Peak AltaValuepack tops leaderboard in latest genomic ranking
Strong health traits have edged a new young Holstein sire into top place in the latest genomic index ranking, published today (12 August) by the AHDB.
Peak AltaValuepack, sired by Peak Excitement, has a profitable lifetime index (PLI) of £877.
See also: Dairy tests genomics to unlock genetic gain in crossbred herds
Peak AltaValuepack © Ella Wright
The new sire has a high HealthyCow rating of £203, which means he is predicted to transmit £203 worth of health and fertility benefits on average to his daughters.
His maintenance index of -17 indicates they will need less feed for maintenance. He also has solid predicted transmitting abilities (PTAs) including +0.17% fat and +0.1% protein.
The top three sires, however, are almost level pegging.
Denovo 20771 Segment, sired by Denovo 2776 Leeds, moves up to second place with a PLI of £876 and a calf survival rating of +2.6.
And Denovo 20893 Harmony, number one sire in the previous ranking and still the top EnviroCow Holstein bull, is in third, with a PLI of £875 and maintenance of -28.
Another Leeds son, his Feed Advantage (FAdv) of 294 means his daughters will save 294kg of dry matter intake during each lactation.
Other top 10 genomic sires
Progenesis Preston remains in fourth place, with a PLI of £862 and high milk solids (54.3kg fat, 41.5kg protein), while fifth-ranking Denovo 20763 Columbia (PLI £856), also sired by Leeds, passes on 1,135kg milk and FAdv of 237.
Sixth-placed Badger Siemers Day Trip (PLI of £865) offers exceptional lifespan (+171 days) and udder health (-2 mastitis and -19 somatic cell count (SCC)). These contribute to a HealthyCow rating of £220.
Denovo 22192 Sector-P (PLI £853) transmits the highest fat (59.9kg, +0.27%). He shares seventh place with Adaway Beyond El Foughty.
This newcomer has the highest HealthyCow score among the top 20 sires, at £241, as well as strong milk components (+0.28% fat, +0.15% protein) and outstanding daughter fertility (+8.4).
Adaway Beyond Fitness is another new entrant, in ninth (PLI £851), with an even better fertility index (+8.7). He also transmits good lifespan (+137).
And climbing to tenth place is Denovo 0478 Colter P (PLI £845, PTA 1,190kg).
Marco Winters, head of animal genetics at the AHDB, says: “It’s encouraging to see such good stability among the top 20 PLI sires in AHDB’s latest analysis, with several bulls maintaining strong positions and some exciting new entries offering fresh genetics.
“This gives farmers a robust and diverse selection to build into their breeding plans for the upcoming season.”
An OCD Trooper Sheepster daughter © John Erbsen
Proven Holstein sires
Six Holstein bulls have moved from the genomic young bull rankings into the top 10 PLI ranking for daughter-proven sires – with four taking the top spots. Newcomer OCD Trooper Sheepster is in first place with a PLI of £779. He has strong PTAs (47.8kg fat, 35.7kg protein) and lifespan improvement of +113 days.
Peak AltaSeverus © Ella Wright
New in second place is Peak AltaSeverus (PLI £757), transmitting outstanding daughter fertility (+12.8) and excellent udder health (-25 SCC, -1 mastitis).
In third is SDG-PH Delux Dominance (PLI £741), offering a short gestation length (-4 days) and good calf survival (+2.8).
Fourth place goes to Winstar Maserati (PLI £278), with a HealthyCow score of £215, high fat (+0.33%) and a fertility index of +9.6.
Former long-term frontrunner Genosource Captain, with more than 2,000 milking daughters now in production, is in fifth position (PLI £723). He ranks highly for savings on feed costs (-28 maintenance, 255 FAdv).
Plain-Knoll Renegad Trooper, sire of first-placed OCD Trooper Sheepster, ranks sixth (PLI £715) and has the best lifespan score in the top 20 (+174 days).
New graduate Progenesis Wesson takes seventh place (PLI £712), and Denovo 17579 GIP (PLI £701) is in eighth. Both excel in maintenance (-25).
And tied at number 10, with a PLI of £698, are Denovo 16767 Pinedale (+0.48% fat, +0.21% protein) and Winstar Graziano (-24 SCC, -1 mastitis).
“The six new graduates in the top 10 already have about 7,000 heifers registered in UK milk-recorded herds, with some now milking,” says Marco.
“Their proven PLI values deviate by just one point on average from their earlier genomic predictions, highlighting the reliability of genomics and the clear advantage for producers who use genomic bulls early.”
The complete list of available bulls is on the AHDB website.
Seasonal calving indexes
As well as taking second place in the proven sires PLI ranking, Peak AltaSeverus’s excellent daughter health and high-quality milk production also earn him top spot in AHDB’s genetic evaluations for seasonal calvers.
An autumn calving index (ACI) of £733 and a spring calving index (SCI) of £599 reflect the suitability of AltaSeverus’s daughters for block-calving herds, whether winter housed and with higher intakes of concentrates, or with production based largely on grazing.
Other sires for autumn block calvers
For autumn block herds, Winstar Maserati (ACI £714) has similar transmitting qualities to AltaSeverus.
Behind him, in third place, is Winstar Graziano (ACI £705), scoring well for SCC and milk components, and in fourth is Denovo 16767 Pinedale (ACI £677).
Fifth-placed Denovo Invictus (ACI £675) offers good daughter fertility and low feed costs for maintenance, while new graduate Denovo 17118 Provo (ACI £670), in sixth, transmits excellent fat solids and fertility.
Peak Rainbow (ACI £644) ranks seventh, followed closely by OCD Trooper Sheepster (ACI £662). Both these bulls promote strong yields of milk, fat and protein.
Completing the top 10 are Peak Mauney and SDG-PH Delux Dominance (both SCI £657). Mauney offers improved health and fertility while Dominance’s strengths lie in production.
Other sires for spring block calvers
Sires in the SCI ranking sit tightly behind AltaSeverus.
In second place, only a point behind, is Winstar Graziano (£598), while Denovo Invictus – now with 2,997 UK milking daughters – is in third (SCC £589).
New graduate Winstar Maserati (SCI £587) enters in fourth position, followed by Jersey bull VJ Ravninggaard Huus Hamlet (SCC £582), offering excellent lifespan and fertility.
New graduate Denovo 17118 Provo ranks sixth (SCI £581), while Denovo 16767 Pinedale (SCI £576) is in seventh place.
Both transmit similar production, excelling in both weight and percentages of fat and protein, and SCC.
Jersey sire VJ Outrup Luxi Luxplus moves up to eighth place (SCI £574), offering desirable maintenance and lifespan ratings, while another new graduate, Denovo Adderley (SCI £560), takes ninth spot. Rounding off the top 10 is Winstar Mendel P (SCI £553).
“The block calving indexes are uniquely designed to help producers select the best genetics for calving in a tight block and from across all breeds,” says Victoria Ashmore, AHDB animal genomics manager.
“These rankings are calculated using UK-specific input and output prices, ensuring they reflect the true economic value of sires under UK farming conditions.”
VJ Outrup Luxi Luxplus © Viking Genetics
Top three in other breeds
Top sire in the PLI ranking for the Jersey breed is also one of the most environmentally efficient Jersey sires available.
VJ Outrup Luxi Luxplus (PLI £472) has an EnviroCow score of +2.9, as well as solid production figures (226kg milk, 46.1kg fat plus protein).
Moving from fourth place into second is VJ Ravninggaard Huus Hamlet (PLI £443), thanks to his standout health and fertility traits and a HealthyCow rating of £232, supported by data from 519 UK daughters.
And taking third spot is former top-ranking VJ Kibsgaard Jocko Jojo (PLI £439), with a strong lifespan index of +109 days.
A VR Wehmais Vimo Vehmaa daughter © Viking Genetics
New at the top of the Ayrshire ranking is all-rounder VR Wehmais Vimo Vehmaa (PLI £560) with a HealthyCow rating of £175.
Staying in second place is VR Hakvin (PLI £521), the breed leader for lifespan (+109 days) and EnviroCow (+3.3).
Tontine Astorwell, known for extreme production (917kg milk, 57.6kg fat plus protein), is edged into third position (PLI £520).
Inch Next (PLI £316) retains top spot in the Friesian ranking, thanks to exceptional production (296kg milk, 28.4kg fat plus protein), solid lifespan (+58 days), and EnviroCow (+1.9) – the best in the breed.
Bloemplaat Hoeve Ewoud (PLI £287) stays in second place, while Goonhill Isaac (PLI £283) is new in at number three, leading the breed for fat (+0.16%) and protein (+0.14%) and also scoring well for lifespan (+55 days).
Goonhilly Coverack © Jane Steel
Young genomic Friesians
Goonhilly Coverack leads the Friesian genomic young sire rankings with a PLI of £320 and a high daughter fertility index of +3.9.
He is just ahead of Bankhouse Distinction (PLI £317), thanks to a HealthyCow rating of £164 and the best EnviroCow in the breed, at +1.9.
New in third place is Whinnow Ambition (PLI £303). He leads for milk (440kg) and has solid yields for components (21.4kg fat plus protein) and excellent health backed by a HealthyCow of £160.
Breed indexes for Montbéliarde, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Shorthorn and Fleckvieh can be found at the new dedicated AHDB dairy breeding and genetics website.