This month’s triannual genetic evaluations were run with a number of updates for the industry, and the August 2024 Hoard’s Dairyman Bull List is now available.
Among the significant changes was a shift away from “mature equivalent” for standardized yield measures. Instead, records will now be identified as “305-AA” for adjusted age. Learn more about 305-AA from the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) here.
Brown Swiss breeders have access to traditional and genomic evaluations for rear teat placement as of this proof run. CDCB estimated that heritability for this new trait was 0.21, which is similar to the heritability of front teat placement.
The August evaluations also mark the completion of implementing constructed IDs to build animal pedigree information and updates to Holstein and Jersey haplotype tests. CDCB explains all of this month’s changes in this article.
Additionally, Holstein Association USA updated its fertility index formula this month. The weight given to daughter pregnancy rate was reduced, with the difference added to cow conception rate. The fertility index is one component of the breed’s Total Performance Index (TPI).
For the sixth straight proof, Genosource Captain-ET (and his clones Genosource Jack-ETN and Genosource John-ETN) topped the proven Holstein TPI list. Captain is the first bull in the genomic era to accomplish this. The last time these three bulls were not atop the proven TPI list was August 2022. This month, they also held their positions at the top of the Net Merit (NM$) and Cheese Merit (CM$) lists.
On the other hand, the genomic Holstein lists have a new leader this round as OCD Thorson Ripcord-ET topped the breed for NM$, CM$, and TPI. In NM$ and CM$, he edged out April’s leader, OCD Thorson Darth Vader-ET, who fell to the number two spot.
In the Jersey breed, JX Primus Thrasher Crispin {5} is the new leader of both the proven CM$ and Jersey Performance Index (JPI) lists by significant margins. For JPI, Crispin dethroned his sire, JX CDF JLS Pilgrim Thrasher {6}, April’s top bull who now sits in second.
Among the young Jersey bulls, JX Peak AltaFarva {6}-ET remained at the top of the JPI list but was narrowly upset on the CM$ list by Peak AltaMalachi-ET, April’s number two sire.
By the numbers
A.I. organizations reported 7,063 bulls active for this proof round; that’s 366 more than in April. Of these, 4,915 were genomic bulls, giving young sires a 70% market share. These numbers are up from April, when 4,566 genomic bulls made up 68% of the sires reported.
Holstein sires reported totaled 5,836, and there were 893 Jersey bulls included. That’s 334 more Holstein bulls and four more Jersey sires as the two breeds continue to make up 95% of all sires reported.
You can access the full rankings for all breeds here.
August 2024 Hoard's Dairyman Bull List
Top 50 Genomic Holstein Net Merit $, Cheese Merit $, and TPI
Top 50 Daughter Proven Holstein Net Merit $, Cheese Merit $, and TPI
Top 25 Holstein SCE and Jersey CM$ and JPI
