A leading Holstein bull has held on to his position at the top of AHDB’s latest daughter-proven sire rankings, as the December update highlights strong butterfat, efficiency and longevity traits across the highest performers.
OCD Trooper Sheepster remains firmly in first place following the first major reranking since summer, improving his Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) to £783. The gain reflects stronger figures for fat transmission, now 52.7kg, and a predicted daughter lifespan 110 days above the breed average.
Sheepster also scores an EnviroCow rating of 4.1, making him joint breed leader for environmental credentials, and continues to show influence in young genomic sires, with three of his sons inside the top 10 of the latest young-sire list.
Second place is held by Peak AltaSeverus (PLI £764), who continues to excel for daughter fertility at +12.7 and udder health, with somatic cell count and mastitis scores of -20 and -2 respectively. His HealthyCow index stands at £185.
New in third is Peak Powerhouse, whose PLI of £746 is supported by the highest milk yield in the top 10 at 1,067kg and a notable 43.4kg of protein. In fourth place, SDG-PH Delux Dominance combines high fat production at 51.2kg (+0.21%) with a PLI of £744, making him an attractive choice for herds looking to lift milk solids.
Plain-Knoll Renegad Trooper climbs to fifth on £710 PLI and stands out for longevity with daughters expected to live 171 days longer than average. Sixth place goes to OCD Deluxe T Rex (PLI £704), a newcomer to the proven list with strong somatic cell count performance (-17) and improved calf survival (+2.5).
Genosource Captain remains one of the UK’s most widely used sires, now supported by 2,794 milking daughters in the UK alone. His PLI of £696 is paired with an impressive FeedAdvantage score of 256kg, reflecting highly efficient feed conversion.
Winstar Graziano moves up to eighth (PLI £694), delivering strong fat and protein percentages (+0.34% and +0.14%). Two new entrants complete the top 10: Peak AltaSolace at £683, offering excellent udder health (-32 SCC) and daughter fertility (+13), and Wilra SSI Faneca Ebersol at £680, confirming the potential he showed as a genomic leader in 2022.
Marco Winters, head of animal genetics at AHDB, said the latest evaluations show a strong pattern of reliability. “It’s gratifying to see consistency and quality through these proven sire rankings as tried-and-tested bulls continue to deliver quality milk from healthier cows for UK producers,” he said.
“A steady introduction of newcomers coming in with each proof run is exactly as it should be, not only adding new interest to the rankings but reinforcing the success of the genomic testing programmes from which they have graduated.”
