A new entrant in the shape of Peak AltaOrvar has hit the number one position on the genomic Holstein sires list, published today by AHDB.
Ranked on Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI), this young bull – sired by AltaZeolite and out of an AltaPlinko dam – is predicted to excel for daughter fertility, with a Fertility Index (FI) amongst the breed leaders, at 12.8.
He also has high Predicted Transmitting Abilities (PTAs) for protein at 37.2kg and +0.12%, all contributing to his PLI of £925.
In taking the lead, AltaOrvar edges the former front-runner, Denovo 2776 Leeds, into second position, now with a PLI of £901.
Leeds’ PTAs of 1308kg milk and 91.3kg fat plus protein combined, indicates his daughters will have exceptional production.
Moving up into third position is Peak AltaMorpheus (PLI £897), also the highest lifespan transmitter in the top 10. Daughters of this bull are expected to live 168 days longer than average.
Another former leader, Wilra SSI Faneca Ebersol, retains a top five position, now ranking fourth, with a PLI of £889.
Ebersol transmits outstanding udder health (-3 Mastitis, -28 SCC), alongside other fitness attributes, making him the highest ranking of the top 10 bulls for the HealthyCow index (£270).
This means the improved health he transmits is calculated to be worth an average £270 for each of his daughters over their lifetimes, compared with a sire whose HC is zero.
Progenesis AltaVandyke is a new entry in fifth position (PLI £887), transmitting exceptional weights of fat at 55.6kg, combined with 38.4kg protein. His SCC of -26 is also a standout feature.
In sixth place is DG Peace (PLI £886), transmitting great feed efficiency (260 FeedAdvantage), contributed to by his highly favourable maintenance feed score (-22) as well as high production (1102kg milk).
Another two new entrants rank seventh and eighth, the first of which, Denovo 19495 Hargrove-P (PLI £885), is the best FeedAdvantage bull in the top 10, which in turn helps him earn the breed-leading position for EnviroCow, at 4.9.
This indicates that his daughters are predicted to have the lowest carbon footprint of the breed for each kg of milk they produce.
Eighth ranking Progenesis Pineapple has a PLI of £880, reflecting, in particular, his excellent protein transmission (41.6kg, +0.16%). He is also one of the highest type transmitters in the top 10, with a Type Merit of 1.38.
Peak AltaKalon sees little change, now in ninth place, offering a good health profile (£255 HealthyCow) backed up by long daughter lifespans (LS +137 days) and high fertility (FI 11.3).
New entrant, Peak AltaCalabria, rounds off the top 10 with a PLI of £873 and an impressive 92kg fat plus protein.
Other noteworthy bulls in the top 20 are Denovo 80044 Highview (PLI £860), with the highest HealthyCow index of this group, at £308.
And Peak BullPocalypse (PLI £858) makes his debut in 16th place, offering a TM of 1.47 and high HealthyCow at £292.
Marco Winters, head of animal genetics for AHDB, says: “We know that using £PLI as your primary selection index is the best way to increase profitability on a commercial dairy unit.
“Most of these bulls transmit impressive production but increasingly, they excel for health, fertility and lifespan, with the average daughter of the best bulls predicted to live over six months longer than those of an average bull.
“All of this contributes to continued improvements in their environmental credentials, seen as their EnviroCow indexes continue to climb, emphasising the role genetics can play in addressing the needs of the industry to cut carbon footprint.”
