The number one position in the new Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI) rankings for daughter-proven Holstein bulls is held by long-term leader, Gen-I-Beq Lavaman. This bull has almost 100 more UK daughters contributing to his figures since they were published by AHDB Dairy last August, now clocking up more than 1,000 milking in the UK. He earns a PLI of £690, reflecting his balanced breeding profile, with a very high Predicted Transmitting Ability (PTA) for protein percent (+0.18%) and low daughter maintenance costs (-9).
In second position is a bull which makes his debut in the proven bull rankings in the shape of Mocon. Bred in Germany to a daughter of Snowman, his sire is Morgan, giving him both Bookem and Shottle in his pedigree. With a PLI of £679, Mocon has a PTA which combines high weight of milk (839kg) and protein (28.5kg), alongside low cell counts (-23) and favourable daughter maintenance (-19), reflecting his daughters’ smaller than average stature.
Teemar Shamrock Alphabet edges up to third place with outstanding fitness attributes including daughter fertility (Fertility Index 21.1) and good calving ease (both direct and maternal). Low maintenance costs (-23) and a high Lifespan Index of +0.7 help to earn him a PLI of £668.
Cell count and fertility improver, S-S-I Shamrock Mystic holds on to fourth position (PLI £640), closely followed by VH Cole Clark, another fitness specialist with 21.2 FI, +0.8 Lifespan and a PLI of £634.
Sixth place goes to De-Su 11236 Balisto, now with over 200 UK daughters contributing to his proof and a PLI of £628.
New in seventh position is the former genomic young sire, De-Su Penley 11839, a Seagull-Bay Platinum son with exceptional udder health credentials at -38 SCC and -6 Mastitis. His PLI is £621.
In eighth place is De-Su Rookie 11057 (PLI £616) ahead of high type transmitter, EDG Rubicon, with a TM of 2.92 and a PLI of £612.
Rounding off the top 10 is new entry, View-Home Littlerock (by Cashcoin) whose well-balanced figures are wrapped up in a PLI of £603.
“Proven sires continue to offer high reliability for those breeders who wish to continue to keep a proportion of their herds bred to sires which have daughter records,” says Marco Winters, head of animal genetics for AHDB Dairy. “However, for others, they will serve as reassurance that genomic indexes are reliable indicators of future performance as many of the bulls entering the daughter-proven ranking today, began life as young genomic sires whose genetic predictions were based on their DNA.
“The reliability those genomic predictions offer is increasingly evident as young bulls move reliably up the rankings and will give confidence to those producers who wish to benefit from the genetic advantage young sires can bring.”
