breeders in dealing with this inbreeding issue, we decided to look for outcross sires either proven or genomic tested sires that would offer breeders the near maximum genetic gain while providing needed diversity. The word outcross or what constitutes an outcross sire can be tricky depending on where you are located. For our purposes, we are calling an outcross sire to be one that does not have Oman, Goldwyn, Planet, and Shottle anywhere in the 1st, 2nd or 3^rd generation of their pedigree.

Balanced Overall Performance Improvement

When looking for the sire that will help improve your herd across the board, we looked for sires that have a balance of production and longevity. We also wanted great health and fertility traits that will deliver a low maintenance cow (Read more – Fact vs. Fantasy: A realistic approach to sire selection). Here are our top three.

CO-OP BOSSIDE MASSEY
MASCOL x PECKENSTEIN FORM BRET x HA-HO CUBBY MANFRED
Massey is a popular sire of sons combining elite indexes with a great outcross opportunity. Massey daughters are snug uddered with strong attachments. Though they should be protected for rump angle (high) and dairy strength, his low somatic cell score, high herd life/productive life and strong fertility make Massey a great sire for your breeding program.
COYNE-FARMS DORCY
SANDY-VALLEY BOLTON X PECKENSTEIN FORM BRET x STARTMORE RUDOLPH
Look for Dorcy to sire balanced dairy cattle that have great udders and very good feet & legs, though he will need to be protected for dairy strength, fat percent and specifically his body depth and chest width. While his productive life and low somatic cell score make Dorcy very strong longevity sire, you will want to use him wisely on virgin heifers as he is not a calving ease sire.
CO-OP BOOKEM YUXI
DE-SU 521 BOOKEM x END-ROAD PVF BOLIVER x PECKENSTEIN FORM BRET
Yuxi is a great sire for feed efficiency, based on his strong milk production from smaller framed and stature cattle (Read more: 30 Sires That Will Produce Feed Efficient Cows). While he needs to be protected on loin strength and body depth, his high productive life, low somatic cell score and great calving ease will have his daughters producing milk in your herd for a long time.

Production Improvement

KINGS-RANSOM B RUBLE
SANDY-VALLEY BOLTON x END-ROAD PVF BOLIVER x B-Y-U MANDEL BOMBAY
A proven sire that maybe has not caught the eye of many breeders, Ruble offers outstanding production improvement from solid type. While certainly not a calving ease sire, Ruble will greatly increase production from strong uddered cows that have good feet and legs.
OCONNORS JAY
SANDY-VALLEY BOLTON x REGANCREST ELTON DURHAM x HENKESEEN MARCIS MARVELOUS
Coming from a strong maternal line (Read more: The Bloom is on Oconnors Goldwyn Jasmine) Jay offers great component improvement from solid production. He also has the ability to improve overall type, especially udder attachments and texture, but should be protected on pin setting.
CO-OP MASTER GENO
BOSSIDE MASSEY MASTER x BADGER-BLUFF FANNY FREDDIE x JOSE
Talk about a challenge. In order to find a genomic sire that met our requirements we had to go the 95^th sire on our list of production improvement genomic sires. Much like Yuxi, Geno will also produce feed efficient daughters (Read more: 30 Sires That Will Produce Feed Efficient Cows). His strong components, especially fat, combined with great udders and strong health and fertility makes Geno a great sire to look at for a solid outcross sire.

Longevity Improvement

For those of you that are looking to breed cattle that stay around lactation after lactation or maybe you are having problems with your 2 year olds not coming back for a 2nd lactation, we recommend the following outcross sires, in addition to Dorcy mentioned earlier:

SILDAHL JETT AIR
EMERALD-ACR-SA T-BAXTER x MARA-THON BW MARSHALL x HA-HO CUBBY MANFRED
This outcross sire offers great longevity improvement combined with strong health and fertility. While he does need to be protected on protein and milking speed, his great feet and legs, udders and health and fertility, make him an outcross sire you don’t want to miss.
BERTAIOLA MINCIO
SANDY-VALLEY BOLTON x BOSS IRON x CAROL PRELUDE MTOTO
With Boss Iron daughters such as Decrausaz Iron O’Kalibra catching the eyes of the world in the show ring (Read more: The All European Champion Show: The Greatest Show On Earth), there are also Iron daughters that are getting the job done as bull mothers. A great example of this is BEL IRON IRENE, the dam of Mincio. This high fertility Bolton son combines high type with great production, which is resulting in outstanding results in his current daughter performance. Watch for MINCIO to sire great udders and feet & legs though you may want to watch him on somatic cell score.
RONELEE DORCY DELIGENT
COYNE-FARMS DORCY x END-ROAD PVF BOLIVER x COMESTAR OUTSIDE
This outcross genomic sire just spells longevity. Deligent was bred to deliver long lasting daughters. With outstanding Herd Life/Productive Life, breed leading mammary systems scores and strong Feet and Legs scores, Deligent is a longevity specialist, though he does need to be somewhat protected for dairy strength. Look for DELIGENT to combine this longevity with strong production and type numbers.

Health and Fertility Improvement

One area that is not getting enough attention from most breeders is health and fertility. While there is no question that every breeder knows that more pregnancies equals more profits many of the top ranking sires actually have negative values for health and fertility. The following are some outcross specialist sires that should help you change that:

PENN-ENGLAND STOCKTON
PURSUIT SEPTEMBER STORM x FUSTEAD EMORY BLITZ x PEN-COL DUSTER
While you certainly would not use Stockton as a production improvement sire. His high daughter pregnancy rate, productive life and low somatic cell make Stockton the perfect sire for that high production cow you are looking to breed some health and fertility traits into.
CERVI PHONIC
LATUCH ROLEX x OLMO PRELUDE TUGOLO x SHEN-VAL NV LM FORMATION
While not a name that most breeders know, Phonic is certainly going to get some attention from breeders looking to breed to where the industry is headed. With extremely low SCS and high daughter fertility combined with functional type and above average production, Phonic is leaving daughters that are extremely low maintenance. Tracing back to the great Italian brood cow Cervi FIRESTONE, this family has produced such sires as BUXON, WOODSTOCK and PADERNUS. Given his high rump angle, it is interesting that he is such a good calving ease sire.
BLUMENFELD LEWIS TRUE
LATUCH FREDDIE LEWIS x LEIF x RAMOS
Similar to finding an overall performance improver on the top genomic lists, finding a health and fertility genomic sire had us going to number 55 on our list. Look for True to sire outstanding udders with strong feet and legs. He will need to be protected on loin strength.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Choosing the correct sire can be challenging enough. Finding a sire that also offers an outcross from the main Goldwyn, Planet, Shottle and Oman can be almost impossible. That is why we compiled these 12 sires to bring to light some outcross pedigrees that many breeders may not have heard of. It is, certainly worth taking a look at many of these sires, when looking to combat inbreeding in your herd.

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30 Sires that will produce Feed Efficient Cows

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Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

Commercial milk producers want to breed cows that have high feed conversion efficiency, that avoid culling and that take the least care or staff time (Read more – Feed Efficiency: The Money Saver). The well known and widely used total merit indexes, TPI*TM and LPI, rank sires according to which ones leave the most profitable ideal or true type cow. However the factors in those indexes and the assumptions that are made when calculating them do not address feed, culling or low maintenance. Milk producers are left to fend for themselves when it comes to selecting sires that will leave their kind of cows.

What’s Being Heard

Milk Producers say: “All I want is a trouble free cow that efficiently converts forages to the kind of milk my milk buyer wants.”

Veterinarians say: “Cows must get in calf, have minimal feet problems and must not be prone to having production limiting diseases (reproduction problems, mastitis, metabolic disorders or ..etc.).”

Farm Workers say: “Sick animals, calving problems and animals that do not work easily within the farm system waste my time.”

Feed Advisers say: “Test your forages, feed the rumen, get the most out of your forages and the use of nutrients for both production and maintenance must be considered simultaneously (i.e. medium sized cows yielding the same as large cows are more feed efficient).”

Milk Processors say: ”Except for the milk we sell as a drink, we want the solids not the water.”

Financial Advisers say: “Make decisions based on profit per cow, per litre, per hectare, per pound of feed consumed, per worker, …etc.”

Consumers say: – Well in fact we may not be listening to consumers (Read more – Milk Marketing: How “Got Milk?” became “Got Lost”)

There are even more voices speaking in producers ears and more words appearing on the computer screens that producers read. With all the information that is currently available, selecting sires that best meet the needs of milk producers can be a daunting task.

Getting Started

Milk producers do not wish to deal all the numbers that appear on proof sheets. That can be a very time consuming exercise with no definitive answers at the end of it.

The Bullvine decided to research what is available today on selecting sires for feed conversion efficiency, for freedom from major known reasons for culling and for minimal extra care. We recognize that down the road there will be genomic indexes that are based on the relationship between yet to be recorded on-farm cow performance data and the DNA make-up of cows for these three areas. But today those genomic indexes do not exist.

Bullvine Efficiency Index (BEI)

Based on the information from a number of countries that we have been able to access, the Bullvine has developed the following formulas:

BEI = Production (45%) + Durability (35%) + Health & Fertility (25%)
Production = 30 Fat Yield + 50 Protein Yield + 10 Fat% + 10 Protein%
Durability = 17 Herd Life + 42 Mammary System + 25 Feet & Legs – 8 Body Depth – 8 Stature
Health & Fertility = 46 Somatic Cell + 23 Daughter Fertility + 23 Udder Depth + 8 Milking Speed

Notes:

Milk Yield is not included as it contributes to more udder strain and added milk haulage or on-farm water removal costs.
The negative weightings on Body Depth and Stature reflect that larger cows require extra feed to grow to that size and to maintain that larger size each and every day compared to cows of more moderate size.

Sire Rankings

Using CDN’s Custom Index Calculator the following sires came to the top of the list,

CANADIAN	INTERNATIONAL	YOUNG SIRES
LONG-LANGS OMAN OMAN-ET	CO-OP BOSSIDE MASSEY-ET	FARNEAR-TBR-BH CASHMONEY-ET
CRACKHOLM FEVER	COYNE-FARMS DORCY-ET	SOUTHERN-HILLS BAYARD-ET
BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	DE-SU CIMARRON-ET	FARNEAR-TBR-BH CASHCOIN-ET
ALLYNDALE-I ATTICUS	BADGER-BLUFF FANNY FREDDIE	MR LOOKOUT P ENFORCER-ET
LIRR DREW DEMPSEY	CERVI ALLEMAR ET	CO-OP BOOKEM YUXI-ET
DE-SU GILLESPY-ET	DE-SU GULF-ET	CO-OP MASTER GENO-ET
GEN-I-BEQ BRAWLER	BERTAIOLA MINCIO ET	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO ET
GILLETTE JORDAN	GUARINI-ET	TEEMAR OBSERVER ADAM-ET
GEN-I-BEQ TOPSIDE	DE-SU FORK-ET	DE-SU DISTINCTION 11130-ET
ENSENADA TABOO PLANET-ET	DE-SU WATSON	DE-SU UNO 11446-ET

Please note: Due to the fact that CDN’s Custom Index tool only allows quires by Domestic Canadian, MACE and Genomic individually it is not possible to do an overall ranking.

Key Findings

Except for the Domestic Canadian list only a small difference exist between bulls
The rankings do not always follow TPI* TM or LPI due mainly to the negative weighting on body depth and stature and increased emphasis on SCS, daughter fertility and udder depth.
Although Braedale Goldwyn, Sandy Valley Bolton and Picton Shottle progeny are prominent on these listings, they are from different cow families so inbreeding using the sires on these lists should not be a problem, providing a breeder does not focus on just one of them

Highlights

Braedale Goldwyn appears on the listings himself. As well he has six sons on the lists and is the maternal grandsire of three of the genomic bulls.
Sandy Valley Bolton has seven sons on the listings
Picton Shottle is the maternal grandsire of nine bulls on the listings
Oman sons Long-Langs Oman Oman and Badger-Bluff Fanny Freddie both appear on the listings, as do one son and one maternal grandson of each of them
De-Su Observer, yet to be daughter proven, has three sons and one maternal grandson on the genomics listing

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Commercial milk producers often want the decisions on which sires to use to be as simplified as possible. That is why the Bullvine has produced these BEI listings. With due consideration to avoid inbreeding, milk producers can expect BEI to rank bulls for them for production, durability and health & fertility with emphasis on the sires that can convert intake into milk production.

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Bullvine Performance Index (BPI) – Top Sires December 2012

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Friday, January 4th, 2013

While there is no doubt that national composite index’s (TPI^TM, LPI, PLI etc.) are great marketing tools, recently there has been discussion about their merits as actual genetic advancement tools. With each index providing “home field” advantage to domestic animals and many out of date with where the industry is headed, we here at the Bullvine have developed the Bullvine Performance Index (BPI).

In the BPI we use direct genomic values instead of parent averages and we also incorporate reliabilities, in order to greater account for animals whose indexes stand the best chance of being stable over time. As far as what traits we looked at, we have used an equally balanced weighting between production, longevity and health and fertility, as we see that emphasis represents where the market is heading. We also include a small component (MPS) that factors in dam, 2^nd dam and 3^rd dam actual performance irrelevant of country of origin, as per our discussion with many breeders who feel that this should have some weight. Instead of trying to be reactionary to the marketplace like most composite indexes, we are trying to be leading and ahead of the market. We also are publishing BPI as a percentage so that it is clear just how far apart each animal is from each other. Since this is a ranking index we felt it was more important to show the range between animals than to give a number that technically means nothing.

Top 50 BPI Sires

Sire Name	BPI	Production	Longevity	Health and Fertility	MPS
MR LOOKOUT P ENFORCER-ET	100%	97%	94%	78%	96%
LONG-LANGS OMAN OMAN-ET	94%	99%	60%	19%	96%
COYNE-FARMS DORCY-ET	93%	58%	93%	50%	95%
SOUTHERN-HILLS BAYARD-ET	90%	68%	87%	78%	99%
HAMMER-CREEK FRED KRUNCH-ET	89%	74%	77%	84%	96%
GOLDDAY	89%	45%	96%	47%	99%
ZANI BOLTON MASCALESE ET	87%	94%	64%	34%	94%
TEXEL BEAUTY COSMO-ET	86%	77%	81%	54%	98%
AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO ET	86%	65%	92%	70%	96%
CO-OP BOSSIDE MASSEY-ET	85%	79%	48%	59%	92%
UFM-DUBS OLEGANT-ET	85%	48%	66%	70%	95%
BADGER-BLUFF FANNY FREDDIE	85%	74%	51%	63%	89%
RMW ANCHOR-ET	85%	82%	84%	67%	96%
FARNEAR-TBR-BH CASHMONEY-ET	84%	84%	92%	52%	99%
MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	84%	83%	89%	43%	97%
LIRR DREW DEMPSEY	84%	34%	85%	49%	97%
RMW DORCY AMBROSE-ET	83%	59%	100%	61%	96%
CERVI ALLEMAR ET	83%	39%	74%	79%	94%
WABASH-WAY EXPLODE-ET	83%	58%	87%	28%	96%
MR LOOKOUT P EMBARGO-ET	83%	84%	91%	43%	96%
CRACKHOLM FEVER	81%	33%	85%	42%	96%
STANTONS BOOKKEEPER	80%	84%	86%	53%	95%
SEAGULL-BAY SARGEANT-ET	80%	97%	62%	50%	94%
CO-OP O-STYLE OMAN JUST-ET	80%	66%	40%	66%	96%
CERVI PHONIC	80%	38%	48%	100%	94%
FARNEAR-TBR-BH CASHCOIN-ET	79%	92%	74%	41%	99%
CO-OP BOOKEM YUXI	78%	75%	95%	53%	93%
O-BEE MANFRED JUSTICE-ET	78%	85%	11%	50%	93%
DE-SU JEROD 1223-ET	77%	82%	83%	60%	93%
COYNE-FARMS DORCY YIM-ET	77%	61%	87%	65%	92%
GENERVATIONS LIQUID GOLD	77%	100%	79%	27%	98%
MR LOOKOUT PSC ALTADRUM-ET	77%	99%	55%	57%	97%
COYNE-FARMS BOLTON DOM-ET	76%	70%	70%	21%	95%
COYNE-FARMS JACEY CRI-ET	76%	82%	64%	69%	94%
GEN-I-BEQ BRAWLER	76%	56%	68%	18%	97%
WELCOME BOL LATHAM-ET	75%	93%	50%	7%	99%
SILDAHL JETT AIR-ET	75%	41%	79%	42%	96%
MORNINGVIEW LEVI	75%	86%	35%	35%	96%
DE-SU GILLESPY-ET	74%	72%	77%	0%	96%
COYNE-FARMS SHOTLE YANCE-ET	74%	87%	42%	37%	91%
DE-SU DISTINCTION 11130-ET	74%	92%	83%	40%	96%
REGANCREST ALTAIOTA-ET	73%	68%	49%	36%	97%
SYNERGY ALTAJENKINS	73%	47%	58%	67%	94%
S-S-I PEOTI MOWGLI-ET	73%	86%	61%	66%	95%
SULLY MCCORD 269-ET	72%	93%	69%	44%	94%
TOLLENAARS ALTAQUALITY	72%	54%	48%	67%	93%
S-S-I BOOKEM MORGAN-ET	71%	86%	65%	61%	95%
CROCKETT-ACRES EIGHT-ET	70%	79%	16%	29%	100%
S-S-I PEOTI MANSUR-ET	70%	88%	62%	53%	95%
GENERVATIONS FUZION	70%	88%	55%	52%	98%

Key Findings

One of the neat things we found in developing this index is that it is able to give a realistic comparison between sires from all countries.
Even more importantly it also gives a good comparison of genomic test sires versus proven sires. Four of the top ten sires are proven sires, as compared to most national indexes that, when combining the genomic sires and the proven sires would find that at least nine if not all ten would be genomic test sires.
Outside of MR LOOKOUT P ENFORCER most of the sires are very close and really do warrant that you make sure you use the corrective mating for your specific animal as opposed to just using the top 5 or 10 bulls.
Another finding was the ability for second crop sires to also compare favorably with genomic test sires. Besides Man-O-Man (LONG-LANGS OMAN OMAN-ET) other second crop sires who come up high are UFM-DUBS ALTAESQUIRE-ET (BPI of 68%) and BRAEDALE GOLDWYN (BPI of 66%). This demonstrates that these high reliability sires very much still have value in many mating programs.

Highlights

There is no question that MR LOOKOUT P ENFORCER offers an extremely balanced package. His strong production numbers combined with his extreme type and longevity with good health and fertility traits will have him be a sire of sons worldwide. He may be hard to get your hands on as he is just one year old and he may only be released for contract matings. This Marbri Facebook son has the highest DGVs in the breed. Look for him to sire extreme component yields from strong dairy cattle with great feet and legs. One area to be cautious on using him is his body depth. Both his sire stack and his DGVs would say this area needs protecting.
There is no question that this last proof round Man-O-Man (LONG-LANGS OMAN OMAN) stole the show. His outstanding second crop daughter numbers have many top index breeders going back and using him again. His extreme production numbers have him and his daughters in high demand. With many sons like UNO also coming on the scene and offering a more balanced offering, it’s important to make sure you use Man-O-Man or maybe GENERVATIONS LIQUID GOLD when looking for the splash of production for a high type, high health and fertility mating. However hold off, if you are looking to improve those areas. Use a more balanced sire like MR LOOKOUT P ENFORCER-ET or maybe SOUTHERN-HILLS BAYARD-ET.
Coming up strong, as he keeps adding daughter numbers, is COYNE-FARMS DORCY. Look for Dorcy to sire balanced dairy cattle that have great udders and very good feet & legs, though he will need to be protected for dairy strength, fat percent and, specifically, for his body depth and chest width.
Also catching our eye are a couple of Freddie sons – SOUTHERN-HILLS BAYARD and HAMMER-CREEK FRED KRUNCH. Both these sires offer a greater type and longevity option over their sire BADGER-BLUFF FANNY FREDDIE who suffers on our BPI index as his second and third dam’s classification and performance scores are low.
The top non- North American sire on our list is GOLDDAY. Goldday is a Goldwyn son from A-L-H DESTINY VG-87-3YR-USA DOM GMD. Destiny is of course the popular bull mother from Markwell Durham Daisy (Read more – Markwell Durham Daisy – 2012 Golden Dam Finalist), proven in Germany. Goldday is also the full brother to former #1 German sire Danillo. Look for Goldday to sire unbelievable udders and legs as well as long herd life. One area where you will want to protect Goldday is rump angle. Be cautious in using him on cattle that need production improvement.

The Bottom Line

It is difficult to keep track of all the top animals and compare them accurately. Trying to compare genomic sires with proven sires with each country having their own index with apparent bias makes it doubly hard. Having said that, comparisons are instructive for informed decision-making. That is why we developed the BPI formula. Contrary to popular belief that you need to be using 100% genomic sires to accelerate your genetic advancement, our analysis shows absolutely that there are proven sires that should be used in order to minimize your risk and still achieve the greatest results.

The 12 Holstein Sires to Maximize Genetic Gain

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Monday, December 10th, 2012

With the December 2012 genetic evaluation release and all the changes to the different systems, many breeders are finding it hard to figure out which sires are the ones they should be taking a closer look at for their breeding programs. In typical Bullvine fashion we decided to not only provide you with the top lists (Read more in our Genetic Evaluations Section) but also to look at what sires will help you maximize your genetics, by identifying which ones address certain needs. Here is what we found from the 99% Rank worldwide for their area of specialty.

Overall Performance Improvement

When looking for the sire the will help improve your herd across the board, we looked for sires that have a balance of production and longevity. We also wanted great health and fertility traits that will deliver a low maintenance cow (Read more – Fact vs. Fantasy: A realistic approach to sire selection). Here are our top three.

COYNE-FARMS DORCY
(Bolton x Bret x Rudolph)
Last proof run, we had concerns with Dorcy as his parent averages and DGVs were higher than his actual daughter performance. However, with his daughter numbers nearly doubling in December, his actual daughter performance is now higher than his PA’s and right on where his DGV had been predicted. Look for Dorcy to sire balanced dairy cattle that have great udders and very good feet & legs, though he will need to be protected for dairy strength fat percent and specifically his body depth and chest width.
LONG-LANGS OMAN OMAN
(O Man x Aaron x Bellwood)
There is no question that the story around the world is how well Man-O-Man daughters are performing (Read more – Man-O-Man will he turn platinum?) While we are huge Man-O-Man fans, he has yet to leave a son who has Genomic results that are higher than his own on the CDN system (Read more – Is Man-O-Man really going to be a sire of sons?). When it comes to your breeding goals, he certainly is a sire that should still get consideration even for the most aggressive genomic programs. Look for Man-O-Man to sire outstanding production from cattle who have correct feet and legs and strong mammary systems. One area to watch him for is his rump angle, as his daughters can be a touch high in the pins.
MR LOOKOUT P ENFORCER
(Facebook x Shottle x O Man)
One sire that is certainly going to be on the top of everyone’s list is Enforcer. He may be hard to get your hands on as he is just one year old and Semex will probably only be releasing him for contract matings (Read more – Select Sires vs. Semex – A contrast in cooperatives). This Marbri Facebook son has the highest DGVs in the breed. Look for him to sire extreme component yields from strong dairy cattle with great feet and legs. One area to be cautious on using him is his body depth. Both his sire stack and his DGVs would say this area needs protecting. For those looking for an early release genomic sire, check out GenerVations Liquid Gold born on the same day as Enforcer but yet publically available (Read more – $750 Dollar Semen! Are you crazy?)

Production Improvement

It might be easy to just take the top milk lists or combine the fat plus protein and say those sires are the best for overall production. We here at the Bullvine would not want to totally forgo type as well as health and fertility so we are looking for the sires that give you the maximum production gain, without sacrificing everything to get it. In addition to Enforcer and Man-O-Man, here are some top production sires you should consider.

ZANI BOLTON MASCALESE
(Bolton x O Man x Adam)
Much like the Nerello grapes that the Mascali area of Italy is famous for, Mascalese is a sire that works best when used to balance out a pedigree by offering a strong production infusion. Mascalese is the perfect mating for Planet’s, Man-O-Man’s and Goldwyn’s, as he will add the dairy strength and rump improvement that is needed.
DE-SU ALTAGOALMAN
(Bolton x O Man x BW Marshall)
Holding strong in the US proving system that saw many sires drop over the last proof round is AltaGoalman. This proven Bolton son from the Genomic powerhouse De-Su, offers extreme production with acceptable percent components, He delivers significant overall production improvement. While AltaGoalman will not hurt your udders and legs, he certainly needs to be protected on body depth and rump. AltaGoalman is most definitely best suited for commercial environments but can also be used for a shot of production, if used carefully.
TRIONE NIAGRA VIGOR
(Niagra x O Man x Throne)
Certainly a sire to consider, for those looking to push the genomic envelope and yet still wanting to find new bloodlines, is Vigor. Vigor is a RI-VAL-RE 2338 NIAGRA son from a TRIONE MAN IDRA VG-89-ITA. She is from one of Italy’s most dominant cow families TRIONE AARON BELLUNA VG-89-ITA. Idra is an O-Man daughter of TRIONE THRONE ELENA VG-88-ITA. Look for Vigor to be the genomic equivalent of AltaGoalman and needs to be protected on rump and dairy strength but offers tremendous production improvement. He is a great option for a progressive breeder looking to develop a more unique bloodline.

Longevity Improvement

Recent changes to the US system for productive life rankings may have breeders scratching their heads. Here are some sires that bring some light to the situation. In addition to Dorcy and Enforcer, other sires to consider for longevity improvement are:

GOLDDAY
(Goldwyn x O Man x Durham)
Goldday is a Goldwyn son from A-L-H DESTINY VG-87-3YR-USA DOM GMD. Destiny is of course the popular bull mother from Markwell Durham Daisy (Read more – Markwell Durham Daisy – 2012 Golden Dam Finalist), proven in Germany. Goldday is also the full brother to former #1 German sire Danillo. Look for Goldday to sire unbelievable udders and legs as well as long herd life. One area where you will want to protect Goldday is rump angle. Be cautious in using him on cattle that need production improvement.
BADGER-BLUFF FANNY FREDDIE
(O Man x Die Hard x Metro)
Freddie’s jump back to the top of the TPI list is not surprising as his daughters continue to perform. Much like his father O Man, Freddie was not given much use, as his low type numbers scared many breeders away. But, also like his father, his daughters tend to last much longer than their type numbers would indicate. That’s because Freddie has outstanding fitness traits that helps him leave low maintenance daughters. They are not angular and they are not deep but they do they milk hard and last long.
CRACKHOLM FEVER
(Goldwyn x Blitz x Mattie G)
Battling with GUTHRIE and the Goldwyn sons of MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE (Read more – MD-Delight Durham Atlee – 2012 Golden Dam Finalist) Fever may be the best proven Goldwyn son in the world. Fever is just one of the sires that does a lot of things right. He has strong fitness traits combined with great type numbers that contribute to daughters lasting a long time. Considering that production is one of the lower reasons breeders cull cattle (Read more – Fact vs. Fantasy: A realistic approach to sire selection), it’s no wonder that Fever daughters will have a long career in many herds.

Health and Fertility Improvement

As I tried to point out in our recent article, Who killed the market for good dairy cattle?, breeders need to focus more on what their actual management goals are and less on their perceptions, or misconceptions. That means putting a greater focus on health and fertility, when choosing mating sires in your herd. In addition to Enforcer, Fever and Freddie here are some sires to consider:

CERVI PHONIC
(Rolex x Tugolo x AltaFormation)
While not a name that most breeders know, Phonic is certainly going to get some attention from breeders looking to breed to where the industry is headed. With extremely low SCS and high daughter fertility combined with functional type and above average production, Phonic is leaving daughters that are extremely low maintenance. Tracing back to the great Italian brood cow Cervi FIRESTONE, this family has produced such sires as BUXON, WOODSTOCK and PADERNUS. Given his high rump angle, it is interesting that he is such a good calving ease sire.
ZIMMERVIEW BRITT VARS
(Britt x Tugolo x Metro)
In Vars you get one of the top proven sires for daughter pregnancy rate, calving ease and productive life. Surprisingly this Britt son has an outstanding fat percentage coming from his MGS Tugolo. However, his sire stack also dictates that he very much needs to be protected on type, especially udders. It is ironic that a sire with such high herd life also sires deep udders that need improvement in udder cleft.
WALHOWDON RUSSELL COBRA
(Russell x O Man x BW Marshall)
Cobra is an early Russell son from a deep cow family. His genomic test results are extremely high, especially for the health and fertility traits. Breeders looking to enhance the profitability of their herd and push the genomic envelope will certainly be looking to Cobra. Cobra should be protected on bone quality as well as body depth.

Type Improvement

Hey everyone loves a winner and extra value, so that is why we added 3 extra type improvement sires. Great show cows are as much bred as they are “made”, as is evident by some of the great show cows from Quality Holsteins (Read more – Quality Holsteins – Well-deserved congratulations) In addition to the 7 Sires to use in order to breed the next world dairy expo champion, we offer these three sires to consider.

GEN-MARK STMATIC SANCHEZ
(Stormatic x BW Marshall x Winchester)
Breeders who were are the 2012 Royal Winter Fair (Read more – The 2012 Royal Winter Fair – One of the greatest stories every told!) will certainly find it hard to argue with this selection. Valleyvillle Rae Lyn VG-89-2YR, sired by Sanchez certainly impressed many and will give even the best Goldwyns a run for their money in 2014 (Read more – Quality Cattle Look Good Every Day). Look for Sanchez to sire extreme frames and superb feet and legs, though he may need to be protected on rear teat position and teat length
TOC-FARM DUPLEX GLAUCO
(Duplex x Allen x Progress)
For those of you looking for something with an international flair but a solid base, there is Glauco. Glauco is the Duplex son of the great Italian show cow TOC-FARM ALLEN AMYLY EX-96-ITA, who is from a EX-93-ITA Progress and then the great brood cow SUNNYLODGE SKYCHIEF AMY EX-95-2E-GBR 5* who of course is from an EX-2E 8* Tab then the legendary SUNNYLODGE PRELUDE SPOTTIE VG-87-3YR-CAN 18*. Glauco daughters are extremely tall and open and have amazing rear udders. He should be protected on the set to his rear legs (curved ), similar to Skychief but with much better bone quality.
VAL-BISSON DOORMAN
(Bookem x Shottle x Goldwyn)
For those of you who breed for type but are willing to use genomic sires, Doorman is for you. This Bookem from a Shottle has no great show cattle in his pedigree, but, at +22, he does have a very high genomic test for conformation. Genomically test speaking, he is the perfect sire for the show ring. Doorman will be a great test to see if Genomics works in the show ring (Read more – Does Genomics Belong in the Show Ring?)

The Bullvine Bottom Line

We have stated it many times. In maximizing your genetic gain, you can’t just pick from the top of the TPI or LPI list. You need to make sure that your matings are the best corrective cross. Breeding great cattle is part art and part science. You need to have both parts. It takes careful consideration and generation after generation of corrective mating to breed great cow families. That is why, instead of just giving you a list of the top 12 we tried to provide you with insight into which sires will provide you with the maximum gain in each specific area.

Check out our Genetic Evaluations Section for more information.

December 2012 World Wide Holstein Genetic Evaluation Highlights

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

While the introduction of genomics has certainly changed the dairy industry, this proof round also proves that it’s an evolving science. With adjustments in both the US and Canadian systems, the December 2012 Genetic Evaluations are as much about the changes in the system as it is about the new sires.

In the US, USDA made significant changes to the system including a correction and adjustment of health and functional trait evaluations and reliabilities. These changes have led to a much closer grouping of the top TPI sires (15%). We all know that just as breeders are learning how to use genomics, geneticists are also learning how to evolve this technology and ensure it’s accuracy. In Canada there have also been refinements to the DGV system, including regression analysis as well as a tightening of the range of the top end animals. The number of DGV LPI’s over 4000 has gone down drastically, with many sires seeing about a 400-500 DGV LPI drop.

More than ever these changes highlight that instead of selecting sires by their rank on the list, with such close numbers, it is now more important to make sure that you select the sire that is the corrective mate for your animals.

USA

All is quiet on the American front. Even the story of the top two sires BADGER-BLUFF FANNY FREDDIE and COYNE-FARMS DORCY is about how they held their numbers to move up the ranks rather than increased their numbers.
Even WABASH-WAY EXPLODE, who we were hesitant to endorse last round as his Parent Averages and DGV’s are higher than his current daughter performance, held relatively the same numbers with the addition of 10 more daughters (Note: His DGV’s and PA’s are still higher than current daughter performance).
One interesting newcomer that caught our eye was RONELEE TOYSTORY DOMAIN. Domain is the 1^st proven sire from Trans America Genetics (TAG) and his initial proof was spot on to his expected genomic and parent averages (slightly lower for production but indications are that it will adjust) Bodes well for great things to come from the TAG program.

CANADA

The biggest story in Canada is the official domestic proof of LONG-LANGS OMAN OMAN. Man-O-Man didn’t disappoint the many rumors that where swirling (Read more – Man-O-Man will he turn platinum?) but does cause us some concerns about his use as a sire of sons (Read more – Is Man-O-Man going to be a sire of sons?).
A bull that will certainly catch a lot of attention in Canada FREUREHAVEN NIAGARA. This Bolton son from the high index bull mother COMESTAR LAUTELLA GOLDWYN VG-87 2* is leaving daughters that love to milk and that do so from strong udders and great feet and legs.
This proof round for Canada was packed with many high-ranking bulls receiving their first official LPI proof including 25 in the Top 100, 14 in the Top 50 and 9 in the Top 20 for LPI. Most of these were US proven sires receiving their first Canadian proof such as UFM-DUBS AltaEsquire (O Man x Rich-Ro Mark Sam-ET) at #4 LPI and the new #1 for Fat this round; Crockett-Acres Otto-ET (O Man x Crockett-Acres Mtot Elly- ET) arriving at #13 LPI and immediately followed, with a difference of only 15 LPI points, by his full Canadian proven brother Crockett-Acres Eight-ET at #12 LPI.

INTERNATIONAL

Cogent Twist becomes number one UK proven sire in December proof run. COGENT TWIST has continued his climb through the rankings to become the new number one UK-proven sire. Twist combines his PLI of £229 with hardwearing daughter type traits including dairy strength, width and body depth.
In Italy Encino EVONYMON ET TV is the highest new bull for PFT this run (standing 10th in the Italian rankings). Evonymon is one of the highest sires for milk in the Italian PFT ranking at over 1600Kgs. He also has a positive fat and protein %, a functional type with 2.47 feet & legs and positive Fitness traits. The other high new release sire is Encino EGYPTIAN ET TV the full brother of Evonymon and stands 15th on the official Italian rankings. He has excellent fat (0.16) and protein (0.11) with over 1,300 kg of milk. Fertility is high, and is a somatic cell score improver.
Other international stars such as ZANI BOLTON MASCALESE, FLEVO GENETICS SNOWMAN and HEIDENSKIPSTER GOLDDAY all held their numbers as well as international rankings.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

While there were certainly some exciting new sires this proof round, the bigger story is about the way current stars are holding their domestic numbers as they receive international proofs. This stability highlights the strengths of the MACE system and shows how different countries are enhancing their use of Genomics to more accurately predict the future genetic stars.

From Fantasy to Reality – Top sires to address herd culling problems

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Thursday, November 15th, 2012

In our recent article, Fact vs. Fantasy – A realistic approach to sire selection, we highlighted the need to choose sires not just on ideal conformation goals, but to also match your sire selection to the key management challenges your herd faces. In typical Bullvine style we wanted to take this one step further and to go from fantasy to reality and identify just what sires will help address these top culling issues.

The Bullvine’s Realistic Approach: Breed to Minimize Your Profit Thieves

In the previous article, we recommended minimum sire proof levels for total index, female fertility, somatic cell score and feet & legs in both the US and Canadian genetic evaluation systems. Since we only have access to DGVs from CDN, all values quoted in this article will be in Canadian terms.

Some considerations set for sires to qualify for consideration are worth repeating:

A minimum LPI/TPI value (+2000) was set to address the problem of cows being culled for low production;
Sires had to be on an active marketing list of a North American AI organization; and
Sires with only genomic evaluations had to have been born in 2011 or, in other words, they are in the initial stages of their sampling time.

Just a reminder of the minimum values The Bullvine set for bulls to be considered.

Lifetime Profit Index > +2000
Daughter Fertility > 100
Somatic Cell Score < 2.90
Feet & Legs > +5

INFERTILITY: You can’t make milk if you can’t make calves

Breeders know that there is a difference in bulls’ daughters’ ability to become pregnant. It’s probably one of the most important profit metrics on most herds. This is measured as Daughter Fertility in Canada and Daughter Pregnancy Rate in the USA. This information has been available for some time, yet it still seems to be given little heed when sires are selected for use in A.I. and herds.

The Bullvine offers the following sires for use by herds wishing to genetically address infertility.

GENOMICALLY EVALUATED SIRES: ranked by DGV Daughter Fertility Index

111 Ever-Green-View FONSY (Super x Shottle)
110 Brant-View ALTAOTIS (Observer x Active)
110 Latuch Trigger TREK (Trigger x Ramos)
109 Rosylane-LLC JOSIAH (Jives x Ramos)
109 Blue-Horizon ALATASUPLEX (Super x Planet)

DAUGHTER PROVEN SIRES: ranked by Daughter Fertility Index

110 Badger-Bluff Fanny FREDDIE (Oman x Die-Hard)
107 Synergy ALTAJENKINS (Mac x Shottle)
107 Mainstream MANIFOLD (Oman x Marshall)
107 Co-op Oman CAVANA (Oman x Hunter)
106 Crackholm FEVER (Goldwyn x Blitz)

MASTITIS – a bane to producing high quality milk

No producer wants mastitis, the cost of loosing a valuable cows, or the possibility of having a tanker load of milk lost due to antibiotics in the load. Additionally milk producers don’t want their vet visit time consumed with mastitis problems. Can mastitis be lowered by using genetic evaluations? “Yes!” claim many producers who know from experience that the daughters of bulls with an SCS over 3.10 are problems. Sure, they may be fine in their first lactation but in later lactations they are usually more prone to mastitis. The Bullvine offers the following sires for use in herds that wish to avoid mastitis, as much as possible:

GENOMICALLY EVALUATED SIRES: ranked by DGV SCS Index

2.22 Coyne-Farms JACY (AltaIota x Massey)
2.32 Welcome ADOLF (Shameless x Ramos)
2.40 Oconnors BAROMETER (Garrett x Shottle)
2.47 De-Su ALTAHALEY (Alta Meteor x Goldwyn)
2.48 Stantons EVEREST (Observer x Shottle)

DAUGHTER PROVEN SIRES: ranked by SCS Index

2.45 Co-op Bosside MASSEY (Mascol x Bret)
2.54 Lirr Drew DEMPSEY (Goldwyn x Derry)
2.62 Coyne-Farms DORCY (Bolton x Bret)
2.62 Coppertop DOBERMAN (Shottle x Granger)
2.63 Crackholm FEVER (Goldwyn x Blitz)

Feet and Legs – Vital for High Performing Cows

The heritability of feet & legs is low (.20 to .25) but there are significant differences between sires in their ability to sire animals with functional feet and legs, especially feet. The costs mount up when you consider that cows with sore feet do not come in heat. And their feet must be trimmed more often. On top of that they require medication. In the end, there is milk withdrawal and definitely there is a loss of milk production. The Bullvine offers the following sires for use in herds that care about reducing their costs and losses due to feet and leg problems.

GENOMICALLY EVALUATED SIRES: ranked by their DGV Feet & Legs Index

+16 Blue-Horizon ALTASUPLEX (Super x Planet) Side View +7, Rear View +10, Foot Angle +7
+15 Ronelee Shottbolt DENZEL (Shottbolt x Outside) Rear View +12, Foot Angle +7.
+14 Seagull-Bay HEADLINER (Robust x Planet) Rear View +12, Foot Angle +10.
+14 De-Su RANSOM (Robust x Ramos) Foot Angle +10, Heel Depth +7. Bone Quality -1.
+13 Farnear –TBR- BH CASHMONEY (Observer x Goldwyn) Rear View +10.

DAUGHTER PROVEN SIRES: ranked by Feet & Leg Index

+16 Gen-I-Beq BRAWLER (Baxter x Shottle) – Foot Angle +12, Heel Depth +13.
+15 Crackholm FEVER (Goldwyn x Blitz) – Bone Quality +10, Rear View +11, Rear Set +13.
+14 Lirr Drew DEMPSEY (Goldwyn x Derry) – Foot Angle +11, Heel Depth +8, Rear View +9.
+14 DANILLO (Goldwyn x Oman) – Foot Angle +12, Rear View +13.
+12 Va-Early-Dawn SUDAN (Jammer x Sailor) – Foot Angle +8, Rear View +13. Rear legs straight.

THE BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE

The sires recommended here are genetically superior for reducing the nagging problems of fertility, mastitis and feet. At the same time, they are superior for their Lifetime Profit Index. Bulls’ daughters that do not reach their potential due to any or all of these limiting factors are not needed on your farm or in the national herd. Choose the best sires that correct the actual problems that you face and thereby give you the opportunity to increase your profit per cow per year. This method of selecting sires is not showy like winning in the show ring is but your bottom line on your year-end financial statement will be a larger number. Taking your goal of greater profits from fact to reality.

Looking for more mating recommendations and insights…click here.

GOING OFF THE MAP: 14 Outcross Holstein Sires That Don’t Include GPS

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Monday, October 22nd, 2012

With the increased genetic similarity coming from genomic selection and the accelerated rate of genetic advancement, the need to pay attention to outcross sires is important. Never before has it been so difficult to find outcross sires, even though there is a much larger global marketplace. As the world genetics market has grown, the variance in genetic offerings has actually decreased. In most countries genetic indexes are either getting more and more similar or breeders are starting to speak a more common language such as TPI or Net Merit.

As a follow up to our The Top 12 Holstein Genomic Young Sires to Use for Maximum Genetic Gain, we decided to look for outcross sires either proven or genomic test sires that would offer breeders the maximum genetic gain while providing needed diversity. The word outcross or what constitutes an outcross sire can be tricky depending on where you are located. For our purposes, we are calling an outcross sire something that comes off the GPS map, or the Goldwyn, Planet, and Shottle map, if you will. That means that they do not have any of these three great sires anywhere in the 1st or 2nd generation of their pedigree.

Please note that we did leave Man-O-Man and his sons in our list because we felt that in relation to the total population base he received limited use due to his limited semen supply. He was used fairly heavily for contract matings but has only 393 daughters in his production proof and 190 daughters in his type proof in the USA

Overall Performance Improvement

While there is no question Man-O-Man offers outstanding overall genetic gain in a relative outcross package, here are some other sires to consider when looking for overall performance improvement:

LEOTHE DEXTERMAN (Man-O-Man x AltaBaxter)
If you cannot get Man-O-Man, why not go for what is arguably his best son, LEOTHE DEXTERMAN? DEXTERMAN offers outstanding component improvement, though he should not be expected to significantly improve overall production. Not surprising considering his dam LEOTHE BAXTER DAPHNEE VG-86-2YR-CAN just squeezed out 10,799 kgs in a 365-day record. DEXTERMAN’s maternal line shows generation after generation of solid conformation with average production. Look for DEXTERMAN to offer solid durability and health traits with balanced conformation. DEXTERMAN will fit the bill when looking for extreme component improvement. Look for him to breed much as his maternal line strong conformation, outstanding components, but needs protected on overall production.
MOUNTFIELD MSY MAURICE (Massey x Boliver)
If you are looking for more of an outcross or have used lots of Man-O-Man try MOUNTFIELD MSY MAURICE. MAURICE and his Dorcy brother MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL offer a great outcross option. MAURICE has high TPI, NM$ and Type scores making him a great option for overall performance. Though based on his genomic numbers you will need to protect him on dairy strength and a little on rumps.
CO-OP BOSSIDE MASSEY (Mascol x Bret)
If you are looking for a proven sire option, you cannot go wrong with CO-OP BOSSIDE MASSEY. The current #1 daughter proven sire in the US, MASSEY breeds long-lasting cows that work well in all environments. Watch for MASSEY to sire even better production numbers than his proof would indicate, as well as being a little dairier and stronger than expected, but he will need to be protected on Rumps.
ZANI BOLTON MASCALESE (Bolton x O man)
For those looking for a bloodline not as well known to North American breeders, try ZANI BOLTON MASCALESE. With a dam that has a MACE index of over +4000 MLPI, it can be new territory for many breeders to use a MACE sire that is so high. Concerns that his proof is all parent average and genomics are not unusual. However, when it comes to MASACLESE. his daughters are actually backing up what his family and genomics would indicate. His young sire proof estimates (65% Genomics and 35% Parent Average) would be +3019 MLPI and his MACE proof has him at+ 2972, telling you that, while his daughters are slightly lower, they are not far off. Look for MASCALESE to transmit outstanding balance and type though do be careful on his component percentages.

Production Improvement

For those of you that are more commercially focused or maybe those of you who have not focused enough on production and the milk check is showing it, here are our recommendations other than Man-O-Man for overall production, and genomic sires MAURICE & DEXTERMAN for components to use to gain the greatest production increase:

DE-SU ALTAGOALMAN (Bolton x O man)
ALTAGOALMAN is a proven sire from the high Genomic Index De-Su herd. With a PA MLPI of +1960 and DGV MLPI of +2710, ALTAGOALMAN’s official proof MLPI is +2887, indicating that his daughters are significantly outperforming PA expectations for both type and production traits. Though ALTAGOALMAN will sire outstanding production both his genomic proof and his daughter information would indicate that he needs to be protected on dairy strength.
UFM-DUBS ALTAESQUIRE (O man x AltaSam)
Another proven sires option is ALTAESQUIRE. ALTAESQUIRE’s 2nd crop daughters seem to be outperforming his first crop proof. Watch for ALTAESQUIRE to sire more production, components as well as better mammary systems than his current proof would indicate. Currently ALTAESQUIRE’s proof is held back significantly by his low parent average MLPI of +1763, that is 1171 points lower than his current official MLPI proof of +2934. With the addition of more daughters watch for his official CDN proof to have him among the top 2-3 LPI spots. While offering dairy strength and rump improvement ALTAESQUIRE needs to be used cautiously on mammary systems and feet and legs, but if you are looking to put a production punch in a good uddered and legged cow/heifer ALTAESQUIRE will do the trick.

Longevity Improvement

For those of you that are looking to breed cattle that last lactation after lactation or maybe you are having problems with your 2 year olds not coming back for a 2nd lactation we recommend the following outcross sires:

RONELEE DORCY DELIGENT (Dorcy x Boliver)
RONELEE DORCY DELIGENT just spells longevity (Dorcy x Boliver x Outside x Rudolph), he was bred to deliver long lasting daughters. With outstanding Herd Life/Productive Life, breed leading mammary systems scores and strong Feet and Legs scores, DELIGENT is a longevity specialist, though he does need to be somewhat protected for dairy strength. Look for DELIGENT to combine this longevity with strong production and type numbers.
MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL (Dorcy x Marsh)
From the same family as MOUNTFIELD MSY MAURICE comes the Dorcy son MOGUL. Much like MAURICE, MOGUL combines high TPI, NM$ and Type scores as well as breed leading longevity scores. With a PL +7.1, +3.29 UDC. +3.13 FLC, +1.22BD and +1.62 Dairyness, MOGUL really is the complete longevity package. Combine that with over +1,000 lbs. of milk and plus components and MOGUL daughters will be producing for many years.
COYNE-FARMS DORCY (Bolton x Bret)
Well if you don’t want to use genomic young sires, you can always use the sire that is producing those sons, COYNE-FARMS DORCY. While DORCY’s actual daughter numbers are slightly below his Genomic and Parent averages (Read – The Effect Genomics has On the August 2012 New Release Daughter Proven Sires) he is proving to be an outstanding longevity improvement sire, both through his sons and daughters. Breeders interested in a Bolton son from an outcross pedigree, top-notch udders, very good feet & legs and functional traits may consider DORCY. Dairy Strength and Rump are only slightly above breed norms.
BERTAIOLA MINCIO (Bolton x Boss Iron)
For breeders looking to go a little further off the GPS map, there is BERTAIOLA MINCIO. This high fertility Bolton son combines high type with great production, which is resulting in outstanding results in his current daughter performance. Watch for MINICO to sire great udders and feet & legs though you may want to watch him on somatic cell score.

Health and Fertility Improvement

One area that is not getting enough attention by most breeders is health and fertility. While there is no question that every breeder knows that more pregnancies equals more profits many of the top ranking sires especially the GPS sires actually have negative values for health and fertility. The following are a couple of specialist sires that should help you change that:

ALL-RIEHL PAXTON (O Man x Rudolph)
While ALL-RIEHL PAXTON has a little older sire stack, he does possess the highest combined values for Somatic Cell Score, Udder Depth, Milking Speed, Daughter Fertility and Lactation Persistency. PAXTON daughters are shallow uddered with strong rear attachments and walk on strong feet and legs. While not big, or deep bodied they do possess good width of chest and nice slopey rumps. For those looking for show type and angularity, PAXTON is not the sire for you, but for those looking for easy to manage daughters that have long term profitability PAXTON will do the trick.
S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM (Domain x Bolton)
S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM has some of the highest DGV’s for health and fertility. Lithium is from one of the top genomic cows in the breed, GLEN-TOCTIN BOLT LUCILLE VG-87-DOM. Combining high herd life, low Somatic Cell counts and high daughter fertility with over 1600 lbs. of milk, 110 of fat and protein and 2.5 points on type makes Lithium a great choice when looking for improvement. It is interesting to note that his DGV’s for health and fertility are almost 8% higher than the next highest genomic young sire (BRANDT-VIEW ALTAOTIS) and 50% higher than his own official index, indicating that he really is the sire to use when wanting to address this area that has flown under the radar far too long.

Type Improvement

Finding a top type sire that has no Goldwyn in it’s pedigree is next to impossible (Read – 7 Sire to Use in Order to Breed the Next World Dairy Expo Champion). Finding ones with no Planet or Shottle as well was almost ridiculous. In addition to MOGUL and MINICO, you could also consider:

SIEMERS TOYS HERO 9701 (Toystory x Durham)
While HERO’s pedigree does not have some of the big time show cow’s like many of the other popular type sires in the breed today, he does have strong genomic test results for Conformation, and specifically udders. Look for HERO to sire extremely shallow udders that have strong ligaments though he could be protected a little on teat placement. While larger than average, HERO will not sire your big tall show winners with the deep ribs, instead he offers wide rumps that have slightly high pins and average chest width. He really is an udder specialist with average legs and dairy strength.
TOC-FARM DUPLEX GLAUCO (Duplex x Allen)
For those looking for a more well-known pedigree there is TOC-FARM DUPLEX GLAUCO. His dam, TOC-FARM ALLEN AMYLY EX-96-ITA, was All World Cow in 2008. She herself is from the great breeding cow, SUNNYLODGE SKYCHIEF AMY EX-95-2E-GBR 5*. Look for GLAUCO to sire tall deep-bodied cows with wide chests and strong udders. His big boxcar rumps will catch many breeders’ eyes, though you may want to protect him on rump angle a little.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Choosing the correct sire can be challenging enough. Finding a sire that also offers an outcross from the main GPS (Goldwyn, Planet, Shottle) sires can be almost impossible. That is why we compiled these 14 sires to bring to light some outcross pedigrees that many breeders may not have heard of. Hope this helps you find your way to your best outcross bull.

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Eight Proven Holstein Sires to Watch For or to Watch Out For

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Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

Far too often many proven sires get missed. This can be for two reasons. Either their initial proof is lower than expected or everyone is so caught up in using the latest genomic release sires, that they miss some great ones. And then there are those new release sires that certainly seem to be amazing and then plummet to earth like a meteor. In order to help breeders understand which sires are which, we took a closer look at some of today’s top proven sires. Here is what we found.

(Please note: Due to the need to get DGV values all numbers are based on the Canadian System)

Sires to Watch for

ZANI BOLTON MASCALESE
With a dam that has MACE proof of over +4000 MLPI, it can be pretty scary for many breeders to use a MACE sire that is so high. Concerns that his proof is all parent average and genomics are not unusual. However, when it comes to MASACLESE his daughters are actually backing up what his family and genomics would indicate. His young sire proof estimates (65% Genomics and 35% Parent Average) would be +3019 MLPI and his MACE proof has him at+ 2972, telling you that, while his daughters are slightly lower, they are not far off.
UFM-DUBS ALTAESQUIRE
While no means a new release sire ALTAESQUIRE’s 2^nd crop daughters seem to be outperforming his first crop proof. Watch for ALTAESQUIRE to sire more production, components as well as better mammary systems than his current proof would indicate. Currently ALTAESQUIRE’s proof is held back significantly by his low parent average MLPI of +1763, that is 1171 points lower than his current official MLPI proof of +2934. With the addition of more daughters watch for his official CDN proof to have him among the top 2-3 LPI spots.
DE-SU ALTAGOALMAN
With so many sires from De-Su at the top of the genomics list, and breeders expecting that the top genomic sires will drop with the addition of daughter information, ALTAGOALMAN has actually outperformed his genomics and parent average. With a PA MLPI of +1960 and DGV MLPI of +2710, ALTAGOALMAN’s official proof MLPI is +2887, indicating that his daughters are significantly outperforming expectations for both type and production traits.
SHADYBANK SHOTTLE SANTANA
Unlike some sires that are significantly helped by their Parent Average’s SANTANA is actually significantly held back by his parent averages. With an official proof MLPI proof of +2854 that outperforms his strong DGV MLPI of +2778 and his not so strong PA MLPI of +1678, SANATANA’s daughters are performing significantly better than expected, especially for production and components.
GO-FARM ARTES
Here is one Goldwyn sire that I think many breeders might have missed. His lower DGV’s (DGV MLPI of +2024) and parent average of +1420 MLPI, do not spell breed topper. With an official MLPI proof of +2392, ARTES’s daughters are significantly outperforming expectations. While already among the breed leaders for type, watch for ARTES to be a significant type improver across all the major type traits, as well as giving significantly more production than expected.

Sires to Watch Out For

COYNE-FARMS DORCY
As we highlighted in our recent article The Effect Genomics Has On The August New Release Sires, DORCY’s current daughters are not performing as high as his Genomics (DGV MLPI of+ 2726) would indicate. Even when you factor in his lower parent average (PA MLPI of +2016) his expected young sire proof would have been +2477 MLPI higher than his current official proof of +2305 MLPI, indicating that his daughters are currently performing below his parent average.
WABASH-WAY EXPLODE
Living up to expectations can be very challenging, especially for sires that come from extreme families. That is the challenge EXPLODE finds himself in. With high genomics (DGV MLPI of +2333) and parent average (PA MLPI of +2127), EXPLODE falls short of what his young sire evaluation would be (YS MLPI +2261), with an official MLPI proof of 2183. Specific areas to watch out for are his feet and legs and rumps, based on current daughter performance.
O-MAN END-STORY
When his first proof came out END-STORY was not genomically tested. Being a late Oman son and internationally proven, many breeders were hesitant to use END-STORY, fearing that his numbers would not hold up. His daughters are significantly outperforming his DGV’s (DGV MLPI of +2419) and PA MLPI of +1504, with an official proof of +2502 MLPI. The hesitation factor is that with 57 daughters in 39 herds, there is plenty of potential for END-STORY’s proof to go in either direction. If the daughters live up to the numbers, he may have many breeders thinking twice and those that took the risk looking pretty smart.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

While we are not saying don’t use bulls like DORCY or EXPLODE, what we are saying is to use them with some level of caution, as current daughter performance has them below their DVG’s and parent averages. This does not absolutely mean they will drop with the addition of more daughters, but, if the additional daughters maintain current daughter performance, then a drop is in their future.

A Closer Look at the August 2012 New Release Sires

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Thursday, August 16th, 2012

With many new sires coming out in this week’s proof round, we here at The Bullvine figured we should take a closer look. The following is our analysis of the top new TPI^TM and LPI sires.

GEN-I-BEQ BRAWLER #2 LPI +2638

Owner/Distributor Semex

Daughter Strengths

Fat Yield
Protein Yield
Conformation
Feet & Legs

Protect for

Straight Rear Legs (Side View)
Height at Front End

Sire Stack Baxter x Shottle x Champion x Storm x Grand

Dam: GEN-I-BEQ SHOTTLE BARBI VG88(5yr) 4* 1 Superior Lactation tracing back to Baler Twine 32* / Gypsy Grand 37*

Siblings

Sisters
Brothers
- GEN-I-BEQ ALTABUZZER @ Alta
- GEN-I-BEQ BARBER @ Semex
- GEN-I-BEQ BARNABE @ Semex
- GEN-I-BEQ BARZO @ Semex
- GEN-I-BEQ BARZIC @ Semex
- GEN-I-BEQ BACCHUS @ Semex
- GEN-I-BEQ BUTLER @ Genervations

Best used on typical daughters of:
Man-O-Man, Snowman, Planet, AltaEsquire, AltaIota, Garrett, Bolton

Comments
Boris is the latest sire from the family to be designated as ‘Extra’ with third dam Baler Twine having three Extra Sons, including Goldwyn and Topside now #4 LPI sire, and fourth dam Gypsy Grand having five Extra sons. In the future more awards can be expected from his dam Barbi’s progeny. Barbi is a full sister to Shottle Bombi Ex 92 with many sons with high DGV’s and awaiting proofs. His progeny proofs closely match his DGV except for a slightly lower rating on his progeny for Health & Fertility for which he still has a positive rating. His highest rated milking daughter is Gen-I-Beq Brawler Fee from a Goldwyn from Lila Z. She has a DGV LPI + 2689. Brawler was a high genomics young sire and already has 2321 registered daughters.

COYNE-FARMS DORCY ET – #3 TPI^TM +2266

Owner / Distributor – ABS

Daughter Strengths

Udder Composite
Feet & Legs Composite
Productive Life
SCS

Protect for

Calving Ease
Straight Rear Legs (Side View)

Sire Stack – Bolton x Bret x Rudolph x Merrill x Darby

Dam: COYNE-FARMS BRET DAFFERS ET Ex91 (5yr) DOM 3-01 (305D) 14,034kgs 4.4F 3.3P

Siblings

Sisters
- COYNE-FARMS PLANET DALIA-ET VG-85 GTPI+2282 +736NM$ PTAT+2.54
- COYNE-FARMS BOLTON DARLA-ET VG-87 GTPI+2130 +535NM$ PTAT+2.12
- COYNE-FARMS PLANET DACIA-ET VG-85 GTPI+2080 +552NM$ PTAT+2.33
- COYNE-FARMS BOLT DIEDRA-ET VG-87 GTPI+2050 +467NM$ PTAT+2.71
- COYNE-FARMS JET S DABBLE-ET VG-85 GTPI+1999 +455NM$ PTAT+1.92
- COYNE-FARMS BOLTON DANAE-ET VG-88 GTPI+1936 +363NM$ PTAT+2.54
- COYNE-FARMS COLBY DAHLIA-ET VG-85 GTPI+1900 +370NM$ PTAT+2.29
Brothers
- COYNE-FARMS ALTADELL-ET @ Alta
- COYNE-FARMS PLANET DOLCE @ Select

Best used on typical daughters of:
Man-O-Man, AltaEsquire, AltaIota, Dempsey, Lauthority, Goldwyn

Comments
Dorcy was a high genomics (DGV LPI +2726) young sire with high ratings for Production, Durability and Health & Fertility. He has good ratings for all functional traits except for calving ease. Breeders interested in a Bolton son from an outcross pedigree, top notch udders, very good feet & legs and functional traits may consider Dorcy. Dairy Strength and Rump are only slightly above breed norms.

OCONNORS JAY #6 LPI +2305

Owner/Distributor Semex

Daughter Strengths

Fat Yield
Protein Yield
Component %’s
Conformation
Mammary

Protect for

Daughter Fertility
Milking Speed
Calving Ability

Sire Stack Bolton x Durham x Marvellous x Benchmark x Spipper

Dam: BROAD-VUE DURHAM JACOBEE EX-CAN 6* 2 Superior Lactations

Siblings

Sisters
Brothers
- OCONNORS JETLINER @ Semex
- OCONNORS JABBA @ Semex

Best used on typical daughters of:

Man-O-Man, Snowman, Planet, AltaEsquire, AltaIota, Shottle, Fever, Lauthority, Baxter

Comments
Jay is a result of the popular Bolton x Durham cross. Although not from a well known cow family, Jay’s dam achieved a 6 Star Brood Cow rating. Jay’s Extra award and high conformation and mammary system ratings are definitely a result of him having seven GP84 (2yr), ten GP83 (2yr) and fourteen GP82 (2yr) daughters from his first ninety classified daughters. Breeders should note that Jay’s rating for Health & Fertility are below average but they are above his DGV’s for functional traits. This means his daughters have outperformed expectations.

WABASH-WAY EXPLODE #9 TPI^TM +2184

Owner/Distributor Taurus Service

Daughter Strengths

PTAT
Udder Composite
Body Composite
Milk Yield

Protect for

Fat %
Daughter Fertility

Sire Stack Bolton x Shottle x Oman x Mtoto x Rudolph

Dam: WABASH-WAY EMILYANN VG-88-2YR-USA DOM 1* from the Lead Mae family

Siblings

Sisters
Brothers
- WABASH-WAY LOU EXPONENT @ Select
- WABASH-WAY EVOLVE @ Taurus
- WABASH-WAY ERUPT @ Semex
- WABASH-WAY EXPEDITE @ Semex
- WABASH-WAY ESTEEM @ Taurus
- WABASH-WAY EXCITE @ Semex
- WABASH-WAY EXACT @ Taurus
- WABASH-WAY ESCAPE @ Semex
- MS EMILYANN EMISSION @ Semex
- MR WABASH-WAY ENCINO @ Semex
- MR WABASH-WAY ENTHUSE @ Semex
- MR WABASH-WAY ECHO @ Semex
- MR WABASH-WAY DOM EDISON @ Semex
- MR WABASH-WAY EQUIP @ Semex
- MR WABASH-WAY ENGULF @ Semex
- MR WABASH-WAY SP EMBRACE @ Select
- STANTONS ELECTROSHOCK @ TAG
- STANTONS SNWMN EA ELDO @ TWG
- STANTONS ELECTRIFIED @ Semex
- STANTONS ABBOTT @ Semex
- STANTONS FRITZ @ Semex
- K&L AX EMPIRE @ Genervations

Best used on typical daughters of:
Man-O-Man, AltaEsquire, Logan, AltaIota, Fever, Dempsey, Lauthority, Goldwyn

Comments
Explode is the first son to be proven from Emilyann and is a strong candidate for Gold Medal. His sire stack is very strong for production, durability and breeder respect. Explode was used extensively as a young sire having high DGV’s, especially for milk yield, conformation and herd life. Breeders can expect Explode to excel for overall conformation, mammary, feet & legs, dairy strength and rump. In fact only fat % and daughter fertility are rated below the breed norms.

MORSAN BORIS #10 LPI +2171

Owner/Distributor Semex

Daughter strengths

Fat Yield
Protein Yield
Conformation
Feet & Legs

Protect for

Milk Yield
Straight Rear Legs (Side View)
Daughter Calving Ability
Dairy Strength

Sire Stack Bolton x Durham x Airliner x Leadman x Chief Mark

Dam: OCEAN-VIEW DURHAM DORIS EX-94-CAN VG-87-2YR-USA 10* from the Dellia’s

Siblings

Sisters

Best used on typical daughters of:
Man-O-Man, AltaEsquire, Logan, AltaIota, Manifold, Twist, Shottle, Fever, Sudan, Dempsey, Lauthority, Goldwyn

Comments
Boris’ dam has a double shot of Regancrest breeding through Dellia and her son Durham. His dam and two Dundee sisters have been show winners in Western Canada and Ontario. Breeders interested in using the Dellia bloodline will find Boris combines the Dellias with Bolton, a bull starting to show his ability to sire superior bulls and cows. Boris’ proof ratings closely follow his DGV’s except for Health & Fertility. Daughter Fertility is the trait where Boris daughters underperform what had been predicted by both his PA’s and DGV’s . His top daughter is Clearsky Boris 1501 with LPI + 2382.

For more information check out our Genetic Evaluation Resource Center.

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The Bullvine’s Realistic Approach: Breed to Minimize Your Profit Thieves

INFERTILITY: You can’t make milk if you can’t make calves

MASTITIS – a bane to producing high quality milk

Feet and Legs – Vital for High Performing Cows

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Sires to Watch for

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COYNE-FARMS DORCY ET – #3 TPI^TM +2266

WABASH-WAY EXPLODE #9 TPI^TM +2184