Former genomic sires now with world-class daughter proofs
Two leading bulls to emerge from the UK proof run this week are building farmer confidence in genomic technology. Each of the bulls - De-Su Bookem and De-Su Observer - now has his own exceptional daughter-proven index, having started his breeding career with World Wide Sires UK as a young genomic sire.
These indexes see the bulls ranking high in the Holstein breed, with Bookem making his debut as a daughter-proven sire in the UK’s international top 20 on Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) and in the USA’s top 10 on Total Performance Index (TPI). His PLI is £222 and his TPI is 2222. Meanwhile, Observer now has an impressive 800 daughters contributing to his index, and earns a weighty £204 for PLI and 2144 for TPI – in the top 25 bulls in the USA.
“We introduced Bookem and Observer on the strength of their genomic indexes - calculated from their own DNA - and since that time, confidence has steadily grown in genomic figures,” says Nicky Ford from WWSUK.
“Now that they have daughters milking, we can see that their indexes are faring exceptionally well, and they are both leading sires on either side of the Atlantic,” she says.
Bookem – top 20 on both sides of the Atlantic
Bookem’s outstanding PLI reflects his excellent transmission of milk, fat and protein, together with high type (Type Merit 2.87) and exceptional daughter health and fertility.
“His figures are truly without fault and inspection of his daughters reveals exactly why,” she continues. “They are slightly taller than average, with good dairy strength and exceptional udder conformation which gives them both style and ease of management, and earns Bookem a high score for daughter lifespan.
“His pedigree is a further attraction, as he’s an outcross for most UK breeders, being a Planet x Ramos x Hershel.”
Observer – a ‘one off’ for high type and high PLI
Observer now has an 85% reliable index and stands head and shoulders above all the high PLI bulls with by far the highest conformation. As both a leading PLI sire and a top sire for conformation (Type Merit is 3.23) he brings all the attributes of style and dairyness that go with high type, yet with the moderate stature that increasingly appeals to real dairy farmers.
“He is also remarkable in transmitting over 800kg milk while at the same time lowering cell counts and improving daughter fertility,” she adds. “And as a Planet x Oman x BW Marshall there will be plenty of scope to use Observer in most UK herds.”
World-class stud
“These are just two of the bulls in the world-class stud that we are able to bring to UK producers from the various testing programmes operated around the world by our partners at World Wide Sires USA,” continues Miss Ford. “We’re delighted to have access to this unparalleled source of Holstein genetics that continues to dominate sire rankings in the major dairying nations around the world.”