Viking incursion breaches US stronghold

In a brand-new ranking dominated by US genetics, the Danish-bred Viking bull, VH Balisto Brook, rises to the top, graduating from the young sire genomic ranking with early milking daughters.

Published today (13 August 2019) by AHDB Dairy, Brook’s Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) of £794 is the highest of the available proven bulls and reflects the high fat and protein percentages in his Predicted Transmitting Ability (PTA), at +0.23% and +0.12% respectively. He combines this with breed-leading udder health figures (-40 SCC, -5 Mastitis), reflecting the significant emphasis placed on these traits over many years in the Nordic countries.

Also graduating from the genomic young sire ranking is the new entry in second place, Bomaz AltaTopshot (PLI £766). This Cogent Supershot son transmits high production figures with 1,187kg milk and 71.2kg combined fat and protein.

The familiar name of Co-op Robust Cabriolet features in third place, now with 684 UK daughters contributing to his production figures. He excels in calf survival (+4.2), Lameness Advantage (+4.2) and maintenance index (-21), earning him a PLI of £755 at a reliability of 95%, the highest in the top 10.

Former number one sire, Larcrest Commend, now ranks fourth in this elite group of bulls, with a PLI of £752. With over 100 UK daughters, he transmits high milk solids at 0.20% fat and 0.18% protein.

New in fifth place is the Mr Mogul Delta son, Siemers Bloomfield, a high daughter Fertility Index bull (+13.1) with good calf survival (+4.1) and long daughter lifespans (+0.7). His PLI is £749 and Type Merit of +2.6 is the second highest in the top 10.

Sixth ranking View-Home Littlerock maintains a top-10 position with a PLI of £719, as his UK daughter numbers rise to 124.

German-bred Mocon retains seventh position (PLI £715) while eighth ranking De-Su 12147 Allstar is propelled into the top 10 as 111 more UK milking daughters contribute to his PTAs. This son of Balisto (one of four in the top 10) features a massive 40.3kg protein, to help earn him a PLI of £714.

Ninth placed Cookiecutter Harper (PLI £713) is a former top 10 sire, while the Mogul son, EDG Rubicon rounds off the top 10. A massive 52.6kg fat (78.4kg fat plus protein) helps to earn him a PLI of £709. With +3.26 points for type, he is also the highest Type Merit sire in the top 10.

Just outside the daughter-proven top 10, newcomer, AOT Silver Helix may cause a stir, with a breed-leading 88.2kg fat plus protein, while some serious daughter fertility improvements can be expected from the highest FI bulls in the top 25. These bulls – Teemar Shamrock Alphabet (PLI £682) and S-S-I Mogul Multiply (PLI £676) – have Fertility Indexes of +19.6 and +19.1 respectively.

Commenting on the proven bulls, Marco Winters, head of animal genetics for AHDB Dairy, says: “Every one of these daughter-proven bulls has graduated at some point from the young sire genomic ranking, each bull helping to build confidence in the UK and international dairy sire proving systems.

“Producers who choose to keep a few, high-ranking, daughter-proven bulls amongst their service sires can do so in the knowledge that these sires have a reliable track record. But they also serve as a reminder that genomic evaluations are proving their value, as one tranche of young sires follows the next into the proven rankings.”