German Guarani Tops Bull Profit Lifetime Index Again
GLOBAL - December’s Holstein bull indices see Guarini retain number one position for profitable lifetime index (PLI).The German-bred animal has maintained good type merit of 2.29 with PLI rising to £268.
Pello was announced at second, offering exceptional production traits, coupling low cell count indices with milk yield of 1,104 kg at 43.7kg fat and 35.8kg protein, reports DairyCo.
In fourth place, Danish bred VH Tirvad Goldwyn Grafit, makes a debut. A son of Goldwyn, like Guarani, and predicted to transmit good quality milk through health and fertility, type merit 1.88.
Ballycairn Oman Pello, Sherdon Irresistable and Cogent Twist are the three UK bulls feature in the December PLI top ten. Devon bred Irresistable boasts a PLI of £255 with nearly 40kg fat.
“It’s a pleasure to see three UK-bred sires in the top 10 and highlights the fact that UK breeding is on a par with the best in the world,” says Marco Winters from UK levy board DairyCo. “The fact that two of these three bulls are also available as sexed semen will further assist UK breeders when it comes to producing replacements.”
Jersey
The Jersey top five sees a slight reshuffle, with DJ Broiler regaining the lead thanks to an increase in his Lifespan Index to +0.5. He now has a PLI of £223, with solid all-round transmitting ability, and his gain pushes VJ Lure into second position. Lure is followed by the third consecutive Danish bull, DJ Lix. The two North Americans, All-Lynns Maximum Vernon (with the highest milk yield in the top 20) and Sunset Canyon Athams Allstar, complete the top five.
Ayrshire
Finnish bulls keep control of the Ayrshire ranking with V Foske still featuring as the number one sire with a PLI of £198. He is followed by Gunnarstorp (PLI £184) in second, while joint third are Asmo Andrei and Swedish Red, Pell Pers (PLI £168).
Brown Swiss
For the Brown Swiss breed, Huray retains the top position with a PLI of £228. This high milk transmitter also has good figures for lifespan and daughter fertility at 0.6 and 9.5 respectively. Second placed is Vinold and new in third spot is German bred, Hegall, whose early daughter information lifts his PLI to £168.
Other breeds
For the Guernsey breed, Sniders Option Aaron takes the top spot on Guernsey Merit Index, Odislait further strengthens his grip on the Montbeliarde listing and Marleycote Blizzard makes a high entry on to the Shorthorn listings.
Comparison across breeds
“It must be remembered that genetic indexes should not be compared directly between breeds,” says Marco Winters, head of genetics for DairyCo. “The figures for each breed are calculated to relate to that breed average, so comparing figures across breeds would be both meaningless and potentially misleading.
“DairyCo supplies specific conversion formulae for those who want to compare one breed with another for cross-breeding purposes,” he says.
TheCattleSite News Desk