Manfred Justice holds Holstein top spot

More accurate fertility data have resulted in slight re-rankings of the Holstein bulls in the latest bull proofs from DairyCo breeding +.

The result of the changes is a small average reduction of -0.5% fat and 13 points PLI among the bulls, although some have inevitably bucked the trend, says DairyCo’s Marco Winters.

But perennial favourite O-Bee Manfred Justice has retained top spot with his most impressive lead ever of 265 PLI points.

Second spot goes to a top 10 newcomer, Laudan, who has moved up from 13th place in April and is the first of two Lukas sons to feature in the top 10. Laudan carries a milk figure of +586kg and a protein score of 20.5kg, while his SCC score is -8.

Third and fourth spots this time are taken by the bulls which stood second and third last time out, Mascol and Wizzard, respectively. Minimal changes have occurred in their figures, with Mascol carrying a PLI of 209 and Wizzard one point behind at 208.

Mascol joins O-Bee Manfred Justice with an SCC score of -20, making him a good choice for those suffering high SCCs.

In at fifth is the second Lukas son, Leif, whose proof confirms him as a fitness specialist with outstanding cell count, lifespan and daughter fertility indices.

Ramos, meanwhile, ranks sixth among the top 10 with a PLI of 199, six lower than Leif and with the best SCC score among the top 10 of -26. He is also the top daughter lifespan transmitter, with a lifespan index of 0.8.

UK leader

Leading the way for UK progeny tested sires is Huddlestone Spooky, bred in Tim Gue’s Steyning herd. Spooky now stands 12th equal in the overall rankings with a PLI of 190 and a milk figure of 511kg.