Publish date: 12/6/2023
Another sire summary has come and gone, and it gives us a chance to reflect on the strength within the current ABS sire lineup and our programs. The December 2023 Genetic Evaluation showed more variation than the typical run amongst the entire industry. After studying those results, we have much to be excited about. For this Sire Summary, there was bright news within our polled, Jersey, St. Jacobs, and Norwegian Red lineups.
A Powerful Polled Position
ABS continues to maintain a strong position in the polled genetics space. We foresee the future of dairy genetics being polled because of the advantages polled cattle demonstrate in the industry—reducing cost, saving producers time by eliminating a task no one loves to do, promoting animal welfare, and alignment with sustainability efforts.
“As we continue to see the NM$ difference gap close between horned and polled sires, dairy producers are now able to take advantage of the benefits of polled genetics and improve their herds’ overall genetic merit.”
Ryan Starkenburg, ABS Senior Geneticist
Check out some of our power from polled:
- Home to the top two proven polled NM$ sires: 29HO19071 Monument-P ($960) and 29HO19518 Mendel-P ($905)
- Of polled bulls in the industry with a stud code, ABS has the top 16 NM$ bulls as well as 25 of the top 26 NM$ sires
- 11 homozygous polled sires join the powerful lineup in which four of them are nearly 1100 NM$
Jersey Notes to Jot Down
Our Jersey lineup continues to look fantastic. Dairy Sire Acquisition Manager, Devan Funk, shared that we have really ‘upped our game’ in our Jersey lineup, largely due to the addition of 15 newly released high CM$ sires. Six of these new sires are over 800 CM$ or more, with several pushing closer to 900 CM$.
- Of bulls in the industry with a stud code, ABS offers 23 of the top 35 CM$ sires
- Our pipeline continues to include the number one CM$ sire at 1002 CM$
- With the formula changes to JPI, ABS has three bulls over 200 JPI
Dream Big Kind of Day for St. Jacobs
Big dreams do come true. Today was that kind of day for our St. Jacobs sire 94HO19526 Dreambig, as he had a dream come true genetic evaluation day. We expect his popularity will continue to grow. He increased for GTPI, Milk, Type, and Udder Composite. With the addition of milking daughters, Dreambig outperformed his genomic predictions and now sits at 2791 GTPI, which is well above his 2654 GTPI when he came to ABS four years ago.
There was truly a stellar performance all around for St. Jacobs:
- For young genomic bulls, four of the top ten bulls in the industry for Udder Composite call St. Jacobs home
- Our lineup includes the top two Udder Composite bulls: 94HO20892 HiHope and 94HO21435 Believer
- Our tremendous group of Linear Choice sires includes 20 sires over 3000 GTPI and 17 sires over 1000 NM$
- The traditional St. Jacobs sire lineup is comprised of 13 sires over 3.0 on Type and 20 over 2.0 on Udder Composite
“From top to bottom, the entire St. Jacobs brand is strong and provides breeders with solid type, great production, and health traits that will keep the cows in the herd. Our lineups truly demonstrate our dedication to Type without Compromise.“
Brian Behnke, St. Jacobs Brand Manager
Nothing Compares to Norwegian Red for Crossbreeding
The Norwegian Red breed is known for superior health and fitness traits. Our Norwegian Red sires excel for both of those and are ideal to use in a crossbreeding program. Bulls that remained on our active lineup from the last proof held steady in Production, Health, and Udder Conformation. This sire summary we will be improving on our industry-leading Norwegian Red sire lineup with the release of an exciting, new, total package kind of bull, 252NR12297 Muri-P.
- Muri-P leads our lineup for Fluid Milk Production (3946 pounds) and Fat and Protein Production (157 pounds) while offering functional udders with good conformation and fertility you can depend on
- With the addition of Muri-P, our top five bulls will average 3247 pounds of Milk, 230 pounds of CFP, and 1.7 UDC
“Our Norwegian Red lineup will bring the production and functionality needed to take any crossbreeding program to the next level.”
Lane Hischke, Genetic Services Specialist
This sire summary was unlike a typical run as we saw more variation than we would normally see. It is because of this variation that ABS continues to recommend that producers use a Custom Index to maximize genetic progress. Industry indexes take a one-size-fits-all approach which is not always ideal—because every dairy is different. With a Custom Index, you can be confident with consistent genetic selection as the traits of importance and weightings are determined solely by you. Don’t get lost in the data variation within our industry. Customize and prioritize trait selection based on your milk market, facilities, and business style by building your Custom Index with ABS Global.
We know genetics play a major role in your dairy’s profitability. That’s why we strive to offer our customers industry-leading genetics and expertise. Contact your local ABS Genetic Advisor today or complete the form below to discuss genetics that maximize your profitability.
(608) 846 3721