The grandam of Genosource Jumpstart, the new number-one genomic bull with
a PLI of £919 and 775kg of milk
The August genomic Holstein proofs were pretty groundbreaking, with a new number one and four bulls scoring over £900 on the profitable lifetime index. Independent Breeding Consultant Kevin Lane considers the best bulls to suit your system.
Threre is a new number one sire at the top of the AHDB August rankings for genomic bulls, and both the top two are from Genosource. It’s a good run for Cogent Breeding, with four of the top five and six of the top 10 bulls being marketed under its banner.
The new number one is Genosource Jumpstart with a profitable lifetime index (PLI) of £919. He offers 775kg of milk with 56.8kg of fat at +0.28% and 35.9kg of protein at +0.12%. His maintenance figure is a low -10 with a solid FeedAdvantage value of +200. And he scores well for HealthyCow on £183, including +2.4 LamenessAdvantage, -11 somatic cell count (SCC), +3 CalfSurvival, +101 lifespan and +5.5 fertility. He is a son of Genosource King, who ranks 12th in this proof run.
Into second place is Genosource Judo with a PLI of £917. He is the highest milk and protein bull in the top 20, with 1,288kg of milk and 47.2kg of protein. He also shares the highest EnviroCow score among the leading bulls at +4.9. While excelling for production and FeedAdvantage on +270, along with maintenance on -23, his health credentials are very average, with an HealthyCow value of £119, an SCC of -5, a lifespan of +82 and a fertility score of +2.7.
In third place is newcomer Peak AltaSpinwin (£907) who is similar to Judo in offering high production but moderate health. His milk is a high 932kg with 57.5kg of fat at +0.22% and 37.3kg of protein at +0.07%. Maintenance is a very low -24 and FeedAdvantage a high +261. His HealthyCow value is £138 with +4.9 EnviroCow, LamenessAdvantage at +1.1, SCC -14, lifespan +104 and fertility +6.8.
Up from 10th with an £83 increase is OCD Thorson Ripcord (£905), another strong feed‑saver bull with +271 FeedAdvantage and a maintenance score of -32. He has a fertility index of +10.3, a lifespan of +92 and CalfSurvival of +3.7. Production is high at 942kg for milk, 54.3kg of fat at +0.18% and 35.7kg of protein at +0.05%. The best bull for fitness in the top 10 is fifth-placed Genosource Hemi who offers a PLI of £891, 620kg of milk, 46kg of fat at +0.24%, and 29.5kg of protein at +0.01%. He has a FeedAdvantage of +234, a HealthyCow of £249, an EnviroCow of +4.5, a LamenessAdvantage of +3.2, +153 lifespan and a
high +11.5 fertility.
Completing the top six is Denovo Canterbury (£887) with almost 100kg of combined fat and protein (CFP), made up of 60.3kg of fat at +0.29% and 37.8kg of protein at +0.11%. This outstanding milk solid transmitter also offers -10 maintenance, +177 FeedAdvantage and +4.8 EnviroCow.
Seventh-placed Peak AltaRotation (£880) drops five places but increases his value by £13 and stands out for his excellent predicted transmitting ability (PTA) for protein at +0.16% and 37.5kg, along with 716kg of milk, 47.8kg of fat at +0.21% and 85.3kg CFP. He also offers +131 days lifespan and +6.7 fertility, with £154 HealthyCow and +4.5 EnviroCow.
Also in joint seventh on £880 is Genosource Lingo, who is a high component transmitter albeit with slightly lower milk. His milk is 562kg with 55.8kg of fat at +0.38% and 33.2kg of protein at +0.17%. Maintenance is -15, FeedAdvantage is +172, HealthyCow £167, EnviroCow +4.3, LamenessAdvantage +3.2, SCC-17, lifespan +76 and fertility +2.6.
Staying in ninth position is OCD Radical Josh Allen (£879 – a rise of £55), combining a very high milk yield of 1,180kg with a CFP of 96.4kg and positive percentages, with +235 FeedAdvantage. LamenessAdvantage, lifespan and fertility are solid on +2.3, +85 and +5.2 respectively.
Making up the top 10 – down from third but increasing his PLI by £17 – is Peak AltaFanbase (£871), who is very high in fat, transmitting 56.1kg at +0.25%, combined with 33.8kg of protein at +0.07% and a highly favourable maintenance score of -32.
This is reflected in an exceptional breed-leading FeedAdvantage value of +298, (which is the kilograms of dry matter intake predicted to be saved during each lactation for the same adjusted litres of milk) and this also contributes to a high EnviroCow value of +4.7. Other bulls of interest include the high component, high health bull Peak AltaVaughn (£867) in 11th position. He is a full brother to AltaRotation and transmits a slightly lower volume of milk than the other top bulls, with 473kg at 47.4kg of fat at +0.33% and 29.7kg of protein at 0.16%. The HealthyCow value for this bull is a very high £238, with EnviroCow at +4.2, SCC at -15, lifespan at +143 and fertility at +10.4.
In 12th place is Genosource King P (£865) who is the sire of number-one bull Jumpstart, and like his son he offers a good balance of production, health and environmental credentials. His milk is a high 947kg, fat is 53.9kg at +0.17% and protein is 35.1kg at +0.04%, while maintenance is a low -26 and FeedAdvantage a high +242. HealthyCow is £163, with EnviroCow at +4.5 along with +2.6 LamenessAdvantage, +98 lifespan and +4.1 fertility.
Other bulls of interest in the top 20 include newcomer SFH Scudetto Red (£865), who is not only a slight outcross being the son of Koepon Simply Red, but also offers the highest lifespan value in this group at +192 days. His milk is exactly 1,000kg with 32kg of fat and 34.4kg of protein; albeit at -0.09% fat, but he also offers -18 maintenance, +191 FeedAdvantage, a huge £300 HealthyCow, +4.3 EnviroCow, -31
SCC and +6.8 fertility.
The highest fat transmitter in the group is Peak AltaSovereignty (£857) who, along with 788kg of milk, has a huge 63.5kg of fat at +0.35%. Protein is also solid at 33.7kg and +0.09%, with a FeedAdvantage of +133, a HealthyCow value of £142, an EnviroCow figure of +4.3 and a fertility index of +5.8.
Another strong milk transmitter is 17th placed OCD Sheepster Mike (£854), down 10 places but up £26, who offers 1,169kg of milk, 47.5kg of fat, 38.3kg of protein and a FeedAdvantage of +253. He has a maintenance value of -25 and a HealthyCow value of £155 including +5.1 fertility.
One place lower is Denovo Caterpillar (£853), a solid production bull with 932kg of milk, 79.6kg CFP and positive percentages. His FeedAdvantage is a high +272 with +4.6 EnviroCow and +£187 HealthyCow, including +128 days lifespan. With an even higher HealthyCow value of £212 is ABS 18 Galactic (also £853) who not only offers +107 lifespan and +9.9 fertility, but 567kg of milk with 54.4kg of fat at +0.36% and 30.1kg of protein at +0.13%.
“There are 55 bulls offering over 1,000kg PTA for milk.”
The April number-one sire, Denovo 22750 Lorenzo (£845 down £29), sits in 22nd place and still offers excellent fitness traits alongside solid production. His proof is 1,038kg of milk with 43.8kg of fat at +0.02% and 34.3kg of protein at +0.00% with -12 maintenance. He offers good daughter fertility at +9.2, excellent LamenessAdvantage at +4.2 (the highest in the top 20), and good udder health. He also has an exceptional daughter lifespan index at +165 days as well as an outstanding HealthyCow value of £251.
Finally, in 26th and 29th, Adaway Beyond Faithful (£837) and his maternal half-brother Adaway Beyond Fitness (£835) continue to offer excellent figures. Faithful’s milk is a high 915kg with 42.8kg of fat at +0.07 and 36.6kg of protein at +0.07%. HealthyCow is a solid £205 with +7.1 fertility, +107 lifespan and +2.9 CalfSurvival. Fitness’s milk is a little lower on 742kg, with 42.1kg of fat at +0.14 and 34.2kg of protein at +0.11%, HealthyCow is also good on £201 with +10.3 fertility, +128 lifespan and +3.1 LamenessAdvantage.
This proof run sees the usual stability at the top alongside newcomers offering some fresh genetics; it has 58 bulls over £800 PLI, a further 134 bulls over £700 and another 145 (out of over 620) over £600, giving farmers plenty to choose from, irrespective of system. The top 100; £763 PLI and above, shows lots of new entries as usual, some fallers, some risers and some from the last run holding their positions.
Denovo Canterbury offers almost 100kg of CFP and sits in sixth place on the proof run,
with a PLI of £887
High milk bulls
As usual, we break down the key areas to see which bulls are performing well, should farmers wish to initially select for particular traits, starting with the high milk sires.
There are 55 bulls offering over 1,000kg PTA for milk and 28 over 1,100kg, with OCD Radical Liev (£831 PLI) the one of only two over 1,300kg. Alongside his high milk of 1,397kg, he offers 94.9kg CFP with small negatives on percentages. His maintenance is good on -16 with +257 FeedAdvantage and +4.4 EnviroCow. Given this exceptional production he also scores well for udders at +1.34. Second in this ranking is Genosource Jefferson (£633) offering 1,329kg and 73kg CFP (although negative for percentages). His health traits are moderate but he is almost 1.5 points type merit. In third is newcomer EHS Beast Red (£776), another son of Koepon Simply Red. Beast hits 1,291kg of milk with 64.7kg CFP but only 29.6kg of fat at -0.23%. His health traits are excellent with a £275 HealthyCow made up of -28 SCC, +2.9 LamenessAdvantage, +183 lifespan and +8.2 fertility.
Next is the number-two bull Judo, followed by Genosource Yesterday (£737) with 1,250kg of milk, 58.7kg of fat and 42.1kg of protein, giving him a huge 100.8kg CFP. He also offers -17 maintenance, +218 FeedAdvantage and +4.2 EnviroCow, but his -£19 HealthyCow indicates poor fitness traits.
Pen-Col Denovo Glasgow (£656), with 1,240kg of milk, is followed by Peak AltaPinball (£781), offering 1,234kg of milk, 51.1kg of fat, 39.7kg of protein and a CFP of 90.8kg. Maintenance is a solid -27 with +265 FeedAdvantage, +4.4 EnviroCow and +2 CalfSurvival.
He is followed by OCD Thorson Darth Vader (£804) on 1,220kg of milk, -27 maintenance and +288 FeedAdvantage; however, HealthyCow is just +£14 and SCC is +9; mastitis is +2, lifespan just +18 and fertility -1.8. The only other bull over 1,200kg for milk is Denovo 21053 Energize (£682), who sits on 1,207kg with 76.4kg CFP, albeit negative for percentages. Maintenance is -23 and FeedAdvantage +222 with +3.9 EnviroCow and £97 HealthyCow.
High fat and protein bulls
There are 103 bulls over 80kg CFP, with 29 over 90kg; 17 of these 29 are in the top 50 PLI and only six are outside the top 100. The top bull is the aforementioned OCD Thorson Darth Vader on 102.4kg followed by Denovo 22192 Sector (£842), who is a tremendous components bull with 850kg of milk, 63kg of fat at +0.32% and 39.3kg of protein at +0.12% giving him 102.3kg CFP. However, his HealthyCow is only £33 and he’s a negative for mammary.
Peak AltaPurpose (£832) is next on 101.5kg and is also lower milk but high components: 656kg, 64.3kg at +0.43%, and 37.2kg at +0.17%. He scores well for maintenance at -8 and EnviroCow at +4.3, but most other traits are moderate.
Genosource Yesterday comes next, followed by Peak AltaYoshi (£812), who is the last of the ‘100 Club’ for CFP, hitting 100.3kg with 1,140kg for milk, 59.3kg of fat at +0.14% and 41kg of protein at +0.04%. FeedAdvantage is +104 with £84 HealthyCow, +4.1 EnviroCow and -12 SCC.
Three of the next four are all in the top 20 PLI; Canterbury, Judo and AltaSovereignty, with the middleman Genosource JuiceBox
(£847); a 1,014kg milk bull with 97.6kg CFP and good components. He also offers -17 maintenance, +212 FeedAdvantage and +4.4 EnviroCow. His CalfSurvival value of +4.5 is the highest in the genomic list.
High fertility bulls
Some 17 Holstein bulls have a PTA for fertility index of +12 or greater (27 if you include the Irish Holstein Friesians) and 48 Holsteins of +10 or more. Fertility is a key selection index for many farmers, given the influence that the trait has on farm profitability.
Of interest is that, of the top 50 genomic Holstein bulls ranked on fertility, only 18 are in the top 100 for PLI (and just four in the top 20), and most, although not all, have more moderate production levels but good scores for other health and fitness traits. The HealthyCow average for these top 50 is £219 (fertility is a component of HealthyCow), and the PLI average a solid £713.
Once again, there are a number of Irish-bred bulls in this fertility ranking, including 12 of the top 40; this number has dropped a little from April. Are Holstein genetics catching up for this very profitable trait?
The highest value of the Irish contingent is, once again, Stamullen Mozart (-£137) on +17.8, followed by Glenaboy Allstar (£95) on +14.7 and Bauravilla Pistol (-£143) on +13.7.
Next is Tinnakill Grandslam (£125) on +13.6 and Ballygown Pete (£108) on +13.3. Virtually all the Irish are at least minus 500kg of milk on the Holstein base, so will be discounted by most bar grazing enthusiasts.
However, the best Holstein fertility bull once again at +16.4 is Progenesis Triggerpoint (£629), who’s ranked 289th on PLI. He offers a good fitness profile with +128 lifespan, -8 SCC, +1.4 LamenessAdvantage, and £232 HealthyCow. His production is solid with 493kg of milk, 29.3kg of fat at +0.11% and 20.4kg of protein at +0.05%. The aptly named Denovo 23176 Highfert PP (£710) is next best and he’s a moderate milk sire with 265kg, but offers 61.2kg of CFP with +0.37% fat and +0.12% protein, £266 HealthyCow including +149 days lifespan, +14.7 fertility and -15 SCC. On +14.4 fertility is Peak AltaDarude (£681) offering 455kg of milk, 55.5kg CFP with very positive components, and £236 HealthyCow including +3.3 LamenessAdvantage, +2.2 CalfSurvival and +122 lifespan. He is just ahead of Winstar Elixir PP (£505), who has been in the high fertility lists for a while now. He is a high health trait bull with a solid £241 HealthyCow and +14.2 fertility.
He also offers a negative -162kg of milk and 31.5kg CFP, -19 SCC and -2 mastitis, +128 lifespan days and +2.1 EnviroCow.
A daughter of OCD Trooper Sheepster, the number-one proven bull and sire
of Aurora Sheepster Poplar
Denovo Mascot (£769) offers a balanced mix of production and health, with 699kg of milk, 70.2kg CFP at +0.16% and +0.05% respectively. He is also a high fitness bull with £205 HealthyCow, +13.8 fertility, +2.4 LamenessAdvantage, +131 lifespan and +169 FeedAdvantage.
Just a couple of places lower is Aurora Sheepster Poplar (£753), a son of the number-one proven bull, OCD Trooper Sheepster. He has a solid look to his proof offering 627kg of milk, 61kg CFP, with +0.12% fat and +0.05% protein, alongside -6 maintenance, +102 FeedAdvantage, and +3.3 EnviroCow. He has +£275 HealthyCow with +2.5 LamenessAdvantage, -15 SCC, -2 mastitis, +134 days lifespan and +13.4 fertility.
Close up on +13.2 is Denovo 19915 Veejay PP (£636) offering 49.2kg CFP with just 6kg of milk, +0.44% fat and +0.15% protein. He also has a £222 HealthyCow value and +107 lifespan, but is of interest as he carries the homozygous polled gene.
High lifespan bulls
Lifespan is another key trait and one that enhances profitability through extra lactations and a reduced replacement rate. There are 28 bulls offering +150 days or more lifespan and 10 over +170 days. The high correlation between lifespan and HealthyCow is evident, with the +150-day group averaging £229 HealthyCow (the top 100 PLI bulls average £162 HealthyCow).
There are seven bulls over 180 days, the best being the aforementioned SFH Scudetto Red on +192 days, followed by Denovo 22702 Burlap (£600) on +186 days. He offers a nice balance of production and fitness with 408kg of milk, 45.4kg CFP with +0.07% and +0.11%, -16 maintenance, £208 HealthyCow, +2.3 LamenessAdvantage, -15 SCC and +8.5 fertility.
In joint second is Delta Primetime PP Red (£518) also with +186 days, although he is a low production sire with -7kg of milk and 22.8kg CFP with plus percentages of +0.13% for fat and +0.15% for protein. HealthyCow is £280 and SCC is -24 with mastitis at -5; the breed leader.
EHS Beast Red is one of three bulls on +183 days; the others being Denovo Ashland P (£696) with 497kg of milk, 33.6kg of fat at +0.16% and 19.4kg of protein at +0.03%. He scores a high £260 HealthyCow, -14 SCC, +2.8 LamenessAdvantage and +12 fertility.
Denovo 19493 Epsilon PP (£535) offers a low production proof of -24kg of milk, 31.5kg of CFP with positive percentages (particularly fat at +0.32%), good udder health at -23 SCC and -3 mastitis, +12 fertility and an even better £270 HealthyCow. Apart from Scudetto Red, only one other high PLI sire sits in the top 10 for lifespan: Badger Siemers Day Trip (£845), who has higher production than some of the high lifespan bulls with 926kg of milk, 78.1kg CFP, £211 HealthyCow, +222 FeedAdvantage, -18 SCC and +1.8 LamenessAdvantage.
High HealthyCow bulls
The HealthyCow index is a useful composite of key fitness traits and a quick selection filter: Just 26 bulls are over £240 and 76 over £200.
Most of the top half a dozen also have other strong health traits and have been mentioned in previous criteria, but the top bull is Siemers SSI TRNS Phlegon (£802) on £301. Transmitting 701kg of milk, 28.8kg of fat at +0.01% and 31.6kg pf protein at +0.10%, he has an EnviroCow index of +3.4, -33 SCC and -4 mastitis, +116 lifespan and +11.5 fertility.
Next is SFH Scudetto Red again, followed by Vox Pedri Red (£612). He’s not the highest production bull, offering 410kg of milk, 34.4kg CFP at -0.02% and +0.07%, but his HealthyCow value of £297 is reflected in +8.1 fertility, +2.7 CalfSurvival, +156 lifespan, -27 SCC and +3.2 LamenessAdvantage. He is a -5 maintenance sire with 1.9 points udder and +1.4 type merit.
Next are Denovo 19493 Epsilon and Delta Primetime PP Red, followed by Trophy (£778), who offers great type with his production and health traits. He offers +165 lifespan, +10.8 fertility, +2.3 CalfSurvival and £277 HealthyCow. Production is solid at 519kg of milk, 38.3kg of fat at +0.20% and 25.4kg of protein at +0.10%. He is also a high type sire, with 2.03 type merit, 2.42 udder composite and 2.11 feet and leg composite
The other high PLI and high HealthyCow bulls are EHS Beast Red, Aurora Sheepster Poplar and S-S-I Foughty Bubba. All bar three of the top 40 HealthyCow bulls are over +100 days lifespan, and all of the top 100 bulls for this index are negative for SCC (average -17).
Best FeedAdvantage bulls
There are 27 bulls over +220 for FeedAdvantage (each point is a kg dry matter intake (DMI) saving per lactation for adjusted milk yields) and only 11 of these are outside the top 100 for PLI.
There is a strong correlation between FeedAdvantage and maintenance and therefore PLI, and there are 45 bulls with a PTA of over +200 for FeedAdvantage. None of the bulls in the top two dozen FeedAdvantage ranking is greater than -12 for maintenance (negative indicates a smaller but more efficient animal) and only four bigger than -20; the average maintenance for the top 25 is -25.
Marco Winters says genetic gain can now be achieved without compromise
The ranking starts with Lars-Acres FB Wellness (£752) with a very high value of +302 FeedAdvantage. This 112th ranked PLI sire is also a 1,110kg milk bull with 69.1kg CFP, +3.9 EnviroCow, +5.4 fertility and -34 maintenance. Second ranked is Peak AltaFanbase on +298 FeedAdvantage followed by Darth Vader (+288), Denovo Caterpillar (+272), and then Ripcord and Judo.
Next is Denovo 19495 Hargrove P (£713) on +267, a 669kg milk bull with 77.7kg CFP and -29 maintenance. The top 10 is completed by AltaPinball and AltaSpinWin mentioned earlier.
Best EnviroCow bulls
There is a high correlation between EnviroCow, FeedAdvantage and PLI. Of the top 34 bulls for EnviroCow; with a value of +4.3 up to +4.9, two are in the top 25 for PLI, and all are in the top 100 PLI bar one, and their average FeedAdvantage value is +217.
The previously mentioned Judo, SpinWin, Canterbury, AltaFanbase, Ripcord, Josh Allen, Caterpillar, Day Trip and Jumpstart all make up the top 10.
Some 77 bulls score +4 or more for this trait, with just two of these under +100 on FeedAdvantage.
Marco Winters, head of animal genetics at AHDB says: “What stands out in this evaluation is that the top bulls no longer excel in just one area. Today’s leading sires combine strong milk solids with improvements in health, fertility, efficiency and environmental performance, giving breeders greater confidence that genetic gain can be achieved without compromise.
“The presence of high-ranking red and polled sires in the top 20 [see table] also demonstrates the continued broadening of breeding options available to UK dairy farmers.”
