Best Holstein bulls suffer a dip in PLI
Best Holstein bulls suffer a dip in PLI
By Marianne Curtis
MANY bulls in the top 10 of the latest Holstein PLI proof run show a slight dip in PLI which could be due to a reduction in the number of daughters coming through due to foot-and-mouth.
Disruption to milk recording and type classification during F&M have had an effect on evaluations for UK proven bulls, says Gordon Swanson of the Animal Data Centre.
"The main problems are incomplete lactation information, limited or no type merit results and distorted herd life data, where animals have been culled through no fault of the sire.
"This means some progeny test bulls have not been evaluated or have initial proofs with lower than expected reliability."
However, one bull with high reliability at 83% is Cogents Fabian. Released in May, this bull enters the top 10 for the first time having climbed £15 on PLI, says the companys Martin Hall.
"His production has seen a large jump since the last proof run and he is the highest protein bull in the world." Fabian offers 1120kg milk and 34.2kg protein.
Elite Mountain Donor loses £2 on PLI, so he now shares top place with Ricecrest Marshall, with a PLI of £83.
In third place, losing £7 on PLI, is Manat. However, this bull remains strong on type, says Dairy Daughters director Graham Waterman. "This is Manats fourth proof run at this high level, showing his consistency."
The highest new entry to the PLI rankings is French sire Monza, who moves directly into the top 10. Monza offers 1135kg milk, 25kg fat and 29.6kg protein. He also looks promising on type merit with a score of two. No price was available for this bull as farmers weekly went to press.
• Table compiled using Animal Data Centre information. *
Top 10 available Holstein bulls ranked on PLI (Aug 01)
£PLI £PIN Type merit Price (£) Supplier
Elite Mountain Donor 83 80 -0.2 22 Semen World
Ricecrest Marshall 83 74 1.8 35 Alta
Manat 76 65 3.1 35 Dairy Dtrs
Delta Webster 76 68 1.9 25 Avoncroft
Lorak 75 78 1.5 25 Supersires
Cogent Fabian 74 77 1.2 15 Cogent
Eastland Festival 74 76 -0.1 17 Avoncroft
Joyce Mountain 70 70 -0.8 9 Cogent
Ricecrest Lantz 70 70 1.9 32 Genus
Monza 70 67 2.0 TBC Avoncroft
Genuss bull Ricecrest Lantz (daughter pictured) shows a consistent performance in the top 10 PLI ranking.