August 2021 bull proofs: Latest rankings

Young sire, Genosource Captain, reaffirms his credentials as the leading Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI) sire in the genomic £PLI ranking, published today (10 August) by AHDB Dairy.

Weighing in with a PLI of £944, at the same time, he also stakes his claim as the leading sire ranked on the newly launched EnviroCow index, with a score of 5.1. Contributing to this is a remarkable Feed Advantage score of 260.

This means his daughters are predicted to save 260kg of dry matter intake during each lactation, compared with daughters of a bull of comparable production whose Feed Advantage is zero.

See also: More on the new genetic index, EnviroCow

Number two in the £PLI ranking is the new entrant, Wilra Knowhow (PLI £909). This Kenobi son transmits solid production alongside favourable health traits and is another bull with excellent Feed Advantage and EnviroCow credentials.

Climbing up the rankings into third place is Denovo 16219 Aladdin (PLI £906). With a massive Predicted Transmitting Ability (PTA) for fat of 57.1kg, this bull also shows highly favourable Maintenance and Feed Advantage indexes.

Peak AltaPlinko consolidates the top five ranking he achieved in April, now with a PLI of £895 and superb production, including one of the highest PTAs for protein in the Holstein breed, at 43.4kg.

Denovo 3303 Citizen moves up into fifth (PLI £880) thanks to strong indexes for somatic cell count (-21), daughter fertility (12.2), and lifespan (+159 days).

This performance contributes to Citizen’s excellent score of £300 for HealthyCow – the new index launched last April, which rolls all of the health traits into one financial figure.

See also: More on the HealthyCow index

Next up is Progenesis Mahomes (PLI £875), another strong health transmitter (HealthyCow £275), with an exceptional milk PTA, at 1,023kg.

UK-bred Boghill Glamour Applaud ranks seventh, with a PLI of £871. His outstanding lifespan (+183 days) and daughter fertility index (12.9) are specialist features of this Appeal son.

New in eighth place is Badger SSI Big Al Newman. This udder health specialist (-28 SCC, -4 mastitis) also ranks well for Fertility Index (12.5), contributing to a remarkable daughter Lifespan (LS) of 244, meaning his daughters are predicted to live 244 days longer than a bull scoring zero for LS.

With a HealthyCow index of £358, he is one of the best in the breed. Newman also transmits the highest type in the top 10, with a Type Merit of 2.23.

In ninth, Siemers Brave (PLI £865) is a production specialist with 1,204kg milk and 44.3kg protein, while 10th place (PLI £863) is claimed by three bulls.

First is the newcomer and all-rounder, Denovo 16441 Millennium; next is high EnviroCow ranking Denovo 16325 Sentiment, who also transmits one of the highest PTAs for fat weight at 60.2kg; and then comes Bomaz Episode, one of the best milk quality transmitters at the top of the rankings, with +0.38 fat% and +0.15 protein%.

Download the PDF: Holstein genomic young sires

Proven Holstein rankings

A new number-one sire takes the top spot in the proven Holstein rankings.

Westcoast Yamaska moves up from sixth position as some 159 daughters are added to his genetic evaluation, earning him a PLI of £776. He also boasts the best Lameness Advantage of the top 20 proven sires at 3.7.

Climbing to second position is Welcome Silver Griff, with phenomenal PTAs for fat (60.1kg, +0.25%) and a high score for EnviroCow, at 3.8. His PLI is £760.

Graduating from his young sire days and into the proven list is Peak AltaZarek, a strong udder health bull with good lifespan figures who earns at PLI of £756 and EnviroCow of 3.7.

Aurora AltaAntonio makes significant gains to move into fifth position and transmits the highest type merit of 2.17. He has a PLI of £731.

Sixth and seventh positions are taken by two sons of Cogent Supershot, with PLIs of £730 and £729. In sixth position is ABS Moonglow, a bull that transmits extreme milk production, at 1,296kg, and high protein, at 45.1kg. With a score of -5 for gestation length, he’ll also reduce the gestation period for his calves.

The second Supershot son is Bomaz AltaTopshot, who similarly shortens gestations (GL -5 days) and offers good cell count transmission (SCC -18). A former number-one proven sire and previously high ranking in the genomic rankings, he now reaffirms his position with 895 daughters milking in 146 UK herds.

In equal eighth position are De-Su 14222 Kenobi and ABS Crimson. Both bulls are successful sires of sons in the August genomic rankings and continue to fare well on £PLI themselves, Kenobi as an all-rounder, while Crimson is of particular note for Calf Survival (3.3) and HealthyCow (207).

A new entrant in ninth position is ABS Outback, a truly modern bull who ranks strongly for HealthyCow and the newly launched Feed Advantage, as well as EnviroCow, at 3.7.

Completing the top 10 is another newcomer, VH Bosman Bahrain, whose PLI of £707 is close to that he earned as a young genomic sire and features the best udder health in the top 10 with a Mastitis Index of -3 and SCC of -19.

Download the PDF: Daughter-proven Holstein sires

Non-Holstein dairy breeds

Only the Ayrshire breed sees a change at the top among the non-Holstein dairy breeds, as VR Vilano takes the lead in the £PLI rankings with a score of £492, reflecting his high PTA for milk (484kg), fat (24.2kg) and protein (23.4kg), combined with excellent daughter fertility (Fertility Index 12.5).

VR Gobel (PLI £471) edges up from third to second position and is noted for the long lifespans he transmits to his daughters (+107 days).

He stands ahead of third-placed VR Alatalon Flame Feton, formerly ranked second. Feton scores £465 for PLI and at £244, has the highest HealthyCow score of the Ayrshire breed.

Holding on to his fourth position is VR Vimpula (PLI £448), who transmits the highest EnviroCow ranking on the proven Ayrshire list, at 3.1.

VR Fabu rounds off the top five with a PLI of £386 and has the best daughter Fertility Index (FI) of the top bulls, at 13.7.

Jersey

Within the Jersey breed, River Valley Cece Chrome (PLI £548) retains a firm grip on the lead, with his PTA for milk of 825kg holding his position as the highest production bull of the breed.

In second place is new entrant, VJ Kjoelby Gislev Gutz (PLI £467), who excels for daughter fertility (FI 3.8), while JX Sunset Canyon Got Maid remains third (PLI £433). This bull also earns the highest EnviroCow rating of the proven Jersey bulls, at 3.

CDF Irwin Steve moves up into fourth position, transmitting exceptional fat production (42.4 kg), and earning a PLI of £416.

Finally, Danish VJ Aarre Lappe Lari moves up one place since AHDB’s April release, to rank fifth, with a PLI of £399.

Friesian

The top-ranking Friesian bull remains unchanged, with Carrickshock GTW holding his lead with a PLI of £410 and weighing in with a PTA of 593kg milk, 25.1kg fat, and 24.2kg protein.

Graduating from the genomic young bulls list with early information on milking daughters is Goonhilly Samson, ranked second. With a PLI of £354, he is also an udder health improver, with a Mastitis Index of -3.

Holding his third ranking is the outstanding daughter fertility bull Catlane Caleb. With 1,480 lactations contributing to his figures, Caleb earns a PLI of £344 and FI of 10.4.

Inch Persistent now ranks fourth (PLI £432) and rounding off the top five is Catlane Cromwell (PLI £317). Cromwell transmits the best overall health of the top bulls, reflected in his HealthyCow score of £212.

Download the PDF: Other breeds

Block-calving indexes

Leading the way in the August release for Autumn Calving Index (£ACI) is Stowey Magician (ACI £645). A Holstein sire with strong health credentials (HealthyCow £290), he has one of the highest daughter Fertility Indexes of the breed.

Protein transmitter Westcoast Yamaska takes second position (ACI £639), ahead of lifespan improver ABS Outback, ranked third (ACI £626).

Fourth position is shared by VH Bosman Bahrain and the higher daughter fertility transmitter, Progenesis Unicorn, both of which are Holstein bulls with ACIs of £612.

Spring Calving Index

New number one in the AHDB Spring Calving Index (£SCI) ranking is Progenesis Unicorn (£SCI 466). He is closely followed by Stowey Magician (£SCI 457), ahead of VH Balisto Brixton (£SCI 450), ranked third.

ABS Outback makes his debut in fourth position (£SCI 439), while completing the top five is the British Friesian sire, Catlane Caleb with the best Fertility Index of the top sires.

Download the PDF: Block-calving indexes