Top EnviroCow sire leads latest Holstein rankings
©Tim Scrivener A genomic profitable lifetime index of £928 and the best EnviroCow score of the breed has put Denovo 20893 Harmony at the top of the AHDB’s latest Holstein sire rankings, published on 3 December.
Harmony, a former top 10 sire, is one of five sons of Denovo 2776 Leeds in the top 10 and excels for production.
He has a predicted transmitting ability (PTA) of 1,109kg milk, 57kg (0.13%) fat and 41.8kg (0.05%) protein and an impressive FeedAdvantage (FAdv) of 300.
See also: Why genetics are critical for improving dairy cow fertility
AOT Jared Haskel, great granddam of Denovo 20893 Harmony © Cybil Fisher
This means his daughters are efficient converters of feed into milk and are expected to consume, on average, 300kg less dry matter in one lactation than daughters of a bull with a FAdv of zero.
This contributes to a lower carbon footprint, expressed through his EnviroCow score of 5.2.
In second place is new entrant T-Spruce Denovo Zest, a paternal half-brother of Harmony. Zest transmits good udder health (-14 somatic cell count (SCC), -1 mastitis), a high lameness advantage (LAdv) of 2.8 and a profitable lifetime index (PLI) of £920.
Two further Leeds sons follow: former top-ranking genomic sire Denovo 20723 Columbia is at number three, with a PLI of £902, just ahead of fourth-ranking Denovo 20771 Segment, another strong production sire (PLI of £901).
Badger Siemers Day Trip (PLI £895), in fifth place, transmits exceptional daughter lifespan (+180 days), great udder health (-2 mastitis) and shorter-than-average gestation length (-3).
Sires outside the top five also have much to offer, says the AHDB’s head of animal genetics, Marco Winters.
“The top of this PLI ranking is where breeders can go to find the Holstein breed’s most outstanding production, health and efficiency bulls for use in their herds, but they can also find many more exceptional bulls further down the list,” he says.
“Those who have already used Leeds may have to dig deeper but, as always, they can re-rank bulls on the AHDB website for traits they particularly wish to improve, whether that be fertility, cell count, feed efficiency or any other parameter for which a genetic index is calculated.”
Proven Holstein sires
Milk solids improver Bomaz Kettle tops the daughter-proven Holstein PLI rankings. This son of De-Su 14222 Kenobi has combined fat and protein of 93.6kg and a PLI of £847.
Bomaz Kenobi, paternal sister to Bomaz Kettle
Long-time leader Genosource Captain is pushed into second position, with a PLI of £799. A PTA of 1,235kg makes him the highest milk transmitter in the top 20, together with a favourable maintenance index (-29) and a type merit of 2.08.
Westcoast River now ranks third (PLI £782) and remains one of the best health transmitters of the breed.
He has a HealthyCow value of £326, thanks to superb udder health (-34 SCC, -4 mastitis), daughter fertility index (FI) of 12.5, lameness advantage (LAdv) of 2.8 and a lifespan index of +128 days.
Bomaz Platt is a new entry at number four, having graduated from the genomic young sire list with a PLI of £779.
He combines a daughter FI of 13.5 with high milk solids (+0.29% fat, +0.16% protein).
And Hul-Stein Cowboy climbs to fifth place (PLI £778), with strong udder health features (-28 SCC, -3 mastitis).
Both Platt and Cowboy have favourable scores for maternal calving ease (1.5).
Bomaz Bob, great granddam of Bomaz Platt, top-ranking spring calving index sire © Lea McCullough
Sires for spring block-calvers
Black-and-whites dominate the top of the spring calving index (SCI).
Bomaz Platt’s outstanding milk solids production, improvements to daughter cell counts and good daughter fertility earn him top spot with an SCI of £653.
In second place is Progenesis Wimbledon (SCI £644), thanks to superb daughter fertility and mastitis resistance, while substantial reductions in cell counts help earn Winstar Graziano (SCI £630) third place.
Spring block-calvers who prefer to emphasise the Jersey in their herds can look to top 10 sire VJ NR Hauggaard Nibali, with an SCI of £556.
This bull scores well for milk quality as well as health traits across the board, and is particularly bolstered by low maintenance costs compared with the bigger Holsteins.
Other breeds
Top bull in the Jersey PLI ranking is VJ Kibsgaard Jocko Jojo, whose PLI of £477 reflects his good production figures (418kg milk and 38.5kg fat plus protein) alongside a favourable mastitis index of -2.
He is followed by former number one VJ NR Hauggaard Nibali Nibiru, with a PLI of £439 and a HealthyCow of £186.
VJ Outrup Luxi Luxplus (PLI £429) graduates from the young sire genomic list to take third place. He is one of the highest ranking EnviroCow Jerseys, at 2.2.
The top five Ayrshire bulls all retain their previous positions, led by Tontine Astorwell (PLI £532), a UK-bred bull with extreme production figures (809kg milk) and good udder health (-15 SCC).
Similar stability exists in the Friesian PLI ranking, with Bloemplaat Hoeve Ewoud retaining his lead (PLI £300), with high protein (11.7kg) and good SCC (-10).
And in the ranking for Friesian young genomic sires, a minor reshuffle sees former number four, Wyevalley Veritas, rise to the lead, with a HealthyCow of £163 and a PLI of £323.
For the complete list of available bulls, go to the AHDB website.