Archive for TPI

TPI® – Do we have it all wrong?

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Friday, December 5th, 2014

What does it mean when the #8 proven TPI^®sire in the world is unmarketable?

That is the exact question that came up this week, when Pine-Tree Freddie Wright received his first official proven sire evaluation. It was not because he performed below expectations. It was not because he did not rank high enough. Wright is the #8 proven TPI^® sire in the world and the highest sire in the top 200 TPI^® sires for PL and DPR. Yet he has not been returned to active service.

Marketing vs Mating Tool?

In the past we have discussed the Merits of TPI^® as a marketing tool versus a mating tool, (Read more: TPI™ and LPI – Marketing or Mating Tools?), but here is a circumstance where it may not be either. Usually, when a sire debuts in the top 10 TPI^® sires in the world, the A.I. company marketing him expects to see significant returns on their investment. Even in the Genomic Era there are still certain markets and segments of the North American breeding industry that will only, or almost only, use proven sires. Yet Wright will turn out to be a footnote and not the lead story for the December 2014 US Holstein Genetic Evaluations. Or will he?

To get to the heart of this story, I guess we need to look closer at the pedigree of Pine-Tree Freddie Wright. Wright is a Badger-Bluff Fanny Freddie from Pine-Tree Missy Wanda-ET EX-90, who is a granddaughter of the great Wesswood-HC Rudy Missy-ET TV EX-92 3E GMD DOM. So Wright is indeed blessed with a very marketable maternal pedigree.

The problem

The problem actually starts with the paternal side of his pedigree. Despite being the #9 proven TPI^® sire in the breed, Badger-Bluff Fanny Freddie is a marketing dead weight. This is scary considering the fact that he is #2 TPI^®sire that is 99% reliable for type and production, behind Bookem, and that he has 2 sons in the top 10 TPI^®proven sires, and 4 in the top 20. You would think a high ranking sire from such a marketable maternal side and proven sire stack would be marketing gold…but he is not.

The challenge really comes when you start looking closer at his evaluation and how he achieves such a high ranking. You see, like all Freddie sons, Wright is not very high ranking for his overall conformation improvement. In fact, he is a negative 0.19 for PTAT and -0.03 for UDC and +0.14 FLC. Furthermore, the recent Genetic Evaluation base change certainly did not help Wright, as his numbers would have appeared much better before the recent 0.99 base change for PTAT (Read more: US Genetic Evaluation Changes: Are You Keeping Up?). With a sire ranking as high as Wright, you would think he must have insane production numbers, in order to achieve such a result. Well again, in Wright’s case, that is not so. He is only +401 for milk with 28 lbs. of Fat and 20 lbs. of protein.

How does he do it?

With numbers like these you start to wonder, just how does Wright rank so high on the lists? Well, the answer is simple. He is an extremely impressive 9.6 for Productive Life (PL) and 5.4 for DPR. This not only ranks him as the highest for both of these traits in the top 200 proven TPI^® sires, he is actually the highest PL proven sire in the world, by almost 1.4 points (17%), and is in the top 50 of all proven sires for DPR. So you would think that, in this age of wanting to breed for longer lived cows (PL) and cows that have high fertility (DPR), a sire like this would be marketing gold…..you would think.

The challenge is Wright is a sire who finds no market segment to love him. His -0.19 PTAT makes him a challenge for type for high index breeders as he is sure to lower perceived type improvement and, coming in under the magic 1,000 lbs. for milk and 48 lbs. of combined fat and protein, means that production focused producers will not touch him. Hence, the reason he has not been returned to active service. Wright has no one to love him.

Is it an issue with the formula?

This then brings us to the question, “Do we have the TPI^®formula all wrong? Since the #8 TPI^®proven sire is unmarketable?” To that I say, “ No!” Despite the recent adjustment in the formula to actually increase focus on production, you will still have sires like Wright achieve success. As is evident by #7 proven TPI^{® sire}, DE-SU FREDDIE DENIM 646-ET. Who actually is lower than Wright for all major traits except for the new Feed Efficiency.

The issue here is as much perception as it is genetic advancement. You see, while many view TPI^® as a marketing tool, it is first and foremost a tool for genetic advancement, and despite Wright’s shortcomings for type evaluation and production, he does offer significant genetic advancement in health and fertility. In fact, he may be the greatest proven sire in the breed for improving longevity. The challenge is that most breeders do not realize that, if you are truly going to breed for longevity, you can’t just look at type evaluations, as it has been proven that extreme classifying cows are not always the best example of long lived productive cows (Read more: SHE AIN’T PRETTY – SHE JUST MILKS THAT WAY!). If you analyze Wright’s, numbers, they tell you that he will effectively give you 1 more lactation than using an average sire (A PL of 9.6 equates to 288 more days of milking per daughter). So despite his lower type numbers, the Wrights do last and, unlike other sires in the top 10 TPI^®sires, he is not a negative for production, so that extra lactation will in fact be a very productive one.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

One of the challenges for Wright may just be the fact that he is at the wrong AI unit. That is not to say there is anything wrong with Select Sires. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Select is enjoying a wealth of genetic results lately. They have the top 3 TPI sires, 5 of the top 10 and 35% of the top genomic sires in the breed today. If Wright had been at any other AI unit, he probably would have been returned to service, as is the case for #7 TPI^®sire Denim, who has lower numbers for most traits and has a similar sire stack. The TPI^®formula is doing exactly as it should. It is identifying those animals that have the most to offer in terms of genetic gain. It’s time for the marketplace to understand this and get over their hang-ups and stop letting stigmas scare them away from using certain sires.

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The 24 Polled Bulls Every Breeder Should Be Using To Accelerate the Genetic Gain in Their Herd

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Tuesday, January 21st, 2014

Our recent article on the relative merit of polled (Holstein) dairy cattle may not have garnered the attention of many breeders. (Read more: Polled Dairy Genetics: The Cold Hard Facts) But for those that are seeing the consumer writing on the wall and foresee the need to genetically take the horns off cattle, we wish to document what’s hot in polled. Before considering the lists, we strongly suggest that you reflect on two things: 1) how you plan to generate revenue from the genetics in your herd; and 2) how you plan to decrease costs from using sires. (Read more: What’s The Plan?) The breeding business has changed (Read more: Where did the money go?) As you confirm adding polled to your sire selection criteria it is an excellent time to decide which index will be your primary one.

Decide. Don’t Ride the Fence.

Nothing’s perfect. That applies to which total merit index to use just as it does to the fact that there are no perfect bulls. However defaulting to using the bull your neighbour uses or the one that the semen salesman is promoting (Read more: Rumors, Lies, and other stuff Salesmen will tell you) is avoiding some very important planning for your herd. The financial future of your farm depends on using the index that will meet your needs five to ten years in the future. It is never too soon to plan for YOUR future.

Select an Index and Stick to It

Every major dairy cattle breeding country publishes a total merit index (Read more: Total Merit Indexes: Are they helping or hurting?). The bull listings below are broken out by various indexes and bull groupings. This is a two stage process. Pick your index then pick your bull(s). I remind you that the Bullvine strongly recommends that, when using genomic bulls that you do use more than one or two bulls in order to spread risk. If you are looking to win in the show ring, we leave the formula you use up to you. Likely you will use PTAT or CONF as your primary selection criteria.

If You`re Undecided

If you are not certain on which index to use, The Bullvine recommends that for breeders who’s primary income is the milk check, you use NM$ or BEI.

Polled Bulls Ranked by gTPI

Table 1 Polled Bulls Ranked by gTPI™

Reg. No	Name	Class	Score	Sire Name	Owner(s)
HOCANF7769975	EBYHOLME GOLDWYN MARCIA	EX	96	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	PLEASANT NOOK FARM, AYR, ON, (519) 632-1109
HOCANF7736316	EASTSIDE GOLD OCEAN ET	EX	94	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	J. GUY THOMPSON & SON, FRENCHFORT, PE, (902) 629-5176
HOCANF9520762	ARETHUSA-I GOLD MARCHE	EX	93	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	CRASDALE FARMS, HUNTER RIVER, PE, (902) 963-3515
HOCANF104865809	AU SOLEIL GOLDWYN POLLINE	EX	93	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	FERME AU SOLEIL LEVANT (1999) INC, UPTON, PQ, (450) 549-4803
HOCANF9663521	COXLYN FIREWORKS PANSY	EX	93	MORSAN FIREWORKS	JIM PHOENIX, UXBRIDGE, ON, (905) 852-6936
HOCANF9561777	CRAGGAN LHEROS NICOLA	EX	93	COMESTAR LHEROS	BERNADALE HOLSTEIN, RICHMOND, PE, (902) 854-2965
HOCANF7796726	IDEE MR SAM LYZZ	EX	93	REGANCREST-MR DRHAM SAM-ET	CRASDALE FARMS, HUNTER RIVER, PE, (902) 963-3515
HOCANF105210974	JACOBS MINISTER AIMA	EX	93	MR MINISTER	FERME JACOBS INC, CAP SANTE, PQ, (418) 285-2674
HOCANF104928097	LESPEREE DOLMAN FAKTILOU	EX	93	REGANCREST DOLMAN-ET	FERME L'ESPEREE ENR, ST. CESAIRE, PQ, (450) 469-1755
HOCANF102526714	CLOUDIS BRADLEY SURPRISE	EX	93	ROCKALLI BRADLEY	FERME DUCHESNE HOLSTEIN, CHICOUTIMI, PQ, (418) 698-0311
HOCANF7406350	COMBINATION CHAMPION LORENA	EX	93	CALBRETT-I H H CHAMPION	COMBINATION HOLSTEINS LTD, KESWICK RIDGE, NB, (506) 363-8902
HOCANF7642315	FUNDY GOLDWYN NAULA	EX	93	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	ALLEN & JACQUELINE BENT, LAWRENCETOWN, NS, (902) 825-6013
HOCANF101075538	GROSPERE STORMATIC HELIE	EX	93	COMESTAR STORMATIC	LA FERME GROSPERE INC, SACRE COEUR, PQ, (418) 236-9152
HOCANF102118392	LABRISE TALENT LILYANE	EX	93	LADINO PARK TALENT-IMP-ET	FERME LABRISE INC, ST. CESAIRE, PQ, (450) 772-2695
HOCANF102392405	LYSEM CHAMPION DAISY	EX	93	CALBRETT-I H H CHAMPION	FERME LYSEM S.E.N.C, ST. SEVERE, PQ, (819) 264-5535
HOCANF104151514	BERGEROY TOYSTORY ROUSSY	EX	92	JENNY-LOU MRSHL TOYSTORY-ET	DELAPOINTE INC, UPTON, PQ, (450) 549-5230
HOCANF7937697	CITYVIEW SHOTTLE ACE	EX	92	PICSTON SHOTTLE-ET	FERME YVON SICARD, ST. JUSTIN, PQ, (819) 227-2067
HOCANF9752057	COBEQUID GOLDWYN VITORIA	EX	92	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	COBEQUID HOLSTEINS, UPPER ONSLOW, NS, (902) 986-8904
HOCANF9779513	EBY016 B G EASTER LILLY	EX	92	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	AMAREN LANE FARM, BRANCHTON, ON, (519) 621-0899
HOCANF7536968	ELMLEAF GOLDWYN SPECIALE	EX	92	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	ROBERT RAY & SONS, ROSLIN, ON, (613) 477-2421
HOCANF9654787	GOLDENFLO DAMION ELUSIVE	EX	92	ERBACRES DAMION	MACBEATH FARMS LTD, MARSHFIELD, PE, (902) 628-8348
HOCANF104538851	LYSEM STORMATIC MANDARINE	EX	92	COMESTAR STORMATIC	FERME LYSEM S.E.N.C, ST. SEVERE, PQ, (819) 264-5535
HOCANF9738245	MAPLEKEYS GOLDWYN CINNAMON	EX	92	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	MAPLEKEYS FARMS, AYLMER, ON, (519) 765-4359
HOCANF9569905	PASCOBAC GOLDWYN MANDISA	EX	92	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	PASCOBAC HOLSTEINS INC, BELLEISLE CREEK, NB, (506) 485-1095
HOCANF8904143	SPEEDSIDE DEMOLISH BRIANNE	EX	92	BUDJON-NITZY DEMOLISH-ET	ADAM WITMER, WOODSTOCK, ON, (519) 462-2888
HOCANF9628508	SUNREST LHEROS DUCHESS	EX	92	COMESTAR LHEROS	SUNREST FARM, JOYCEVILLE, ON, (613) 382-7965
HOCANF8915868	THERINDALE SPIRTE MILLY	EX	92	CEDARWAL SPIRTE	THERINDALE FARMS INC, NORTH MILTON, PE, (902) 368-2002
HOCANF7879712	WILSONBURG BLITZ GINNY	EX	92	FUSTEAD EMORY BLITZ-ET	NORTH TAY FARMS LTD, NORTH TAY, NB, (506) 367-2745
HOCANF103014804	ARLA GIBSON WINNIA	EX	92	SILKY GIBSON	CONRAD RIENDEAU, ST. CESAIRE, PQ, (450) 469-2991
HOCANF7980690	BARGEOLANE NEWTON ADORATION	EX	92	SILLSWAY LHEROS NEWTON	BARGEOLANE FARMS, WARSAW, ON, (705) 652-6111
HOCANF7931446	BIRKENTREE C O COMFORT	EX	92	COMESTAR OUTSIDE	BIRKENTREE HOLSTEINS, HUNTER RIVER, PE, (902) 963-2021
HOCANF9203982	COMBINATION ZONE GERTA	EX	92	FUTURALAND ZONE-ET	COMBINATION HOLSTEINS LTD, KESWICK RIDGE, NB, (506) 363-8902
HOCANF7921106	CROSSGROVE MODEST TEMPER	EX	92	REGANCREST-LH MODEST-ET	DARRYL AUSTIN, WHYCOCOMAGH, NS, (902) 756-3270
HOCANF104205843	DES HAUTS PRES STORMATIC CURY	EX	92	COMESTAR STORMATIC	FERME DES HAUTS PRES L'ISLET INC, L'ISLET, PQ, (418) 247-3138
HOCANF103710525	DESDEUXLACS ALLEN EGLANTINE	EX	92	CANYON-BREEZE ALLEN-ET	LA FERME HUDON & FILS INC, ST. ANACLET, PQ, (418) 723-9674
HOCANF104103877	DUPOTIER GOLDWYN FEE	EX	92	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	FERME DUPOTIER INC, ST. DONAT, PQ, (418) 739-5095
HOCANF8875244	ENGLIDALE SS GLADYS	EX	92	PURSUIT SEPTEMBER STORM	ENGLIDALE FARMS, LINDSAY, ON, (705) 328-0989
HOCANF7953866	LEXIS GOLDWYN CURRY	EX	92	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	HOWARDVALE HOLSTEINS, BREADALBANE, PE, (902) 886-2643
HOCANF7727024	LONGVIEW BLITZ MOMENTO	EX	92	FUSTEAD EMORY BLITZ-ET	DONALD G. BOSTWICK, KINGSTON, NB, (506) 763-2943
HOCANF9610008	MILLEN LOMAX ROSIE	EX	92	FORTALE LOMAX	MILLEN FARMS, OMEMEE, ON, (705) 292-5144
HOCANF104227502	MYOSOTIS SEPTEMBER GENTILLY	EX	92	PURSUIT SEPTEMBER STORM	CLEMENT OSTIGUY & SYLVIE DEMERS, MARIEVILLE, PQ, (450) 460-3566
HOCANF103018724	REJOGA DUNDEE CONNIE	EX	92	REGANCREST DUNDEE-ET	FERME GARONDALE, ST. DENIS, PQ, (418) 498-2341
HOCANF9533375	SELBYVALE SPIRTE KRIMSON	EX	92	CEDARWAL SPIRTE	WILLIAM HAROLD ROBINSON, SELBY, ON, (613) 388-2641
HOCANF7975144	SPRINGBEND PRIMETIME SYNERGY	EX	92	WINDY-KNOLL-VIEW PRIMETIME	FERME YVON SICARD, ST. JUSTIN, PQ, (819) 227-2067
HOCANF8915873	THERINDALE DRAKE CRISTCO	EX	92	FAR-O-LA DEBBIE-JO DRAKE-ET	THERINDALE FARMS INC, NORTH MILTON, PE, (902) 368-2002
HOCANF7749332	TOMALYNN DUNDEE MARISA	EX	92	REGANCREST DUNDEE-ET	TOMALYNN FARMS, OMEMEE, ON, (705) 799-6147
HOCANF7864081	WALKERBRAE DAMION BRONTE	EX	92	ERBACRES DAMION	WALKERBRAE FARMS, GUELPH, ON, (519) 824-0796
HOCANF7718343	WEEKSDALE ALLEN LOLA	EX	92	CANYON-BREEZE ALLEN-ET	ELMER WEEKS, BREADALBANE, PE, (902) 886-2152

From Table 1 it can be seen that genomic polled bulls far surpass the proven ones when it comes to gTPI™. All bulls in Table 1 are heterozygous for the polled gene and will leave 50% of their progeny polled.

Polled Bulls Ranked by gLPI

Table 2 Polled Bulls Ranked by gLPI

Name	ID	%RHA	Udder Score	Feet & Legs Score	Final Score	Age	Owner	State
JOLEANNA GOLD POURINRAIN-ET	USA 140557576	100	91	86	89	2-08	Joleanna Holsteins LLC	NY
GOLDIE SANCHEZ CHARDONAY-ET	USA 140567322	100	90	85	89	2-09	Rustin Herr, Fay-Del Holsteins & Joseph Lusby	PA
R-E-W HAPPY GO LUCKY-ET	USA 140867301	100	91	86	89	2-03	Jeff Butler, Joe, Amber, Jeff & Terry Price	IL
MISS CALIFORNIA-RED	USA 69561880	100	90	90	89	2-08	Ernest W. Kueffner	MD
OAKFIELD GOLD TOPAZ-ET	840003006988712	100	90	84	88	2-09	Austin Yoder & Matthias Swartz	GA
CRAVE DUSK PENNY 6262	840003007148508	98	87	85	88	2-03	Roseanne L Crave	WI
CHARWILL ATTIC MARCY	CAN 11034616	100	88	85	88	2-03	Gen-Com Holstein Ltd
DOUGAL LEA GOLDWYN DANITA-ET	CAN 11176512	100	87	90	88	2-03	Gen-Com Holstein Ltd
WHITTIER-FARMS AMAZN SAMMY	USA 140659634	100	88	88	88	2-11	Whittier Farms, Inc.	MA
WHITTIER-FARMS SHAQ CRISTEN	USA 140904707	100	88	87	88	2-06	Whittier Farms, Inc.	MA
VT-POND-VIEW CRUMBLE JAS-ET	USA 141080309	100	87	90	88	2-07	Christopher Lilly	MA
JOY-WIL DUNDEE MILLIE-ET	USA 141199452	100	90	83	88	2-05	Paige Hostetter	PA
LUCK-E SANCHEZ DEDRA	USA 66662741	100	89	86	88	2-09	Matt L. Engel	IL
LUCK-E ABSOLUTE TANGO	USA 66662752	100	90	86	88	2-08	James A. Dunn	PA
JAUQUET ANORA ATWOOD-ET	USA 68785993	100	90	86	88	2-10	Tyler & Nathan Jauquet	WI
HILROSE ADVENT ANNA-RED-ET	USA 69005117	100	90	86	88	2-11	Joseph A. Brantmeier	WI
GREENLEA-TM DES BEA-RED-ET	USA 69056753	100	88	86	88	2-10	Milk Source LLC	WI
NOR-WAY-PETE SANCHEZ STACY	USA 69130143	100	88	88	88	2-09	Andrew R. Peterson	WI
GOLDEN-OAKS GWYN CLASSY-ET	USA 69215009	100	88	85	88	2-08	Kings-Ransom Farm LLC	NY
SWANEE-ACRES SHO ECSTASY	USA 69270370	100	90	87	88	2-09	Jason A. Swanson	IL
MILKSOURCE GLDWN LADYBUG-ET	USA 69592225	100	90	86	88	2-04	Milk Source LLC	WI
ARETHUSA SANCHEZ DICE-ET	USA 70402081	100	90	90	88	2-03	Arethusa Farm, LLC	CT
OAKFIELD-BRO AT FINANCE-ET	840003006989082	100	87	85	87	2-04	Adam J King	NY
BRACKLEYFARM CHELIOS CHERRIO	CAN 10848075	100	87	86	87	2-03	Milk Source LLC	WI
ROCKYMOUNTAIN MANOMAN DIMPL-ET	CAN 10945230	100	88	86	87	2-07	Alphagen Syndicate & Ferme Jolicap Inc	WI
CHURCH-SITE SHOT PU PU-ET	USA 140530931	100	87	85	87	2-09	James E. Wautier	WI
JOLEANNA RAIN GOOD THING-ET	USA 140557558	100	87	87	87	2-08	Joleanna Holsteins LLC	NY
GLENNLAWN SNCHZ ELEGANT-ET	USA 140566899	100	87	87	87	2-09	Brianna Adamavich	WI
OVALTOP ADVENT JAN	USA 140570809	100	86	86	87	2-10	Douglas H. Wolfe	NY
GUS-WIND DQ	USA 140572445	100	86	86	87	2-11	Gus Wind Holsteins	WI
HFM MR SAM KIWI	USA 140572940	100	87	88	87	2-09	Matthew Sharpe	NY
BVK ATWOOD ABBATHA-ET	USA 140658996	100	86	85	87	2-09	World-Wide Sires Germany
WHITTIER-FARMS ASHOCK AMBER	USA 140660502	100	87	87	87	2-10	Whittier Farms, Inc.	MA
HEADLINE TERRASON DIXIE	USA 140671519	100	86	87	87	2-09	Nicole M. Head	NY
BKB AFTERSHOCK AMORILLO-ET	USA 140679674	100	87	90	87	2-09	Ranway Farms LLC, Devlyn Hurley & Harry Lusk	NY
JOLEANNA SHAMPOO MANDEVILLA	USA 140732445	100	87	84	87	2-06	Joleanna Holsteins LLC	NY
WHITTIER-CF ATWOD LEGACY-ET	USA 140908943	100	85	90	87	2-03	Todd J. Whittier & Cybil L. Fisher	MA
OVALTOP ADVNT FALLON-RED-ET	USA 140921173	100	87	88	87	2-05	Michael D. Wolfe	NY
KISSAMEE GOLDWYN VIPER-ET	USA 141001621	100	87	87	87	2-06	Christopher F. & Stephanie A. Anderson	NY
JOY-WIL DUNDEE MACKENZIE-ET	USA 141199443	100	87	86	87	2-05	Paige Hostetter	PA
DUPASQUIER GLDWYN ROZLYN-ET	USA 141228415	100	87	85	87	2-06	Brett & Brennan Woker	IL
HAZELS ATWOOD HARRIET-ET	USA 141323772	100	87	86	87	2-04	Clark W. Woodmansee III	CT
GRANNY-ANNE VELVET LYLA	USA 66088204	100	88	83	87	2-11	Eugene S. Merriman, Jr.	NY
CURR-VALE SHOTTLE DELIGHT	USA 66401468	100	88	85	87	2-09	Jessica Mae Currie	NY
CURR-VALE SHOTTLE CALI-ET	USA 66401478	100	87	85	87	2-09	Kayla Currie	NY
WILSTAR RS TALENT LILLY-ET	USA 66625275	100	88	82	87	2-09	Wilstar Holsteins	WI
BKB ATWOOD ADDY-ET	USA 66625347	100	87	85	87	2-06	Richmond Farms Dairy	NY
LUCK-E ATWOOD ANGEL	USA 66662773	100	87	88	87	2-07	Matt L. Engel	IL
LUCK-E ADVENT COREENA	USA 66662786	100	87	86	87	2-06	Matt L. Engel	IL
LUCK-E ADVENT KIATA-ET	USA 66662820	100	87	86	87	2-02	Matt L. Engel	IL
CO-VALE LUCAS 3635	USA 66778501	96	87	86	87	2-07	Bradley Cates	NY
CO-VALE TALENT JEN-ET	USA 66778516	100	88	86	87	2-06	Jason Randall	NY
WALKER-FARM GABOR ELIZA	USA 66778582	100	86	87	87	2-03	Kate E. Currie	NY
GROVES-VU ALEXANDER RAKEL	USA 66782496	100	86	86	87	2-11	Todd & Brad Groves	MO
SURE-VIEW SHOTTLE 309-ET	USA 68650324	100	87	87	87	2-07	Joseph A. Brantmeier	WI
JAUQUET ARDELIS ATWOOD	USA 68786008	100	90	87	87	2-09	Tyler & Nathan Jauquet	WI
LEW-LIN DUNDEE TIDBIT	USA 68793523	100	86	87	87	2-09	Garnet T Weaver III	NY
LADYS-MANOR GOLD DENVER-ET	USA 68803379	100	87	84	87	2-08	Markland Registered Holsteins	NY
HILROSE SANCHEZ TAURUS-ET	USA 69005127	100	88	82	87	2-10	Joseph A. Brantmeier	WI
HILROSE SIDNEY PERU	USA 69005136	100	87	82	87	2-09	Andrew Brantmeier	WI
HILROSE BALTIMOR PENNY-ET	USA 69005179	100	85	86	87	2-03	Jeff Brantmeier	WI
FARMDALE BRAXTON BERRY	USA 69038456	100	85	86	87	2-09	Michael J. Schoessow	WI
MONANFRAN EXPLODE MARION	USA 69085242	100	91	82	87	2-09	Jason E. Kelsey	NY
WOODLAWN STRMATIC DHARMA-ET	USA 69092510	100	88	85	87	2-10	Clark W. Woodmansee III	CT
RICHMOND-FD S BARBARA-ET	USA 69305043	100	90	85	87	2-06	John L. Richmond	NY
MS CRESCENTMEAD DANIE-ET	USA 69436111	100	87	85	87	2-04	Budjon Farms, Peter C. Vail & Pierre Boulet	WI
ARETHUSA MAGICAL AMBITION	USA 69562358	100	86	88	87	2-09	Arethusa Farm, LLC	CT
ARETHUSA GOLDWYN ANNABELLE	USA 69562359	100	87	84	87	2-09	Arethusa Farm, LLC	CT
MILKSOURCE ATWD ATLANTA-ET	USA 69592213	100	87	85	87	2-06	Milk Source LLC	WI
MILKSOURCE LEWIS AUBURN	USA 69592236	100	89	88	87	2-03	MacArthur Ostrom	WI
SHEMA ATWOOD ROXY-ET	USA 69628161	100	89	85	87	2-05	Marlin J. Bontrager	IA
KEVREL PLANET MIA-ET	USA 69753076	100	90	83	87	2-05	F. Kevin Leaverton	MD
ERNEST-ANTHONY BLYTHE	USA 70301753	100	88	85	87	2-02	Arethusa Farm, LLC	CT
ARETHUSA GOLDWYN ARIANA-ET	USA 70305176	100	88	86	87	2-03	Arethusa Farm, LLC	CT

Please note that not all polled sires are identified on the CDN system

Again note that genomic polled bulls far exceed their proven counterparts as in Table 1. All bulls in Table 2 are heterozygous for the polled gene.

Polled Bulls Ranked by NM$

Table 3 Polled Bulls Ranked by Net Merit (NM$)

Name	Birth	LPI	Sire	Dam Name
DE-SU SUPERSIRE 2355-ET	12-Nov	3840	SUPERSIRE	DE-SU 520-ET
T-GEN-AC SRGNT JANALUNA-ET	12-Dec	3833	SARGEANT	BENNER FORK JANARDAN
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANALISA-ET	12-Nov	3758	MOGUL	BENNER FORK JANARDAN
MATCREST MOGUL GLOBE-ET	12-Nov	3672	MOGUL	ZAHBULLS MASSEY GINA
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANALYN-ET	12-Nov	3668	MOGUL	BENNER FORK JANARDAN
WELCOME MOGUL PATTS-ET	12-Nov	3651	MOGUL	WELCOME BOOKEM PAISLEY-ET
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANAYA-ET	12-Nov	3638	MOGUL	BENNER FORK JANARDAN
BACON-HILL SUPRSRE MINIE-ET	12-Nov	3622	SUPERSIRE	UNIQUE-STYLE BOLTON MONEY
DE-SU UNO 2381-ET	12-Nov	3613	NUMERO UNO	DE-SU 526-ET
CLEAR-ECHO NUM UNO 2832-ET	12-Nov	3564	NUMERO UNO	CLEAR-ECHO M-O-M 2213-ET
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANAVEE-ET	12-Nov	3548	MOGUL	BENNER FORK JANARDAN
CLEAR-ECHO MCUTCHEN 2820-ET	12-Oct	3546	MCCUTCHEN	CLEAR-ECHO M-O-M 2213-ET
DE-SU SUPERSIRE 2360-ET	12-Nov	3543	SUPERSIRE	DE-SU 709-ET
SYNERGY MOGUL SNOWHITE-ET	12-Dec	3541	MOGUL	SURE-VIEW OMAN SHIMMER-ET
RI-VAL-RE MCCUTCHN QUEEN-ET	12-Nov	3523	MCCUTCHEN	RI-VAL-RE SOTO ESCAPADE-ET
FARNEAR SUPERSIRE 1628	12-Nov	3514	SUPERSIRE	VISION-GEN SH SHO A12037-ET
S-S-I SPRSIRE MELOSA8473-ET	12-Nov	3513	SUPERSIRE	S-S-I BOOKEM MODESTO7269-ET
RONELEE SUPERSIRE TARYN-ET	12-Nov	3499	SUPERSIRE	TIPTOP MANOMAN TALA 1843-ET
RI-VAL-RE MCCUTCHEN DEE-ET	12-Nov	3498	MCCUTCHEN	RI-VAL-RE SOTO ESCAPADE-ET
SILVERRIDGE MOGUL AVOCATE	12-Oct	3489	MOGUL	VELTHUIS SG MOM ALICIA
LARCREST CARDIGAN-ET	12-Oct	3468	NUMERO UNO	LARCREST CALE-ET
DE-SU SUPERSIRE 2337-ET	12-Nov	3462	SUPERSIRE	DE-SU 520-ET
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANALEE-ET	12-Nov	3449	MOGUL	BENNER FORK JANARDAN
FARNEAR MCCUTCHEN 1624	12-Nov	3443	MCCUTCHEN	B-ENTERPRISE SUPER GIGI-ET
RI-VAL-RE SNOWMAN NIKKI-ET	12-Oct	3435	SNOWMAN	RI-VAL-RE OBSRVR NIKKI-ET
TRUSTMORE APRICOT MOGUL	12-Oct	3433	MOGUL	VELTHUIS SG MOM ALICIA
CLEAR-ECHO NUM UNO 2833-ET	12-Nov	3432	NUMERO UNO	CLEAR-ECHO M-O-M 2213-ET
SPH YENNIE	12-Nov	3412	MOGUL	YVETTE (DOMAIN X YELONDA)
RI-VAL-RE SUPRSRE NIKALA-ET	12-Dec	3412	SUPERSIRE	RI-VAL-RE SUPER NADINE-ET
4312129151	12-Sep	3402	FACECY	FEE
BOSSIDE MOGUL TESSA-ET	12-Nov	3385	MOGUL	FARNEAR-REGAN TOAST-ET
ABBY-CONTOUR MOGUL DAISY-ET	12-Nov	3385	MOGUL	ABBY-CONTOUR DOMAIN DORA-ET
OCD MCCUTCH CLAIRE DANES-ET	12-Oct	3382	MCCUTCHEN	CURR-VALE OBSERVER DELTA-ET
SEAGULL-BAY SH MAUREEN-ET	12-Nov	3364	NUMERO UNO	AMMON-PEACHEY SHAUNA-ET
DE-SU SUPERSIRE 2335-ET	12-Nov	3364	SUPERSIRE	DE-SU 709-ET
SANDY-VALLEY MOGUL AMBER-ET	12-Nov	3362	MOGUL	SANDY-VALLEY IO AMETHYST-ET
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANAYE-ET	12-Nov	3362	MOGUL	BENNER FORK JANARDAN
S-S-I SHAN MOANA 8515-ET	12-Nov	3357	SHAN	S-S-I OBSERV MANTECA7197-ET
RI-VAL-RE MOGUL IZZY-ET	12-Dec	3347	MOGUL	RI-VAL-RE GOLDWYN NADINE
DES-Y-GEN HEFTY STATIC	12-Oct	3344	HEFTY	DES-Y-GEN PLANET SILKY
BOLDI MOGUL LOUISE	12-Oct	3343	MOGUL	MSCHARTROIS PLANET LEONI-ET
OCONNORS MOGUL LARK	12-Nov	3343	MOGUL	MAPEL WOOD M O M LUCY
SUDAN X NN	12-Jul	3334	SUDAN	NN
SPEEK-NJ MOGUL DALIA 370-ET	12-Oct	3333	MOGUL	REGAN-ALH PLANET DELORIA-ET
STANTONS MOGUL ELOISE	12-Nov	3333	MOGUL	STANTONS SUPER ELDA
OCD MCCUTCHEN DESIREE-ET	12-Oct	3330	MCCUTCHEN	CURR-VALE OBSERVER DELTA-ET
RR R	12-Nov	3323	MIXER
VISSTEIN ALINDE	12-Sep	3321	HUNTER	VISSTEIN CARINA
CLEAR-ECHO LEXOR 2788-ET	12-Sep	3321	LEXOR	CLEAR-ECHO OBSERVER 2280-ET
CO-OP UNO YOYO 6881-ET	12-Oct	3320	NUMERO UNO	CO-OP BOLIVER YOYO-ET
RI-VAL-RE MCCUTCHEN LIA-ET	12-Nov	3318	MCCUTCHEN	RI-VAL-RE OBSRVR NIKKI-ET
CEDARWAL MITCH EMMY	12-Oct	3317	MITCH	CEDARWAL MANOMAN EMERALD
WELCOME SUPERSIRE GAILA-ET	12-Nov	3316	SUPERSIRE	VISION-GEN MANOMAN GILDIE
DE-SU MCCUTCHEN 2352-ET	12-Nov	3315	MCCUTCHEN	DE-SU 9990-ET
FARNEAR SUPERSIRE 1610	12-Dec	3313	SUPERSIRE	VISION-GEN SH SHO A12037-ET
L-L-M-DAIRY S S PERU-ET	12-Nov	3311	SUPERSIRE	L-L-M-DAIRY J STREAM PROCKY
STANTONS MOGUL CINDY	12-Nov	3306	MOGUL	MS CHASSITY OBS CLAIRE-ET
RI-VAL-RE MCCUTCHEN EVE-ET	12-Nov	3301	MCCUTCHEN	RI-VAL-RE SOTO ESCAPADE-ET
DE-SU ODADDY 2383-ET	12-Nov	3299	DADDY	DE-SU 719-ET
DE-SU ODADDY 2327-ET	12-Nov	3299	DADDY	DE-SU 719-ET
TJR MCCUTCHEN DIAMOND-ET	12-Dec	3296	MCCUTCHEN	MORNINGVIEW SUPER DEANN
DE-SU OBSERVER 2246	12-Oct	3287	OBSERVER	DE-SU 76-ET
DE-SU MCCUTCHEN 2323-ET	12-Nov	3286	MCCUTCHEN	RMW SUPER ARIANE-ET
RED-OAK-DB MOGUL LEIGH-ET	12-Oct	3282	MOGUL	RED-OAK-DB O MAN LEAD
CLEAR-ECHO LEXOR 2787-ET	12-Sep	3280	LEXOR	CLEAR-ECHO OBSERVER 2280-ET
MS ADERYN MC ABIGAIL-ET	12-Oct	3279	MCCUTCHEN	KHW SUPER ADERYN-ET
STANTONS MOGUL EDWYNN	12-Nov	3271	MOGUL	STANTONS OBSERVER EXPOSE
SYNERGY MOGUL SHARONA-ET	12-Dec	3270	MOGUL	SURE-VIEW OMAN SHIMMER-ET
FLY-HIGHER SUPSIRE MINNI-ET	12-Nov	3269	SUPERSIRE	FLY-HIGHER BOLTON MISHA-ET
DE-SU MOGUL 2333	12-Nov	3267	MOGUL	DE-SU 502-ET
FARNEAR SUPERSIRE 1615	12-Dec	3267	SUPERSIRE	VISION-GEN SH SHO A12037-ET
FARNEAR MCCUTCHEN 1621	12-Nov	3241	MCCUTCHEN	B-ENTERPRISE SUPER GIGI-ET
SULLHRTFORD MOGUL 371-ET	12-Oct	3240	MOGUL	SULLY HART DOMAIN 133-ET
CO-OP UNO SYDNEY 6886-ET	12-Oct	3240	NUMERO UNO	FUSTEAD SYDNEY CRI-ET
CNN DEHLI	12-Oct	3238	MOGUL	BOGART X DREAM 1
SUNDAY	12-Nov	3237	MOGUL	SUNSHINE
FARNEAR SUPERSIRE 1614	12-Dec	3234	SUPERSIRE	VISION-GEN SH SHO A12037-ET
EDG STICTH MOGUL STAR-ET	12-Oct	3232	MOGUL	GRAN-J RUSSELL STITCH-ET
LEOTHE MOM WRAP DUFFY	12-Oct	3230	WRAP	LEOTHE BAXTER DAPHNEE
DE-SU MCCUTCHEN 2353-ET	12-Nov	3228	MCCUTCHEN	DE-SU 489-ET
BACON-HILL SUPRSRE MINDY-ET	12-Nov	3226	SUPERSIRE	UNIQUE-STYLE BOLTON MONEY
COOMBOONA SNOWMAN BOLTA-IMP-ET	12-Jul	3226	SNOWMAN	WIAMY KYANA BOLTON
MS WELCOME EPIC LAILA-ET	12-Nov	3221	EPIC	MSWELCOME OBSERVER LAURI-ET
WELCOME SUPERSIRE GALES-ET	12-Nov	3220	SUPERSIRE	VISION-GEN MANOMAN GILDIE
ROCKYMOUNTAIN UNO CLARISA	12-Oct	3216	NUMERO UNO	LARCREST CHEVELLE-ET
FUSTEAD UNO LOVE-ET	12-Aug	3215	NUMERO UNO	GLEN-TOCTIN BOLT LUCILLE-ET
S-S-I UNO MIRANDA 8503-ET	12-Nov	3213	NUMERO UNO
RIVER-BRIDGE D DAY 40028-ET	12-Oct	3210	DAY	CO-OP RB PLANET YANNA-ET
S-S-I DADDY EARTHA 8461-ET	12-Nov	3209	DADDY	S-S-I ROBUST ECALON 7257-ET
RI-VAL-RE MOGUL EVETTE-ET	12-Dec	3205	MOGUL	RI-VAL-RE GOLDWYN NADINE
DE-SU LAYNE 2359-ET	12-Nov	3202	LAYNE	CLEAR-ECHO M-O-M 2150-ET
NORTH-ECHO NUM UNO 2813-ET	12-Oct	3200	NUMERO UNO	NORTH-ECHO BOOKEM 2305-ET
EVER-GREEN-VIEW ASP	12-Oct	3199	MOGUL	BROEKS ASPEN-ET
CLEAR-ECHO SUPERSIRE 2830	12-Nov	3198	SUPERSIRE	COOKIECUTTER BOWS HOMONY-ET
CO-OP DAY CLASSY 6832-ET	12-Sep	3193	DAY	CO-OP PLANET CLASSY-ET
SONRAY-ACRES SOC OBSERVR VI	11-Jan	3191	OBSERVER	SONRAY-ACRES SHOT SOCRTS PI
CO-OP DAY SYDNEY 6838-ET	12-Sep	3186	DAY	FUSTEAD SYDNEY CRI-ET
STANTONS MOGUL JESSICA	12-Nov	3184	MOGUL	STANTONS FREDDIE CAMEO
SEAGULL-BAY SSIRE DAPHNE-ET	12-Dec	3182	SUPERSIRE	PINE-TREE SHARLA DAPHNE-ET
WELCOME SUPERSIRE GENEVA-ET	12-Nov	3180	SUPERSIRE	VISION-GEN MANOMAN GILDIE

For Net Merit ($) polled bulls are still far behind the 900+ values being seen today by horned bulls. That will change 3-4 years after breeders and breeding companies that use NMS as their primary index begin to place emphasis on having polled cattle. Compared to the gTPI™ list there is some re-ranking of the bulls at the top for Net Merit. In other words, there is not perfect bull.

Polled Bulls Ranked by BEI

Table 4 Polled Bulls Ranked by BEI (Bullvine Efficiency Index)

Name	Birthdate	Sire	GTPI*	Owner
LARCREST CARDIGAN-ET	10/19/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2634	Jon E. Larson
DE-SU UNO 2381-ET	11/18/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2616	Darin Meyer
DE-SU SUPERSIRE 2355-ET	11/9/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2615	Darin Meyer
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANALISA-ET	11/17/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2588	Tim Clark
DE-SU SUPERSIRE 2360-ET	11/11/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2554	De Su Holsteins LLC
HFP LUCETTE	8/22/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2539	Alta Genetics Inc - USA Bulls
OCD MCCUTCHEN DUCHESS-ET	10/28/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2538	Oakfield Corners Dairy
DE-SU MCCUTCHEN 2349-ET	11/7/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2517	De Su Holsteins LLC
LARCREST CRAYON-ET	10/31/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2512	Jon E. Larson
CLEAR-ECHO SUPERSIRE 2830	11/3/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2512	Clear Echo Farm LLC
DE-SU LAYNE 2359-ET	11/11/2012	KELLERCREST SUPER LAYNE-ET	2511	De Su Holsteins LLC
MS EMILY ELIORA-ET	12/3/2012	KELLERCREST SUPER LAYNE-ET	2508	Trans-America Genetics
SEAGULL-BAY SH MAUREEN-ET	11/5/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2503	Seagull Bay Dairy Inc.
COYNE-FARMS SROCK JACKLE-ET	10/26/2012	LADYS-MANOR PL SHAMROCK-ET	2494	Coyne Farms Inc.
S-S-I DEAN BROXTON 8519-ET	11/24/2012	RONELEE SUPER DEAN-ET	2484	Select Sires Inc.
MATCREST MOGUL GLOBE-ET	11/30/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2483	Matt & Brad Johnson
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANAVEE-ET	11/21/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2480	Tim Clark
SULLHRTFORD MOGUL 371-ET	10/15/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2479	Robert Eustice & Mike Sullivan
WELCOME MOGUL PATTS-ET	11/9/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2479	Welcome Stock Farm LLC
L-L-M-DAIRY S S PHAWN-ET	11/18/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2476	L-L-M Dairy
BACON-HILL SUPRSRE MINIE-ET	11/29/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2475	Bacon-Hill Holsteins LLC
SANDY-VALLEY UNO ADDISON-ET	11/19/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2475	Dave Pat Frank Jr. & Greg B
DE-SU UNO 2294-ET	10/22/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2471	De Su Holsteins LLC
SPEEK-NJ MOGUL DALIA 370-ET	10/19/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2469	Robert J. Eustice
OCD MCCUTCHEN DESIREE-ET	10/30/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2468	Oakfield Corners Dairy
RONELEE FEELING FANCY-ET	8/14/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2462	Sherman Polinder
COYNE-FARMS MOGUL MIA-ET	10/13/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2461	Coyne Farms Inc.
MS DREARY DRUSIE-ET	12/5/2012	ROYLANE BOXER PUNCH 4311-ET	2459	Trans-America Genetics
DE-SU ODADDY 2302-ET	10/24/2012	RONELEE SSI O DADDY-ET	2458	De Su Holsteins LLC
TJR MCCUTCHEN DIAMOND-ET	12/1/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2456	TJR Genetics
COURT-US-MS UNO DOSE-ET	8/20/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2454	Scott & Shane Courtney & Mark
T-GEN-AC SRGNT JANALUNA-ET	12/5/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SARGEANT-ET	2454	Tim Clark
CO-OP UNO SYDNEY 6886-ET	10/13/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2450	Genesis Cooperative Herd
DE-SU UNO 2312-ET	10/29/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2448	De Su Holsteins LLC
VISION-GEN CAM A14142-ET	10/2/2012	SHEMA JEEVES CAMERON-ET	2447	VISION GENETICS
MS APPLES UNO ARMANA-ET	10/30/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2446	Apple Partners LLC
CO-OP DAY CLASSY 6832-ET	9/15/2012	MINNIGAN-HILLS DAY-ET	2442	Genesis Cooperative Herd
PINE-TREE 4233 MOGU 5523-ET	10/24/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2440	Matthew J. Steiner
SANDY-VALLEY UNO SAGE-ET	10/4/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2438	Dave Pat Frank Jr. & Greg B
SEAGULL-BAY SSIRE DAPHNE-ET	12/2/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2437	Seagull Bay Dairy Inc.
MS ADERYN MC ABIGAIL-ET	10/25/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2437	Dennis Caudil
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANAYA-ET	11/22/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2437	Tim Clark
BUSH-BROS MOGUL 4536-ET	11/15/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2435	David Leroy & Bradley Nosbush
PLAIN-KNOLL NMROUNO 6494-ET	11/21/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2433	Buschur Dairy Inc.
AURORA MOGUL 13446-ET	11/13/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2433	Aurora Ridge Dairy LLC
PREHEN SHAMROCK LADY ET	9/7/2012	LADYS-MANOR PL SHAMROCK-ET	2433	Holstein UK
SCO-LO-KRUSE DEAN CANDY-ET	10/29/2012	RONELEE SUPER DEAN-ET	2432	John Cannon & Rob Kruse
CO-OP UNO YOYO 6881-ET	10/3/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2431	Genesis Cooperative Herd
OCD SS SOLEIL MOON FRYE-ET	10/26/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2430	Oakfield Corners Dairy
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANALYN-ET	11/19/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2428	Tim Clark
CO-OP UNO YOYO 6883-ET	10/3/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2427	Genesis Cooperative Herd
BUSH-BROS MOGUL 4535-ET	11/14/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2426	David Leroy & Bradley Nosbush
S-S-I DADDY EARTHA 8461-ET	11/1/2012	RONELEE SSI O DADDY-ET	2425	Select Sires Inc.
NORTH-ECHO NUM UNO 2813-ET	10/9/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2425	Clear Echo Farm LLC & North Fo
SANDY-VALLEY UNO SCARLET-ET	10/6/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2425	Dave Pat Frank Jr. & Greg B
ROSYLANE-LLC SHAMROCK 5776	11/18/2012	LADYS-MANOR PL SHAMROCK-ET	2424	Rosy-Lane Holsteins LLC
MS GOLD-N-OAKS ADORE2500-ET	7/8/2012	GENERVATIONS EPIC	2422	Arabell Syndicate
VISION-GEN CAM A14166-ET	10/12/2012	SHEMA JEEVES CAMERON-ET	2422	VISION GENETICS
JOLICAP LAYNE DELPHINIUM-ET	11/3/2012	KELLERCREST SUPER LAYNE-ET	2422	Ferme Jolicap Inc
RONELEE SUPERSIRE TARYN-ET	11/13/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2422	Sherman Polinder
S-S-I UNO MARYANN 8526-ET	11/27/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2422	Select Sires Inc.
CLEAR-ECHO LEXOR 2787-ET	9/2/2012	GENERVATIONS LEXOR	2421	Clear Echo Farm LLC
MS ADERYN MC ALLIE-ET	11/8/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2420	Dennis Caudil
DE-SU MCCUTCHEN 2352-ET	11/8/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2419	De Su Holsteins LLC
S-S-I DADDY KACEY 8471-ET	11/3/2012	RONELEE SSI O DADDY-ET	2419	Select Sires Inc.
S-S-I SHAN MARSHA 8525-ET	11/24/2012	LADYS-MANOR MAN-O-SHAN-ET	2419	Select Sires Inc.
BACON-HILL SUPRSRE MINDY-ET	11/28/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2417	Bacon-Hill Holsteins LLC
MS DREARY DREIMA-ETS	11/10/2012	KELLERCREST SUPER LAYNE-ET	2417	Trans-America Genetics
MS DREARY DREMA-ETS	11/10/2012	KELLERCREST SUPER LAYNE-ET	2417	Trans-America Genetics
LADIES-FIRST LXOR BANGLE-ET	9/1/2012	GENERVATIONS LEXOR	2416	Barbara Mountain & Ladies Firs
JERESA UNO PINEAPPLE-ET	10/31/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2416	Jere L & Teresa J Brubaker
RANSOM-RAIL MCCUTCH PING-ET	10/11/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2415	Ransom Rail Farms Inc.
S-S-I SHAN MOANA 8515-ET	11/22/2012	LADYS-MANOR MAN-O-SHAN-ET	2415	Select Sires Inc.
TJR MCCUTCH DE-ANNA-ET	11/10/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2415	TJR Genetics
SANDY-VALLEY MOGUL AMBER-ET	11/1/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2414	Dave Pat Frank Jr. & Greg B
RANSOM-RAIL MCCUTCH PEG-ET	10/11/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2414	Ransom Rail Farms Inc.
BACON-HILL MOGUL EZRA-ET	11/2/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2413	Bacon-Hill Holsteins LLC
DE-SU UNO 2298-ET	10/23/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2412	De Su Holsteins LLC
DE-SU MCCUTCHEN 2323-ET	11/2/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2410	De Su Holsteins LLC
CLAYTOP WHOLE LOTTA LOVE-ET	6/23/2011	LOTTA-HILL SHOTTLE 41-ET	2408	Jeffrey L. Paulen
WELCOME PARISH PRESTO-ET	11/29/2012	PLAIN-KNOLL PARISH 5534-ET	2407	Welcome Stock Farm LLC
LARCREST CREEK-ET	11/2/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2406	Jon E. Larson
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANAYE-ET	11/22/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2404	Tim Clark
SLO-TRAIN SHAM 3487	6/19/2012	LADYS-MANOR PL SHAMROCK-ET	2403	Robert J. LaSalle
KERNDTWAY PETRONE DELTA-ET	10/27/2012	WELCOME SUPER PETRONE-ET	2403	Mark W. Kerndt
OCD MCCUTCHEN DAFNE-ET	10/21/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2402	Oakfield Corners Dairy
RONELEE UNO DARINGLY-ET	10/13/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2401	Sherman Polinder
S-S-I UNO MIRANDA 8503-ET	11/15/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2400	Select Sires Inc.
ATH-MOR UNO MIDNIGHT CRI-ET	11/4/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2400	Genesis Cooperative Herd
SPRUCE-HAVEN UNO KY14242-ET	11/11/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2399	Doug Young & James Nocek
BOSSIDE MOGUL TESSA-ET	11/24/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2399	John & Tineke Boschma
EDG BRYSHA UNO BREN-ET	12/2/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2399	Elite Dairy Genomics LLC
DE-SU SUPERSIRE 2330-ET	11/4/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2393	De Su Holsteins LLC
CREST-VIEW-ACRES SERI-ETS	10/20/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2392	Steven G. Holte
CREST-VIEW-ACRES SHANDA-ETS	10/20/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2392	Steven G. Holte
LANDIS-MRK MOGUL ZANETA-ET	11/1/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2392	Robert E. Landis
RONELEE MOGUL DAVIANNA-ET	10/8/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2390	Sherman Polinder
EDG BRYSHA UNO BRISEN-ETS	11/25/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2390	Elite Dairy Genomics LLC
EDG BRYSHA UNO BRESEN-ETS	11/25/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2390	Jeffrey Butler
S-S-I SPRSIRE MELOSA8473-ET	11/3/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2390	Select Sires Inc.
LARCREST CREST-ET	10/30/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2390	Jon E. Larson
AB-TY NUMERO UNO BRIELLE-ET	11/26/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2388	AB-TY Genetics
BUSH-BROS MOGUL 4539-ET	11/19/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2387	David Leroy & Bradley Nosbush
MS DREARY DREAMAR-ET	11/23/2012	ROYLANE BOXER PUNCH 4311-ET	2387	Trans-America Genetics
WESSELCREST FACEB MAGGIE-ET	1/25/2012	MARBRI FACEBOOK	2386	Walt Brent & Jason Wessel
NO-FLA MOGUL STACY 34071-ET	10/13/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2386	North Florida Holsteins
S-S-I ASPEN MILA 8518-ET	11/24/2012	PINE-TREE ASPEN 223-ET	2386	Select Sires Inc.
S-S-I DADDY PRIMA 8452-ET	10/31/2012	RONELEE SSI O DADDY-ET	2385	Select Sires Inc.
NORTH-ECHO LITHIUM 2778-ET	8/23/2012	S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM-ET	2385	Clear Echo Farm LLC & North Fo
CO-OP UNO YOYO 6882-ET	10/3/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2385	Genesis Cooperative Herd
LEVEL-PLAIN ECOYNE COLA-ET	9/9/2012	ECOYNE ISY	2385	Keith A. Nettekoven
EDG STICTH MOGUL STAR-ET	10/30/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2385	Elite Dairy Genomics LLC
L-L-M-DAIRY S S PERU-ET	11/15/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2384	L-L-M Dairy
TJR MCCUTCHEN DICE-ET	12/1/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2384	TJR Genetics
T-GEN-AC MOGUL JANALEE-ET	11/17/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2384	Tim Clark
CLEAR-ECHO LEXOR 2788-ET	9/4/2012	GENERVATIONS LEXOR	2383	Clear Echo Farm LLC
RICKLAND O-DADDY 4466	11/26/2012	RONELEE SSI O DADDY-ET	2382	Greg Rickert
RI-VAL-RE MCCUTCHN QUEEN-ET	11/15/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2379	Aaron Jorgensen
DE-SU SUPERSIRE 2335-ET	11/6/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2379	De Su Holsteins LLC
HALL-LAR NUT 426	10/18/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2379	S. Larson & D. Hallberg
NO-FLA MOGUL TAMIA 34132-ET	10/20/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2378	North Florida Holsteins
S-S-I SHAN SHARI 8517-ET	11/22/2012	LADYS-MANOR MAN-O-SHAN-ET	2378	Select Sires Inc.
LARCREST CONCORD-ET	10/26/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2378	Jon E. Larson
CLEAR-ECHO NUM UNO 2833-ET	11/9/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2378	Clear Echo Farm LLC
SPEEK-NJ CINDY CRAWFORD-ET	11/28/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2378	Neil McDonah
DE-SU ODADDY 2383-ET	11/18/2012	RONELEE SSI O DADDY-ET	2378	De Su Holsteins LLC
DE-SU LITHIUM 2299-ET	10/24/2012	S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM-ET	2377	Darin Meyer
ABBY-CONTOUR MOGUL DAISY-ET	11/17/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2377	Randy & Sara Mikshowsky
HONEYCREST MOGUL FANFARE-ET	9/24/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2376	Honeycrest Farms Inc
DE-SU LITHIUM 2325-ET	11/2/2012	S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM-ET	2375	Darin Meyer
SYNERGY MOGUL SNOWHITE-ET	12/6/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2375	Synergy Farm LLC
FUSTEAD UNO LOVE-ET	8/19/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2375	Brian & Wendy Fust
BACCHUS ELION 2	5/28/2012	COOKIECUTTER MOM HUNTER-ET	2375	A L H Genetics BV
M-JAYBEE GRAFEETI 6252 9679	7/30/2012	LADYS-MANOR RD GRAFEETI-ET	2374	Fiscalini Farms
NO-FLA PARADISE 33729-ET	9/10/2012	REGANCREST PARADISE-ET	2372	North Florida Holsteins
NO-FLA MAURICE RAE 34224-ET	10/28/2012	MOUNTFIELD MSY MAURICE-ET	2372	North Florida Holsteins
AURORA PERRY 13448-ET	11/14/2012	CO-OP UPD AL PERRY 410	2372	Aurora Ridge Dairy LLC
BUSH-BROS MOGUL 4521-ET	11/6/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2372	David Leroy & Bradley Nosbush
SONRAY-ACRES PTRN CRYSTL-ET	11/17/2012	WELCOME SUPER PETRONE-ET	2371	Paul G. Powell
WELCOME SUPERSIRE GALES-ET	11/29/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2370	Welcome Stock Farm LLC
OCD MCCUTCHEN DAWSYN-ET	11/1/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2370	Oakfield Corners Dairy
SPEEK-NJ PENELOPE CRUZ-ET	11/27/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2370	Neil McDonah
SEAGULL-BAY SSIRE MAY-ET	12/1/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2369	Seagull Bay Dairy Inc.
EVER-GREEN-VIEW ASP	10/23/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2369	Thomas J. Kestell
ATH-MOR UNO MAGIC CRI-ET	10/30/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2369	Genesis Cooperative Herd
S-S-I DEAN MINDA 8537-ET	12/2/2012	RONELEE SUPER DEAN-ET	2368	Select Sires Inc.
SANDY-VALLEY UNO DOS-ET	8/14/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2368	Dave Pat Frank Jr. & Greg B
TUI CAYLEAH UNO-ET	8/21/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2368	Psuche L. & Curtis D. Hoffman
DE-SU MCCUTCHEN 2311-ET	10/28/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2368	De Su Holsteins LLC
KHW JOLICAP UNO ADELMA-ET	11/23/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2368	Ferme Jolicap Inc
DE-SU MCCUTCHEN 2353-ET	11/8/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2367	De Su Holsteins LLC
S-S-I FONSY SHAKIRA 8453-ET	10/31/2012	EVER-GREEN-VIEW FONSY-ET	2367	Select Sires Inc.
MATCREST LEXOR CHI CHI-ET	10/30/2012	GENERVATIONS LEXOR	2366	Matthew R. Johnson
DE-SU SUPERSIRE 2337-ET	11/6/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2366	Darin Meyer
SYNERGY UNO PIZAZZ-ET	12/1/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2365	Synergy Farm LLC
SANDY-VALLEY MF AMARILLO-ET	11/23/2012	DE-SU D MAYFIELD 893-ET	2365	Dave Pat Frank Jr. & Greg B
FROSTY-ROCK NUMERO UNO 943	10/1/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2364	Matt & Katie Stoll
BRU-DALE PETRONE ZELDA-ET	11/1/2012	WELCOME SUPER PETRONE-ET	2364	Michael R & Melissa M Brubaker
FLY-HIGHER SUPSIRE MINNI-ET	11/22/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2363	Fly-Higher Holsteins LLC
HONEYCREST MOGUL FANTASY-ET	9/17/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2362	Honeycrest Farms Inc
CREST-VIEW-ACRES SOLO-ET	4/14/2012	MISTY SPRINGS SUPERSONIC	2361	Steven G. Holte
DE-SU UNO 2306-ET	10/26/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2359	De Su Holsteins LLC
RI-VAL-RE MOGUL EVETTE-ET	12/9/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2358	Aaron Jorgensen
DE-SU MOGUL 2380-ET	11/18/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2358	De Su Holsteins LLC
SANDY-VALLEY MAY ABRIANA-ET	11/24/2012	DE-SU D MAYFIELD 893-ET	2358	Dave Pat Frank Jr. & Greg B
WELCOME SUPERSIRE GAILA-ET	11/26/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2356	Welcome Stock Farm LLC
RI-VAL-RE SUPRSRE NIKALA-ET	12/10/2012	SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE-ET	2356	Aaron Jorgensen
ANDERCREST MOGUL ALEXIS-ET	11/15/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2356	Brandon Anderson
BUSH-BROS UNO 4533-ET	11/13/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2356	David Leroy & Bradley Nosbush
ARMSON MOGUL VIOLET-ET	11/2/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2354	Armson Farms LLC
WELCOME MCCUTCHEN SALLI-ET	11/29/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2354	Welcome Stock Farm LLC
RIVER-BRIDGE BUGGLES CRI-ET	11/1/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2354	Genesis Cooperative Herd
S-S-I UNO RAWNIE 8446-ET	10/29/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2353	Select Sires Inc.
VIEUXSAULE MAYFIELD DABNEY-ET	10/24/2012	DE-SU D MAYFIELD 893-ET	2353	Trans-America Genetics
VISION-GEN SHA A14130-ET	9/28/2012	LADYS-MANOR PL SHAMROCK-ET	2353	VISION GENETICS
MD-MRK-OVF UNO MARGO-ET	11/5/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2352	Matthew R Kimball
SLO-TRAIN SHAM 8525	5/22/2012	LADYS-MANOR PL SHAMROCK-ET	2352	Robert J. LaSalle
NO-FLA PARADISE 34011-ET	10/9/2012	REGANCREST PARADISE-ET	2351	North Florida Holsteins
JK EDER CREAMY	11/16/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2351	Eurogenes
GOLD-N-OAKS SB JULES2523-ET	8/18/2012	MR GOLDNOAKS SUPERBOWL-ET	2351	John & Judy Swenson
HENDEL MCTCHN ADRIA 3719-ET	10/26/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2349	Hendel Farms
DE-SU ODADDY 2327-ET	11/3/2012	RONELEE SSI O DADDY-ET	2349	De Su Holsteins LLC
BUSH-BROS MOGUL 4541-ET	11/20/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2349	David Leroy & Bradley Nosbush
MORNINGVIEW ROBUST RADIO-ET	6/30/2011	ROYLANE SOCRA ROBUST-ET	2349	Tom J. Schmitt
AB-TY NUMERO UNO BRIUNA-ET	11/24/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2349	AB-TY Genetics
OCD MCCUTCHEN MADISON-ET	11/7/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2348	Oakfield Corners Dairy
T-GEN-AC LAYNE LYCKA-ET	11/13/2012	KELLERCREST SUPER LAYNE-ET	2348	Tim Clark
S-S-I SNOWMAN MELLY 8460-ET	10/31/2012	FLEVO GENETICS SNOWMAN-ET	2347	Select Sires Inc.
JC-KOW NUMERO UNO 473-ET	11/4/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2346	JC-Kow Farms LLC
N-SPRINGHOPE HDLINER YES-ET	11/10/2012	SEAGULL-BAY HEADLINER-ET	2346	J Kevin & Barbara Nedrow
EDG CLAIRE CAROLINA-ET	10/23/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2345	Elite Dairy Genomics LLC
DELCATH NUMERO-UNO JAYDA-ET	10/9/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2345	Gary L. Protzman
SANDY-VALLEY MOGL RAMONA-ET	10/25/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2345	Dave Pat Frank Jr. & Greg B
DE-SU UNO 2316-ET	10/30/2012	AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO-ET	2344	De Su Holsteins LLC
DE-SU MCCUTCHEN 2324-ET	11/2/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2344	De Su Holsteins LLC
DE-SU MAYFIELD 2357	11/10/2012	DE-SU D MAYFIELD 893-ET	2344	De Su Holsteins LLC
DE-SU LITHIUM 2266-ET	10/14/2012	S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM-ET	2343	De Su Holsteins LLC
DE-SU ODADDY 2304-ET	10/25/2012	RONELEE SSI O DADDY-ET	2343	De Su Holsteins LLC
OCD MCCUTCHEN DUBLIN-ET	10/30/2012	DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174-ET	2343	Oakfield Corners Dairy
COOKIECUTTER MOGUL HARBOR	11/18/2012	MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL-ET	2342	Denise M. Dickinson

* Expressed relative to a value of 2000 set for the highest animal in the group using the CDN Customized Index Calculator

Please note that not all polled sires are identified on the CDN system

For information on BEI follow this link (Read more: 30 Sires that will produce Feed Efficient Cows). Between the top three bulls in Table 4 there is little difference when it comes to siring feed efficient cows. A s with Net merit (Table 3) bulls come to the top for BEI when they are rated for their daughters being moderate in stature and body depth, fertile, have moderate depth of udder, are able to resist mastitis, are able to calve in without difficulty (DCE or DCA) and have a long herd life.

PP Polled Bulls

Table 5 PP Bulls Ranked by BEI

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

* Expressed relative to a value of 2000 set for the highest animal in the group using the CDN Customized Index Calculator

Please note that not all polled sires are identified on the CDN system

The information in table 5 came from the CDN files (Most listings do not separate out PP bulls.) The only sure way to have all progeny born polled is to use PP bulls. That will limited the total genetic merit of your herd but it will get you to a polled herd more quickly.

Lowering Inbreeding

For breeders using polled sires and interested in lowering the inbreeding level in their herd, we provide a list of bulls that are below average for their inbreeding level (the number in the brackets is their Inbreeding %): Man P (2.73%); Magna P (3.88%); Illegal P (4.46%); Trey PP (4.58%); Snowball P (4.67%); Colt P (5.20%); Earnhardt P (5.78%); and Terrel PP (6.01%).

The Bullvine Bottom Line

The great news is – there is more choice and increased genetic merit than ever before in polled Holstein sires. As we reported previously, polled animals have made significant gains in the last five years when it comes to their total merit indexes relative to horned animals. The Bullvine recommends that breeders include at least three polled sire in the group of sires that they are currently using. In five years you will pat yourself on the back and say ‘Good Decision’. Discerning consumers of milk products want to know that the milk products that they buy come from animals that are humanely cared for.

Not sure what all this hype about genomics is all about?

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What is the Role of a Dairy Cattle Breed Association?

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Friday, January 17th, 2014

Recently I took the opportunity to review the Canadian Breed Strategy presented by Holstein Canada. (Read more: Holstein Canada Breed Strategy, The Bullvine Feedback) I started to ask myself, “What, exactly, is the role of a modern dairy cattle breed association?”

First of all let’s get one thing clear. I have the Holstein Canada logo tattooed on my chest. That was a decision that I made as a young adult in order to display my passion for two of the greatest things in the world, Holstein cattle and Canada. So for me to take a critical look at this is something I do with passion. The perspectives that motivate me result from personally observing both the producer side as well as the association side. My father was head of type classification and genetic improvement at Holstein Canada for 18 years. That background motivates my review which essentially boils down to one question. “Are breed associations still relevant?”

Now let’s be realistic, the role of the Holstein breed associations is much different than that of the colored breed associations. Holsteins represent 92% of the dairy cattle in North America. So for the colored breeds focus is driven by the need for awareness and preservation. What is the focus of the Holstein breed associations?

Politics vs. Corporation

For me this question really begins with the fact of how you look at breed associations? Are they similar to a government entity and therefore they are to represent the best interests of their members and function mainly in a political role? Or are they to function similar to a corporation and work at growing the profitability of the association and its members? For me, I would answer that it’s a little bit a both.

The Elephant in the Room

It`s time now to consider the elephant that is hiding in the corner of the room. In North America approximately 22% of all Holstein cattle are registered with either Holstein USA or Holstein Canada. That means that the large majority (78%) of the Holstein cattle in North America are not registered with either breed association. When such a large majority is not seeing the value in registration and the association programs, I have to ask, “Are Holstein associations relevant to the majority of today’s dairy producers?”

On a personal level, I see great value in purebred dairy cattle, registrations, type classification, and the many other programs. But obviously the fact that almost 78% of the Holstein Cattle in North America are not registered tells me that the large majority do not see the value. Why is that?

When I ask that of many the commercial producers that I chat with the answer often boils down to one comment. “I don’t see the value in the investment.” Most of the time this position is held by commercial producers that run their operations more like a corporation, rather than passion for a specific breed or way of life. While many are larger operations, I get the same answer from both large and small.

Technology has changed the world

In the 1980s the value of a purebred heifer of fresh cow was far greater than that of a grade. But in today’s marketplace, the difference in prices does not warrant the need for registration. Also reducing the pressure for registrations is the fact that computerized record keeping has evolved to a state that the records available on-farm are as complete as those available from the breed associations. This has further reduced breeder’s perception of the value of registration.

So then it comes down to the other programs that breed associations provide. The largest of them has to be type classification. Now let’s be clear I am a HUGE fan of type classification. But more and more I hear producers wondering if it is really worth it. (Read more: Is type classification still important?) They cite things like the use of genomics as a reason that they no longer need to type classify. Well as we all know Genomics is not a perfect (Read more: The Genomic Bubble Has Burst?, Genomics – Lies, Miss-Truths and False Publications! and How Genomics is Killing the Dairy Cattle Breeding Industry), but it is a great tool. However, in order to improve its accuracy, the breed still requires the phenotypic data from programs like type classification and milk recording.

While we are talking about technology, why can’t we use more of this on-farm information for genetic evaluations? Sure I have heard the concerns about accuracy of data, and the ethics of allowing producers to record their own data. But who said that this data had to be used for female genetic evaluations? Why can’t we include this large data set in bull genetic evaluations, so that we can greatly increase the accuracy of sire proofs? We could even develop more management based genetic evaluations that connect more directly to the bottom line?

Who Cares About Index?

From many of the most passionate breeders in the world, I hear “mixed” comments about the index systems, like TPI, LPI, etc. (Please note that TPI is a trademark of Holstein USA) Yet breed associations continue to focus on this as a major issue. While there is no doubt that having a national index has done wonders for marketing and genetic advancement. In reality every breeder should have their own index. The best index is the one that the works hand in hand with specific management goals. Having one National Index isn’t working. First of all we are in a global marketplace. Secondly, we need at least have three difference indexes. One that represents the needs of the seed stock producer (similar to TPI or LPI). One that represents the needs of the commercial producer (similar to NM$). Finally one that works for those breeding for the show ring (similar to CONF or PTAT). Only then will you start to settle this debate.

As long as we continue to try to promote one “unified” national index, it will continue to be seen as nothing more than a marketing tool. If you really want to have a tool that is for breed advancement and not for marketing, you need to understand that every breeder’s needs are different. And when you start to look at things from the different perspectives of all producers, and try to represent and respect each one of their individual needs, you will start to see the greatest advancement in the breed.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Really the breed strategy must come down to, “How do you make me more profitable?” All other issues are secondary to that. For years I have heard “Well a higher classified cow will last longer in your herd and produce more milk over their lifetime.” Well I am sorry to tell you that the data does not always support that conclusion. What if the cow has reproduction issues? What if they don’t milk very hard? All of these challenges to profitability also greatly reduce their productive life, yet they are not factored into most of the programs that breed associations currently offer. If you really want to get a larger share of the national herd pie, you need to show the average producer the measurable effect that registered animals and the associated programs have on their bottom line. All other issues are just smoke and mirrors that many of the politicians (Breed association board members) spend far too much time focusing on. I want my breed association to “Show me the money!”

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Total Merit Indexes: Are they helping or hurting?

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Wednesday, October 30th, 2013

If you haven’t worked in a trade show booth or attended a cattle show recently, you could very well be missing important genetic improvement discussions. Discussion about which traits breeders feel are at an acceptable level and which ones need to be improved. I suspect that few of you have worked a trade show booth but I can tell you, from front line experience, that bottom line focused breeders are not shy about saying that today’s dairy cattle are not functional enough, don’t get pregnant easily (may conceive but not retain) and require too much worker time. Contrast that with the spectators at shows that talk about their ideal cow being tall, lean, tight uddered, deep ribbed and wide rumped. Often front and center in all the discussions is which total merit index to use. Is it TPI, JPI, NM$, LPI, RZG, BW, TMI, NVI or another? Is any one total merit index capable of meeting the needs of all breeders?

Who is #1?

Every breeder or owner wants to have the #1 cow or bull. And back twenty to thirty years ago many bull owners bragged about having the #1. All-be-it they had the number one for Milk, Fat %, Fat Yield, Type or whatever. For the average breeder it was very confusing. Which should they think was the #1 bull? In order to assist breeders, breed societies and genetic evaluation centers started publishing total merit indexes for bulls. Those indexes combined the production and type genetic indexes. It was reasoned that having a ranking system that combined all the traits was much superior to single trait marketing and selection.

Index Achievements & Short Falls

Recently CDN published the following genetic trends for Canadian Holsteins and Jerseys.

The average increase in LPI for both breeds is 65 LPI points per year. Undoubtedly this annual gain is more than would have been achieved without having the LPI to use for sorting animals. These gains are based on increases in both production and durability (conformation). But note that no gains have been made for health and fertility (H&F) in the past fifteen years.

Index Worship – Gone Too Far?

Having only one number to remember on an animal can be good but there can also be drawbacks to using only one number. These limitations include:

Everyone talks about the top ten TPI sires but in fact between #1 (Massey) and #20 (Goose) there are only 122 points. That is almost like getting 99% compare to 95% on a test. Not much difference. So drill down and know the facts. Indexes for these twenty bulls range from 42 to 93 lbs for fat yield and from 0.98 to 3.42 for Udder Composite.
Mating a high TPI bull to a high TPI cow without regard to where the bull and cow are strong or weak can lead to disaster.
Buying only on the TPI, even though the pedigree person announces that “this heifer is #1”, does not guarantee that you are buying the best animal for the traits important to you.

In fact we could very well have reached the point where we are limiting the advancement we will make in our herds because we do not look at all the genetic indexes for an animal. Instead of using TPI to sort out the top animals and then studying the strengths and limitations of an animal, we only consider the TPI. If you wonder about that The Bullvine suggests that you study the top TPI heifers looking at both their TPI and fertility (DPR) indexes. You will find many top heifers that have a negative DPR index. Is not reproduction the #1 reason cows are culled?

Which Index for You?

The key word in this title is YOU. What business are you in – the business of breeding and marketing of breeding stock or the business of milk production? After you make that important first decision, you are in a position to decide on which total merit index you should use.

It is important to think in terms of what you want your herd to be genetically in the future when selecting a total merit index to use. Traits beyond production and type are becoming more important to breeders. The following ICAR published table shows the relative trait emphasis for seven leading total merit indexes and the average for all total merit indexes from seventeen countries.

Relative Trait Emphasis in Total Merit Indexes*

RANK	NAME	# OF DAUGHTERS	PTAT	Udder Comp	F&L Comp	Body Comp	Dairy Comp	Stature
1	BRAEDALE GOLDWYN	55	3.03	2.59	2.56	1.93	2.03	3.1
2	REGANCREST ELTON DURHAM-ET	21	2.47	2.31	2.13	1.7	1.98	2.13
3	KHW KITE ADVENT-RED-ET	19	2.53	2.24	1.6	2.04	1.65	2.41
4	REGANCREST DUNDEE-ET	18	2.06	2.18	0.75	1.29	1.55	1.18
5	GEN-MARK STMATIC SANCHEZ	14	3.07	2.17	2.44	3.34	2.83	3.91
6	WILCOXVIEW JASPER-ET	11	2.89	1.94	0.73	2.56	2.52	3.22
7	ERBACRES DAMION	8	3.2	2.22	3.17	2.83	2.72	2.76
7	MAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOOD-ET	8	4.16	3.41	3.46	3.44	2.97	4.31
9	PICSTON SHOTTLE-ET	6	2.66	1.97	1.79	2.42	2.3	2.71
9	ROYLANE JORDAN-ET	6	2.07	1.94	0.32	1.53	2.06	1.93

* Reported by J Chesnais & Associates at 2012 ICAR Meeting (Ireland)

As you develop your breeding and business plans for the future, the following points may be useful to consider:

If you do not sell animals for breeding purposes, having type at a high weighting in your total index may not be your best business decision. NM$ may be a better index for you.
In ten years will you be a breeder or a milk producer? Choose either the breeder index (i.e. TPI or LPI) or the milk producer index (i.e. NM$).
If you do not show cattle or sell cattle to showmen, then PL (Productive Life) or HL (Herd Life) rather than PTAT or CONF should be an important part of your total merit index.
Including and giving significant weighting to traits such as fertility, longevity, calving ability, milking speed and mastitis resistance in the total merit indexes will be the way of the future for breeders focused on milk production.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Total merit indexes are designed to rank animals according a set formula. After sorting out the top bulls on a total merit basis, breeders should use corrective mating to match the bulls with the cows in their herd. Not using genetic indexes denies you the opportunity to make significant advancements both genetically and from a profit perspective. Are total merit indexes helping or hurting breeders? It depends on knowing your genetic needs and using the index that focuses attention on your most important traits. No total merit index will best serve all breeders. Use the index that suits your plans (Read more:Fact vs. Fantasy: A Realistic Approach to Sire Selection, What’s the plan? and Genomics at Work – August 2013)

Not sure what all this hype about genomics is all about?

Want to learn what it is and what it means to your breeding program?

Download this free guide.

Who Really Has The Best Dairy Cattle Genetics In The World?

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Friday, July 5th, 2013

The amount of bragging and arguing that goes on among breeders about what country has the best genetics in the world is insane. Because many have no actual facts to back up their opinion, the Bullvine decided to take a closer look and see just who does have the best genetics in the world. We took a look at the top 50 proven and top 50 genomic sires (where possible) in each of the major north American indexes (TPI, NM%, LPI, PTAT and Conf) to see just what countries have the top bulls on each. We used north American indexes since all other indexes did not publicly provide MACE lists for use to do an accurate evaluation. The following is what we found.

TPI^TM

When it comes to TPI, it’s not surprising that the US dominates both the proven and genomic sire lists. Given that TPI is a US based index, it’s only natural that they would have such a large proportion of the list. What is interesting about these results is that Canada does have 14% of the top genomic sires. Maybe a sign that Canadians are starting to put more attention into TPI and are adjusting their breeding programs so that they can achieve high ranking TPI animals.

NM$

Since young sire information between countries is not readily available, its not surprising the we have mostly US sires on the genomic lists. What is interesting about these results is that the Nordic countries have 22% of the top proven sires for NM$. This is a direct result of their heavy focus on health and fertility and thus leading the way in genetic progress in these areas (Read more: What the experts will tell you about who is winning the genetic improvement race).

PTAT

When it comes to type it’s not surprising that Canada makes its strongest showing in this area. Years of intense breeding for this trait have led to Canada having a larger market share in this area. What is also interesting is the diversity of countries that make the top proven sire list.

LPI

Almost shockingly there are no Canadian bred proven sires in the top 50 LPI sires in the world. Given that LPI is Canada’s national index you would think there would be at least a few. While the genomic lists do have 22% Canadian bred sires, it shows that in the recent past Canadian’s have been lagging behind other countries.

Conformation

One area that has always been a great strength is the Canada’s ability to breed great type. While they certainly have their largest market share in this area. It is interesting to note that the Canada does have more of the top proven and genomic conformation sires in the world.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

While there is no question that the US has the largest population of dairy breeders in the world, and hence they should have the largest market share, what is surprising is how they have so much of the world’s top genetics. Well beyond just the size of their population base, the US is the world leader in producing top Holstein sires.

For complete genetic evaluations from around the world click here.

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Fertility: You Get What You Breed For

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Wednesday, May 29th, 2013

How often have you heard a 4H leader, FFA member, classifier or show judge say a heifer or cow must have slope from her hips to her pins and be wide in the pins because that’s what we need for good fertility? Yes we have all heard that many times. But is it true? Could it be that the Holstein bloodlines we have selected were poorer for fertility than other bloodlines we left behind half a century ago? And that rump conformation has a low correlation with fertility.

A Colorful Opinion

Something we can all agree on is that the fertility levels in our herds, the world over, are not what breeders would like them to be. I well remember just a year ago when I had a discussion with an old time Jersey breeder. True to form he was telling this Holstein guy that Holstein breeders have ruined the breed. Sure higher butterfat and protein yields and udders much higher off the ground were great moves but why the excessive stature, very flat and deep rear rib and the demand that animals be tall in the front end when nature did not make them that way? “Jersey cows don’t need to have sloping rumps in order to quickly get back in-calf. So why do Holsteins need sloping rumps?” His bottom line was that by going for the tall skinny cow syndrome we have selected against reproductively sound females. His concluding statement was “You are breeding cows not runway models.” Think about it, shorter, rounder cows that may give a little less milk but get in-calf quicker are very likely preferred by milk producers to the tall, deep rear rib, walk uphill ones.

Have we won a Little but Lost a Lot?

Have we selected our Holsteins for the ones that do not quickly get back in-calf? Is it possible that our breeding strategies have taken us in a wrong direction when female fertility is frequently the biggest cow problem that breeders have? (Read more: How Healthy Are Your Cows?)

Certainly over the past half century the average production of Holsteins has doubled. And yes in the past decade we are seeing more outstanding scoring (type classification) cows. And the winners at the shows are super cows with awesome mammary systems.

However whether it is genetics, nutrition or management, our calving intervals are longer and pregnancy rates are perhaps half what they were forty years ago. As well with the need for breeders to focus today on profitability there is the need to replace high cost manual labour with technology and there are moves ahead pointing to less use of drugs and medicines for food safety reasons. Therefore we need to find some way to put reproduction efficiency back into the Holstein cow. And do it by selection rather than by cross-breeding.

Skinny at Odds with Conception

Research and breeder experience has brought to our attention that cows that have above average body conditioning get back in-calf quicker and with less trouble than cows that sacrifice their body condition due to high yields, poor nutrition, inadequate transition cow feeding, poor conformation, … or maybe some combination of all of those.

The Billion Dollar Question

So I ask. “Now that we have sire and cow indexes for Daughter Pregnancy Rate (USA) and Daughter Fertility and Body Condition Score (Canada) are breeders using those indexes in their Breeding Programs?”

Bulls That Get Used

The Canadian Dairy Network, last week, published the thirty Holstein sires with the most daughters registered in Canada in 2012 (Read more: Canadian A.I. Market Share and Most Popular Sires for 2012) accounting for 40% of the total registrations. The remaining 60% were sired by 5900 other bulls. The Bullvine decided to study in some depth the 20 sires with the most registered daughters in Canada in 2012. Those twenty sired 35% of the females registered which should be a good benchmark for where the breed is heading.

Table 1 Sire Comparison – 2012 Daughters Born vs. 2011 Top Sires Available

Group	LPI	Milk (kg)	Fat (kg / %)	Protein (kg / %)	CONF	MS	F&L	HerdLife	DF	SCS	Udepth	CA
20 Bulls-most registered 2012	2075	1031	60 /+.21%	41 / +.06%	15	12	8	105	98	2.89	4s	102
20 Bulls - top in 2011	2392	1393	67/+.16%	55 / +.07%	10	10	9	108	102	2.87	4s	104
Difference	-317	-362	-7	-14	5	2	-1	-3	-4	-0.02	0	-2

Table 1 compares the twenty sires with the most registered daughters in 2012 to the top twenty Canadian proven LPI sires available to Canadian breeders in 2011. The short answers to the comparisons are: breeders use sires with lower LPIs, less production, more type, less fertility and less Herd Life than the very top LPI sires that A.I. organizations marketed. The shocking truth is that ten of the top twenty most used sires were below average for their Daughter Fertility (DF) indexes. One of those twenty sires had a DF index of only 88 while the top two sires were rated at 107 & 106. High (top 10%) but not overly high.

In case you are wondering if this is a Canadian phenomenon you can refer to a recent Bullvine article (Read more: Top Sires North American Breeders Are Using). The sires with most registered daughters in the USA have the same deficiency in their genetic merit for female fertility. Six of the top ten bulls with the most registered daughters in the middle half of April 2013 were below average for Daughter Pregnancy Rate. Different country same story.

Let’s take the Bull by the Horns

Even though we have only had fertility indexes on bulls for a few years, we as breeders are not using them to genetically improve female fertility in our herds. And it likely goes beyond that – are our A.I. organizations using them when selecting the parents of the next generation of bulls? After all over 90% of the genetic improvement in a herd comes from the sires used.

Fertility Sires

Sires do exist that top the April 2013 North American TPI™ and LPI listings and have fertility ratings in the top 25% of the Holstein breed. Breeders wishing to genetically improve their herds for female fertility should consider the following sires:

Table 2 Top Sires with High Fertility – April 2013

Click on image for enlargement

Of course we all want to know what we will have to give up to get the female fertility. Further analysis of the twenty-four bulls listed in Table 2 shows that only significant concession would be in ‘show type’ for eight of the twelve top proven sires. All bulls on this listing have above average indexes for PTAT or CONF.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Half a century of breeding for increased yields, taller and more angularity cows have taken their toll on the fertility in our herds. Female fertility indexes are available for both males and females. With genomics these indexes became much more accurate. Now is the time to put the genetics for female fertility back into our modern Holsteins. It is not a “Perhaps or Maybe”, it is a “MUST”!

Not sure what all this hype about genomics is all about?

Want to learn what it is and what it means to your breeding program?

Download this free guide.

Canadian LPI Rescaling Explained (April 2013)

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Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

Understanding and correctly using genetic indexes is important to breeders who derive a significant portion of their profit from dairy cattle breeding decisions. Major changes in the expression of indexes do not occur frequently but when they do occur it can be a time of confusion and perhaps lack of trust. The Canadian total index, LPI, has been used for over twenty years by Canadian breeders, as well as by breeders from other countries who source genetic material from Canada. When changes occur in the LPI indexing system, as is the case just now in April 2013, it is important that the reasons for the changes and the results be understood and incorporated into breeders’ decision processes.

Why Change?

For some time now the LPI values, especially for Holsteins, have been increasing quickly for all animals but it has been most noticeable for animals that have genomic evaluations. Breeders questioned how these young animals with indexes that are about 65% reliable can be significantly superior to recently proven top end bulls and active cows with their own performance values. As most breeders refer to the absolute LPI number, significant differences between the leaders on the various listings left doubt in accuracy in breeders’ minds. For breeders who think is bottom line terms and do not follow the LPI numbers closely, comment were often heard about the fact that numbers are numbers but it is annual cow profit that pays the bills, expands the business and sends the kids to college. Point being that the LPI difference between animals over-stated the net dollar difference between animals. These questions, comments and concerns were heard loud and clear by the CDN’s Genetic Evaluation Board so it studied the matter and took action.

LPI Scaling

The extreme range (-3500 to +3500) in Canadian Holstein LPI values had many drawbacks. It assigned most older long-lived profitable cows a negative value thereby telling a story that was not true and limiting the saleability of their subsequent generation. It assigned values that indicated significant differences between animals when the actual dollar differences were not that large. And due to the scaling effect for animals at the very top of the breed it gave values far exceeding the actual differences. This latter point was especially true for bulls and heifers with only parent averages and genomic evaluations.

While studying possible solutions, CDN noted that in other major dairy breeding countries the scale for their total merit index is much much smaller than Canada’s 7000 point range. CDN decided to adopt a publication methodology for the LPI similar to what the TPI™ has used for many years. That involves calculating a value and adding a ‘constant’ to it.

New LPIs

Effective April 09, 2013 the new LPI formula is ½ Previously calculated LPI + Constant.

Note that the highest progeny proven sires do not change in value.

Note that the range in values of Holstein LPIs is now much more similar, although slightly more, than the range for Holstein TPI™

Sire LPIs

It is important to note that this re-scaling of LPI does not re-rank animals. But it does bring the progeny proven sires and genomically evaluated young bulls much closer in their values.

It is important to remember that LPI is the Canadian system for ranking animals according the weights assigned to the numerous genetic indexes of important for lifetime profit. For Holsteins the weights at 51% Production, 34% Durability and 15% Health and fertility while for Jerseys those weightings are 57%, 33% and 10% respectively. Breeders wanting to place more or less emphasis on the various can calculate their own rankings using the CDN calculator available at www.cdn.ca or going the Bulvine’s bull listings for alternative ranking systems (Read more: Bullvine Performance Index (BPI) – Top Sires December 2012).

Using Genetic Indexes

Indexes are a very constructive tool to genetically breed better animals for the future. As genetics is less than half of the reasons animal differ in profitability, much depends on breeders to not only produce the animals that will be profitable but also to feed and manage them. Some suggested ground rules to follow when making sire or heifer selections are:

Use LPI, TPI™ or Net Merit are you primary list reduction tool for sires or herd replacements
Always check out the index values for the traits important to you (i.e. protein, fat, feet & legs, udders, SCS, fertility,..). Eliminate animals from the list that do not meet your requirements.
A quick way to eliminate animals is to use % RK (percentile rank).
Animals below 75% RK for any yield or conformation traits will likely leave progeny that reduce your profit.
Animals below 60% RK for health and fertility traits will not move your herd ahead for these traits of emerging importance.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Even though the method of expressing genetic indexes may differ from trait to trait or country to country, it is always important to have a plan on what you want to improve genetically in your herd and then to select the sires or replacement females that will produce the results. The re-scaling of the LPI values will come closer to the actual dollars amount animals return in their lifetime profit and will more accurately compare older and younger animals. By all means keep your genetics current and on target to your needs. It is best to throw out the semen from low indexing bulls. Buy high ranking genetics. It always pays big dividends.

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TPI™ and LPI – Marketing or Mating tools?

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Thursday, July 19th, 2012

From old school dairy breeders telling you, “They are all worthless!” to geneticists telling you “They are the greatest thing since sliced bread!” it can be challenging to figure out whether tools like TPI® and LPI have significant merits in your breeding or marketing program

What Are They?

To get a better understanding of what each of these indexes represent start with the fact that TPI® (Total Performance Index) and LPI (Lifetime Profit Index) are multi-trait indexes. They both combine production, type, and health and fertility traits to rank sires on their ability to transmit an economic balance of these traits. TPI® is calculated by Holstein USA and LPI is calculated by The Canadian Dairy Network.

The big thing to remember about both of these indexes is that they are more or less a predictor of a bull’s ability to transmit based on established weightings. For TPI® that weighting is as follows

Source: Holstein USA, click on image for more details

Whereas LPI has the following weighting, 51% production, 29% conformation and 20% health traits. As you will notice, LPI actually puts a greater weighting on conformation and health than does the TPI®.

They’re Tools You Fool

The big thing to remember is both of these indexes were created to help identify superior sires that combined high production, sound conformation, and desirable health and fertility traits. It does not mean that these sires are the only sires you should be using. Or that if you only use these sires you will have the best herd in the world.

What it does mean is that you can use these tools to help short list what sires you are wanting to use, assuming that you are breeding for high production, conformation, and fertility. If you are like some old school breeders who feel that high lactation production is not worth the tradeoff then fine, LPI and TPI® are not for you. In reality, each breeding program would be best to develop their own index based on the needs and goals of their breeding program. Maybe you would want more emphasis on health or type. It all depends on your goals and then you work from there.

It’s All About the Marketing

Were these indexes created just for marketing? No. Were they created for ways to compare and sell sires? Yes. What’s the difference? Well when both these indexes were created they had all the right intentions. They were created for a way to compare sires on their overall genetic merits. Which lead to major sale and marketing opportunities for those organizations and breeders who had the top sires.

I can remember that, before these multi-trait indexes were introduced, everyone claimed to have the #1 sire or cow. While that is still happening, for the most part TPI® and LPI provide the opportunity for breeders to gain a clear understanding of who is the top sire for producing high production, sound conformation, and healthy cattle.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

With so many different traits that are evaluated, trying to identify which sires have the overall best genetics can be very challenging. While the TPI® and LPI formulas may not be the exact weighting that works for your breeding program, they are designed to represent that average breeder (if there is such a thing). They are designed to give opportunity to compare sires on relative merits and see which sires rise to the top. The big thing to remember is that they are to be used as tools! If you lose focus on that, these tools can have you looking like a fool!

Top 10 Genomic TPI Young Sires Review – April 2012

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Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

With 8 of the top 10 Genomic TPI™ young sires being themselves sons of young sires, there is no question that breeders of these top animals have confidence in genomics and are using it to shorten their genetic intervals.
[csv2table source=”https://www.thebullvine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Top-10-Genomic-TPI-Young-Sires-–-April-2012.csv” icons=”true”]
The following is our analysis of the top 10 GTPI young sires from the April 2012 Genetic Evaluations:

#1 – AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO

Holding on to his #1 spot despite 7 new members in the top 10, NUMERO UNO from Semex possess an international pedigree. Sired by a MAN-O-MAN he is only one of two sires on this list that are not themselves sired by young sires. His dam AMIGHETTI SHOTTLE AVE VG-88-2YR-ITA in an unparalleled Italian source for GTPI. The foundation of the family is Center-Field Elevation Berta, directly imported from the U.S. Watch for NUMERO UNO to sire well-balanced cattle that have strong mammary systems and great feet and legs. Surprisingly watch for him to be an outstanding Rump improver that you may not expect from a Man-O-Man son. A couple of areas that he may not perform as well as his sire stack may indicate are his overall production and protein kgs. NUMERO UNO will mate well with typical daughters of Planet, Bolton, Stol Joc and Mr Burns.

#2 – SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE

#2 on the GTPI list is SUPERSIRE, the more genomicically gifted of the Robust full brothers from AMMON-PEACHEY SHAUNA VG-87-2YR-USA who is the popular Planet bull dam at Seagull-Bay. Both being sampled at Select Sires, and tracing back to WESSWOOD-HC RUDY MISSY EX-92-3E USA DOM GMD. SUPERSIRE himself is a son of a test sire ROYLANE SOCRA ROBUST (Socrates x O-Man) that is from another Seagull-Bay cow family SEAGULL-BAY OMAN MIRROR VG-86-3YR-USA DOM who is the #1 O Man of the breed. SUPERSIRE sires outstanding production with solid components and sound durability and health and fertility traits. SUPERSIRE will sire solid confirmation across the board. Watch for SUPERSIRE to sire much better components than his full brother. Though some may consider it risky using a young sire who himself is a son of a young sire, SUPERSIRE will work well on many of the top sires though he needs to be protected on milking speed.

#3 – DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174

Also from Select sires comes MCCUTCHEN from SULLY SHOTTLE MAY VG-85-3YR-USA DOM. May is believed to have more offspring genomic tested over 2200 & 2300 GPTI than any other cow in the breed. MCCUTCHEN is himself a son of a young sire DE-SU 521 BOOKEM (Planet x Ramos). MCCUTCHEN`s genomic pattern shows the potential to sire extreme balance of production and conformation with the potential for breed leading conformation with the ability to improve all major composites. Similar to SUPERSIRE, MCCUTCHEN will work well on many of the top sires though he needs to be protected on milking speed.

#4 – SEAGULL-BAY HEADLINER

The full brother to #2 on the list, SUPERSIRE, HEADLINER will sire a little more protein than his higher ranked full brother. The biggest difference between the two may be SUPERSIRES ability to leave more desirable rumps. HEADLINER and his full brother SUPERSIRE are a testament to keeping the genetic interval as tight as possible, with the tight cross of young sire on Planet then Shottle followed by O Man and Rudolph. Their dam Shauna has the unique ability to sire top ranking sires in both the US (TPI) and Canada (LPI). HEADLINER will work well on many of the top sires though he needs to be protected on milking speed and calving ease.

#5 – MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL

The second of the previous top 10 GTPI young sires to retain his top rank is MOGUL. He, is also a son of a young sire COYNE-FARMS DORCY and like many others on this list is also from Select Sires. MOGUL is a testament to his strong maternal lines as his EBV’s far outperforms his sire stack. Look for MOGUL to offer a strong balanced offering but needs to be protected on his rump. Though he will leave much greater dairyness and strength than this sire stack would indicate. Similar to SUPERSIRE and HEADLINER, MOGUL’s maternal pedigree traces back to WESSWOOD-HC RUDY MISSY EX-92-3E USA DOM GMD. Mogul’s Dam MOUNTFIELD MARSH MAXINE VG-88-2YR-USA DOM being a great granddaughter. MOGUL offers a nice outcross as there is no GOLDWYN, PLANET, or SHOTTLE in it. MOGUL makes a nice cross for SHOTTLE bloodlines.

#6 – S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM

Continuing their dominance of the top GTPI lists Select adds LITHIUM. Similar to the other additions LITHIUM is himself a son of a young sire, RONELEE TOYSTORY DOMAIN (Toystory x Outside) from Trans-America Genetics. LITHIUM is a riskier choice to use, as his Genomic values are significantly lower than that of his parent averages, or sire stack would indicate. Of specific note is the much lower values for dairy strength, rump, fat and overall production. LITHIUM will sire strong udders and feet and legs with solid production. Though additional consideration should be given to lactation persistency and milking speed.

#7 – DE-SU 1263 “RANSOM”

From Androgenetics comes another ROYLANE SOCRA ROBUST (Socrates x O-Man) son. Similar to SUPERSIRE and HEADLINER, RANSOM is genomically gifted beyond his sire stack, transmitting much more milk, fat and rump improvement than his pedigree would indicate. RANSOM will sire extreme improvement in feet and legs though may need to be protected on dairy strength. Continuing in the breeding pattern of other sires from De-Su, RANSOM has a tight genetic sire stack with a young sire being used on a Romas daughter from Shottle followed by O Man.

#8 – RONELEE SSI O DADDY

At this rate we are going to need to start to call this the Select Sires New Release list (For more on this read Should A.I. Companies Own Females?). Like so many others on this list, DADDY is a son of a young sire himself (For more on this read The Genomic Advancement Race – The Battle For Genetic Supremacy) that also traces back to breeding at De-Su. His sire is Observer (Planet x O Man) son of DE-SU OMAN 6121-ET VG-86-2YR-USA DOM GMD. However, unlike many of the other sires on our list after his sire, DADDY’s pedigree is actually a little dated and contributes to him being one of the lowest sire stacks in the top 10. This puts a lot of weight on his sire to carry a lot of the genetic weight. Daddy will sire strong production though will need to be protected on Fat. The surprising part, given his sire stack, will be his ability to sire strong dairy cattle that walk on a solid set of feet and legs. However, much like his pedigree predicts he will need to be protected on Feet & Legs. His daughters should be extremely durable though may need to be protected on milking speed.

#9 – ROYLANE BOXER PUNCH 4311

Would you be surprised if I told you that PUNCH is also from Select? Well he is. Again he is a son of young sire, Boxer (Shottle x Goldwyn) that is from the Barbie’s at Regancrest. PUNCH is a brother to the heavily used young sire ROBUST, that is the sire of SUPERSIRE, HEADLINER, and RANSOM from our top list. Watch for PUNCH to sire strong components and very balanced type. Watch for PUNCH to sire much more durable daughters with better health traits that his sire stack would indicate. His daughters will be much stronger than you would expect with O Man, Manat, and Celsius in the pedigree. While his daughters may not be as high production as others, watch for PUNCH to add the balanced that you would expect from the conformation from his paternal side and production from the maternal side.

#10 – MINNIGAN-HILLS DAY

The third sire of the previous top 10 sires to maintain their status on the list, DAY, offers a great combination of type and production. While DAY’s pedigree might spell just average type watch for him to be a potential breed leader. He will sire outstanding udders, feet & legs and surprisingly rumps and strength. The part that he does not live up to his pedigree or sire stack on is his production. He does need to be protected on production, though he will sire better components than expected.

For more information check out The Bullvine Bull Book or our Genetic Evaluation Resource Center.

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Archive for TPI

What does it mean when the #8 proven TPI® sire in the world is unmarketable?

Marketing vs Mating Tool?

The problem

How does he do it?

Is it an issue with the formula?

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Other posts you might like:

Decide. Don’t Ride the Fence.

Select an Index and Stick to It

If You`re Undecided

Polled Bulls Ranked by gTPI

Table 1 Polled Bulls Ranked by gTPI™

Polled Bulls Ranked by gLPI

Table 2 Polled Bulls Ranked by gLPI

Polled Bulls Ranked by NM$

Table 3 Polled Bulls Ranked by Net Merit (NM$)

Polled Bulls Ranked by BEI

Table 4 Polled Bulls Ranked by BEI (Bullvine Efficiency Index)

PP Polled Bulls

Lowering Inbreeding

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Other posts you might like:

Politics vs. Corporation

The Elephant in the Room

Technology has changed the world

Who Cares About Index?

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Other posts you might like:

Who is #1?

Index Achievements & Short Falls

Index Worship – Gone Too Far?

Which Index for You?

Relative Trait Emphasis in Total Merit Indexes*

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Other posts you might like:

TPITM

NM$

PTAT

LPI

Conformation

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Other posts you might like:

A Colorful Opinion

Have we won a Little but Lost a Lot?

Skinny at Odds with Conception

The Billion Dollar Question

Bulls That Get Used

Table 1 Sire Comparison – 2012 Daughters Born vs. 2011 Top Sires Available

Let’s take the Bull by the Horns

Fertility Sires

Table 2 Top Sires with High Fertility – April 2013

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Other posts you might like:

Why Change?

LPI Scaling

New LPIs

Sire LPIs

Using Genetic Indexes

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Other posts you might like:

What Are They?

They’re Tools You Fool

It’s All About the Marketing

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Other posts you might like:

#1 – AMIGHETTI NUMERO UNO

#2 – SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE

#3 – DE-SU BKM MCCUTCHEN 1174

#4 – SEAGULL-BAY HEADLINER

#5 – MOUNTFIELD SSI DCY MOGUL

#6 – S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM

#7 – DE-SU 1263 “RANSOM”

#8 – RONELEE SSI O DADDY

#9 – ROYLANE BOXER PUNCH 4311

#10 – MINNIGAN-HILLS DAY

Other posts you might like:

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What does it mean when the #8 proven TPI^®sire in the world is unmarketable?

TPI^TM