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Archive for MAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOOD

The 16 Sires from the April 2014 Genetic Evaluations That Stand Out

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Monday, April 28th, 2014

Everyone is looking for sires that will give them the fastest rate of genetic advancement.  The problem is those sires don’t always appear at the top of the TPI or other Index lists.  That is why, here at the Bullvine, we have listed  the fastest genetic advancement sires.  We also want to keep it relatively simple, so similar to aAa, we will give you the sires that are best in each of the five corrective mating areas that producers are most concerned about – balance, production, longevity/durability and health and fertility.  The following are our resulting recommendations from the April 2014 Genetic Evaluations:

Overall Performance Improvement

When it comes to an overall performance sire, we are looking for those sires that excel in three key areas – production, durability and health & fertility.

Capital Gain

Stantons Capital Gain80HO06053
Stantons Capital Gain
Mccutchen x Observer x Shottle

From the REGANCREST-PR BARBIE EX-92-7YR-USA    DOM GMD   6* mostly known for their high type numbers comes a very balanced sire – CAPITAL GAIN.   Adding to the female side of the pedigree is a sire stack that reads like a who’s who (McCutchen x Observer x Shottle x Champion x Durham x Juror x Aerostar).    CAPITAL GAIN ranks in the top 1% of the breed for the major categories.   He is over 2000lbs of milk, 4 points for PTAT and productive life and health and fertility.  Some areas that he will need to be watched for are his short teats, high rump angle and loin strength, as well as the set and curve of his read legs.  CAPITAL GAIN’s chromosomal test would indicate that he should also be a strong sire of sons, as he possesses a very dominant maternal contribution to his genetic evaluations.

 

 

 

Picardus

029HO14825
Pine-Tree Picardus
Planet x O Man x Rudolph

A grandson of WESSWOOD-HC RUDY MISSY EX-92 3E GMD DOM that may not be on everyone’s radar but should be is PICARDUS. He is the 2nd highest new release sire this round (Read more:  April 2014 US Holstein Sire Proof Highlights).   Picardus’ dam is an Oman daughter of Missy. As his sire stack would indicate, Picardus has a strong production proof with good components. While his +1.92 PTAT may have some wondering how he could make the balanced sire list, his daughters are very functional and possess open ribs and high wide rear udders.    While his overall feet & legs score is an area for improvement at +0.61, his feet & legs are strong enough in the key areas.  Picardus’ official daughter proof is only 31 points below that of his initial genomic proof of April 2011 at +2239 gTPI.

 

 

 

Denver 1426

Mr Mogul Denver 1426151HO00690
Mr Mogul Denver 1426
Mogul x Robust x Planet

An interesting balanced outcross sire that catches our eye comes from the WINDSOR-MANOR RUD ZIP EX-95-4E-USA  DOM GMD  1* is DENVER 1426.  He is a Mogul from the popular genomic bull mother MISS OCD ROBST DELICIOUS VG-86 GTPI+2546 who was the No.1 cow on the Locator List.   At over 2000lbs of milk, almost 3 points on type and 4.7 for productive life, DENVER 1426 possesses a very balanced genomic proof that is above his already high parent averages.   His strong maternal line indicates that he should be a strong sire of daughters but may not be an extreme sire of sons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eraser P

Kerndtway Eraser P07HO12229
Kerndtway Eraser P
Earnhardt P x Observer x Shottle

There is no question that polled sires are gaining rapidly on those sires at the top of the list.  One of those sires that is leading the charge is ERASER P.  With 145 lbs combined fat and protein, almost 3 points on type, +4.0 PL and strong health and fertility numbers, ERASER P offers an outstanding balanced polled option.  One area that you will want to protect ERASER P on is his body depth.  While his daughters will not be dominating the tanbark trail, they will have strong udders with great texture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Production

Instead of just giving you the top overall production sires, we understand that you still need to have some emphasis on durability and health traits.  Therefore, we put a heavy weighting on production (66%) but did not forget those   two key areas.  The following are the sires that stood out the most for us:

Josuper

Uecker Supersire Josuper29HO17553
Uecker Supersire Josuper
Supersire x Beacon x Jango

While his prefix may not be known to many breeders, this Supersire son is certainly going to get a lot of attention.  At +2499 gTPI JOSUPER is the highest TPI sire over 2800 lbs of milk.  Combine that with positive deviations for fat and protein and there is no question that JOSUPER will give you a strong production kick when needed.  While his type evaluation is very functional, a couple of areas to protect him on include his rump angle and the set of his rear legs.  With a strong maternal chromosomal contribution JOSUPER should also be a strong sire of sons.  This is something we have found to be very typical of high production sires.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robust

Roylane Socra Robust07HO10524
Roylane Socra Robust
Socrates x O Man x Manat

In addition to JOSUPER, those breeders looking for a proven sire with a strong production kick should be considering ROBUST.  Already a heavily used genomic sire, ROBUST’s proof indicates that he is the real deal.  (Read more: )  Robust has proven to be a great performance improver. He is a high NM$ (+834) Velvet-View-KJ SOCRATES-ET (EX-94-GM) son from Seagull-Bay Oman Mirror (VG-86-DOM). He transmits exceptional components (+.15% Fat, +102 Fat, +.05% Protein, +64 Protein) and outstanding longevity (+5.2 Productive Life). A Calving Ease and relative outcross sire, ROBUST moderates stature and adds height and width to the rear udder. Robust will work best on tall deep cattle that need feet and leg improvement.

 

 

 

 

Montross

Bacon-Hill Montross07HO12165
Bacon-Hill Montross
Mogul x Bolton x AltaRolex

Inbreeding is certainly becoming a greater and greater issue among the top sires.  An outcross production sire that caught our eye is MONTROSS.  As is typically the case with many true outcross pedigrees, his maternal side is not that well known.  But his dam UNIQUE-STYLE BOLTON MONEY EX-91 DOM has certainly become a popular bull mother, with 15 sons at 5 different AI units.  At +845 NM$ there is no question that MONTROSS will offer a great production kick and have enough durability, health and fertility to last.  At over 2 points for UDC and FLC MONTROSS has strong functional type but should be protected for straightness of rear legs and overall frame and capacity traits.  However, as we have seen from research in the past, you don’t need extreme frame traits in order to achieve extreme lifetime production.  (Read more: She Ain’t Pretty – She Just Milks That Way!).

 

 

 

Socrates P

Bryhill Socrates P151HO00703
Bryhill Socrates P
Supersire x Shottbolt x Goldwyn

A Supersire from the very popular polled bull mother VENTURE SHOTTBOLT SIZZLE P VG-86, SOCRATES P will give you a production punch with a polled kicker added in.   Following in his father’s footsteps, SOCRATES P offers strong production improvement with good health and fertility traits and solid conformation traits.  With +164 lbs of combined fat and protein, SOCRATES P is the highest component polled sire available in the world.  A couple of areas to watch for when using SOCRATES P is his rump angle (high) as well as overall frame and dairy strength.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Longevity Improvement

There is more to longevity than just conformation numbers, as our very popular article  “She ain’t pretty she just milks that way” has demonstrated.  So with that in mind, instead of just giving you the top conformation sires we have also put weighting on production, productive life, and health and fertility.

High Octane

Stantons High Octane2080HO06052
Stantons High Octane
McCutchen x Observer x Shottle

Joining his full brother Capital Gain as a sire to use in order to improve longevity is HIGH OCTANE.  At +4.10 Type with a DGV for conformation at +23, HIGH OCTANE is certainly a breed leader for conformation improvement.  HIGH OCTANE combines that with +2096 lbs of Milk and over +4.2 PL, making him a conformation sire with a shot of production and a longevity chaser.  You will need to protect him on his % components and short teats.  HIGH OCTANE does offer a great alternative to those not wanting to use Capital Gain because of his high rump angle, as HIGH OCTANE’s genomic test would indicate that he actually sires low pins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

G W Atwood

Maple-Downs-I G W Atwood207HO10506
Maple-Downs-I G W Atwood
Goldwyn x Durham x Storm B/R

It’s really hard to discuss type improvement without including G W ATWOOD.  (Read more: The 10 Extreme Type Sires Most Likely To Sire the Next World Champion).  However unlike many of the top type sires who are negative for production and low fertility scores, Atwood actually has solid components and acceptable health and fertility numbers. Atwood offers the great mammary systems his pedigree would indicate however he needs to be protected for flat loins and high pins, much like his sire.  While you most certainly would want to protect him on production and daughter fertility, Atwood will add a punch of type to your high producing 2yr olds that, for whatever reason, may not be around for many more lactations.

 

 

 

 

 

McGucci

Mr Apples Mcgucci179HO00099
MR Apples McGucci
McCutchen x Regiment-RED x Durham

For those looking for something a little different and yet a pedigree that the market will be heavily interested in, there is MCGUCCI.  This McCutchen son is from none other than the world famous KHW REGIMENT APPLE-RED-ET CV EX-96 3E DOM (Read more: KHW Regiment Apple-Red – Beauty, performance, and even more record accomplishments).  While Apple has been long known in the R&W market for strong type, the family has been coming on strong in the overall index rankings over recent years.  Interestingly MCGUCCI is not from a grand-daughter, like the high indexing EASTSIDE LEWISDALE GOLD MISSY daughters that have come on so strong for that show winning cow, but rather he is direct from Apple herself.  While you certainly will need to protect MCGUCCI on his production, he does offer component improvement and strong health and fertility traits.  As is typical with the Apple family, you will need to protect him on rumps.

 

 

 

 

Champ P

All-Riehl Ladds Champ138HO05307
All-Riehl Ladds Champ
Ladd-Red x Super x Shottle

In addition to Eraser P, those breeders looking for a polled sire to improve longevity should consider CHAMP P.  CHAMP P’s dam TRULEA SUPER CHARITY7296-ET VG-88 was the number 23 gTPI cow on the locator list (GP-83 or higher).  Behind that are 3 EX dams so it’s no wonder CHAMP P comes to the top of the list.  But what really catches our attention is his +7.1 PL and positive components.  These are exactly what you need when looking for longevity improvement.  You will need to protect CHAMP P on his body depth and rump angle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health and Fertility Improvement

There is no question that management is key when improving overall herd health and fertility. Having said that, with the introduction of genomics and the increased reliability, it is now becoming more and more important for your breeding programs to look at health and fertility traits and sires that excel in those areas. Here are some that you should take a closer look at.

Yoder

Woodcrest Mogul Yoder207HO12266
Woodcrest Mogul Yoder
Mogul x Planet x Buckeye

While Capital Gain, Josuper, High Octane, Denver 1426 are all sires to consider when looking for health and fertility improvement, an extreme outlier sire that you should consider is YODER.  His genomic test is 7% higher than his parent averages and his production predicted daughter deviations are some of the highest in the breed. These high ratings contribute to his #9 overall ranking on the top genomic TPI young sires list. (Read more: The Number That Will Change the Way You Look At Genetic Evaluations Forever…) YODER comes from a long line of high production cows and is a direct descendant of the well-known brood cow, Milkworth Manfred Yadda (VG-86-GMD-DOM).  He ranks high for Net Merit (NM$) (+924) and Cheese Merit (CM$) (+1,002).  YODER is a fitness trait specialist with low Somatic Cell Score (SCS) (2.74) and terrific Productive Life (PL) (+5.3).  While results are sure to be highly variable, Yoder will certainly be worth taking the shot on if you are looking to produce that next generation of extreme production daughters and sons from a large framed high production cow.  If you are looking for more on outlier sires check out The 10 Outlier Sires that will Accelerate Your Genetic Gain the Fastest.

 

 

 

AltaGreatest

Den-K Altagreatest011HO10928
Den-K AltaGreatest
Planet x Bolton x BW Marshall

The highest new release gTPI proven sire this round was Den-K AltaGreatest and he is also an extreme health and fertility improvement sire.  He comes in at #5 gTPI on the US proven list. AltaGreatest is from the Den-K Rudolph Cub Kiddy EX-91 2E GMD DOM family. An extreme production sire with high components, AltaGreatest also has functional type. Look for AltaGreatest daughters to have shallow udders with strong suspensory ligaments. One area the AltaGreatest daughters will need to be protected on is their rump angle and pin width. AltaGreatest will work well on your straight legged cows, as long as they have good foot angle.  It is interesting to note that AltaGreatest`s official proof is within 60 points of his initial genomic proof back in April 2011 of gTPI +2315.  For more new release highlights from the past round check out April 2014 US Holstein Sire Proof Highlights.

 

 

 

Pure

Ste Odile Pure200HO10024
Ste Odile Pure
Mogul x Man-O-Man x AltaBaxter

When looking for an outcross sire to improve health and fertility, there is Denver 1426, Yoder, Montross and PURE.  PURE’s dam, STE ODILE MANOMAN MOD PLATINE VG-86-2YR, is the #5 GLPI cow in Canada and is a full sister to the #1 GLPI cow in Canada for 3 consecutive runs, STE ODILE MANOMAN MODEL SAPHIR VG 2Yr.  PURE combines outstanding production (+2239 lbs Milk, +87F and +74P) with strong type (+3.17 PTAT, +2.91 UDC, +2.71 FLC) and outstanding health and fertility traits (+5.3 PL, +2.89 SCS, +5.9 Sire Calving Ease, +5.0 Daughter Calving Ease).  Pure will work best on big opened framed cows, as these are areas that he needs to be protected on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Science P

200HO06584
Bryhill Science P Bryhill Science P
Numero Uno x Shottbolt x Goldwyn

For those looking to get really ahead of the marketplace, there is no better way to do than to combine polled and health and fertility traits.  In addition to Eraser P and Socrates P, there is SCIENCE P.  SCIENCE P is the Numero Uno brother to Socrates P by Shottle from VENTURE SHOTTBOLT SIZZLE P VG-86.   Look for SCIENCE P for average production with strong components. He will also offer a strong type improvement but needs to be protected on his rump angle. Where he will really shine is in his health and fertility traits (+4.1 PL, +2.68 SCS, +7.3 SCE, +5.9 DCE).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bottom Line

There is no question that the rate of genetic gain is as fast as it has ever been in the history of dairy cattle breeding.   What we are now starting to see is that the top genomic sires are becoming the top proven sires and the top proven sires numbers are holding better than the ever have before.


The Dairy Breeders No BS Guide to Genomics

 

Not sure what all this hype about genomics is all about?

Want to learn what it is and what it means to your breeding program?

Download this free guide.

 

 

 

Other posts you might like:

Which Breeding Index Is Right for You?
Why Breeding Recommendations are like Butts
Let’s Talk Longevity
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The 10 Extreme Type Sires Most Likely To Sire the Next World Champion

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Monday, March 24th, 2014

top read 14 iconThere is no question that breeding the next World Champion, World Dairy Expo Holstein Champion or even a Royal Winter Fair Grand Champion is the dream of almost every breeder who has ever entered the show ring.  The challenge is that achieving such a feat takes a combination of many factors.  First you have to have the genetics to win.  Then you need to have the will to win.  And of course, then everything must come together on show day if you are to achieve that dream.  In looking at the first part of this equation, there is no doubt that breeding is part science and part art form.  But at least from the science part, we thought we would take a deeper look.  So we went looking for two key things, first those sires that excel in those traits that are in demand in the show ring, and secondly those sires that  have the ability to produce the extremes, not just the averages.  You see we are not wanting those sires that will give you five out of  five VG-85-2YR olds.  We are wanting those sires that stand the best chance of giving you that 89 point2YR old that turns into your 97 point mature cow, which can then contend for all the big show awards.

An Explanation about Outliers

The easiest way to find outliers is to compare two sires for their daughters’ performance.  Then identify those sires that have the greatest deviation from their average daughter.  This is not to be confused with Type scores in the US that are expressed in Standard Deviations.  The best way to describe this is by an example.

Let’s say we have two bulls each with 10 daughters.  The following table shows their level of improvement for type across the 10 Daughters.

daudevconfind

Both of these sires would have an average improvement of 12 points.  Hypothetically if this was the whole population of their daughters they both would get the same conformation score.  The problem is they are two very different sires and the numbers tell us that.  However these are not the numbers that most breeders get to see.

Looking closer we see that Bull A daughters have a range of 18 points while Bull B’s daughters only range 4 points.  Sure both bulls, on av
erage, will perform the same but, when you are looking to breed for the extremes (such as show breeders are), or you are wanting to produce the most consistent results possible, you need to know these differences between bulls.  (Read more: Duds and Studs – Why you shouldn’t use the same sires as the AI units).  This is also the reason you will often see AI units using a sire of sons that is maybe not #1 on the list, but rather a few places lower.  That is because he has exhibited the ability to show the greatest range in his progeny.  (Read more: The Number That Will Change the Way You Look at Genetic Evaluations Forever)

The following are the top 10 sires we found:

#10 –LAUTHORITY

COMESTAR LAUTHORITYCOMESTAR LAUTHORITY
HOCANM103455217
200HO05588

First let’s be clear about what we are talking about.  We are talking about breeding the next generation of World Champions.  There is no question that Goldwyn is dominating this generation, but who will be the next sire to achieve such greatness.  So it’s only natural that at least a couple of Goldwyn’s make the list.  Lauthority, a Goldwyn from the great Laurie Sheik family, may not be as much an extreme sire higher up on our list, as he is more of a mister consistent sire, but his tall dairy daughters are just too special to not have on our list.  His daughters can tend to be a little flatter in the loin than would be desired, but his extreme mammary systems, combined with wide rumps will certainly catch the eye of many judges.

#9 – GOLDEN DREAMS

HEAVENLY GOLDEN DREAMSHEAVENLY GOLDEN DREAMS
HOGBRM642262
206HO00148

The 2nd Goldwyn sire on our list is HEAVENLY GOLDEN DREAMS.  This full brother to Atwood had a very impressive showing at the recent Italian National Show (Read more: Cremona Italy National Holstein Show Results).  Golden Dreams actually has higher genomic tests for all the major conformation traits than Atwood, especially in rumps, an area that if I was going to fault Atwood on it would be thus area.  Golden Dreams daughters may not be as deep as Atwood’s.

VISION-GEN SHF MAXIMUS

#8 – MAXIMUS

VISION-GEN SHF MAXIMUS
HOUSAM69314816
076HO00647

It’s no surprise that the first genomic test sire on our list comes from one of the hottest genomic families in the world the Rudy Missy’s.  Maximus is an Atwood son from PINE-TREE SHOTTLE MINNIE, who is a sister to the popular type sire, Pine-Tree Sid.  It’s no surprise that when you put the cow family that produced Sid, combined with Atwood/Goldwyn bloodlines that the potential for greatness is there.  You can expect Maximus daughters to be tall, walk uphill and have extreme angularity, though you will need to protect him in the pin setting.  However, with a genomic conformation test that is 6 points higher than his parent average he certainly got the best these two great cow families had to offer (+20 vs +14).

#7 – SNOWY

LOOKOUT PESCE SNOWYLOOKOUT PESCE SNOWY
HOCANM108250917
200HO06610

For those of you who are not afraid of genomics, but rather see it as a way to get ahead, there is Snowy.  No surprise this genomic giant came from the De-Su, considering that De-Su seems to be the only breeder that is able to keep pace with the large genetic corporations.  (Read more: Dairy Breeders vs. Genetic Corporations: Who are the True Master Breeders?)  In Snowy you have some legends when it comes to producing sons.  Through Let it Snow (his sire) you have Broeks MBM Elsa EX 1* NLD and LYLEHAVEN LILA Z EX-94 18*, both Golden Dam Finalists. (Read more:  BROEKS MBM ELSA – 2012 Golden Dam Finalist and LYLEHAVEN LILA Z – 2012 Golden Dam Finalist).  Through his maternal side you have another Golden Dam finalist MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92 GMD DOM 6* (Read more: MD DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE – 2012 Golden Dam Finalist) and DE-SU 7051 EX DOM.  It’s no wonder that Snowy is tied for the highest DGV Conformation test at +24.  Expect his daughters to be tall and dairy with great feet and legs.  While his rumps may not be great for calving ease, they should be fine for the show ring.

#6 – BROKAW

MR ATWOOD BROKAWMR ATWOOD BROKAW
HOUSAM140602463
007HO11118

In an era when it seems that genomic sires come and go quickly or, more accurately, are constantly being surpassed by the new hot sire, Brokaw has been able to stand strong.  In Brokaw you combine the two greatest type families in the breed today.  On the paternal side you have Atwood and his dam MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 2*, 2012 Golden Dam finalist and Reserve Intermediate Champion at Madison in 2005 followed by her grand dam MS Kingstead Chief Adeen EX-94.  On the maternal side you have REGANCREST MAC BIKASA VG-87-2YR-USA who is the daughter of REGANCREST-PR BARBIE EX-92-7YR-USA DOM GMD 3*, also a 2012 Golden Dam Finalist.  Watch for Brokaw to be extremely tall and have the necessary frame, dairyness and bolted on udders to get the job done.  While his rumps may not be ideal for classification, expect them to be bang on when it comes to the show ring, demonstrating the necessary width and boxcar rumps that judges love so much.

#5 – HIGH OCTANE

STANTONS HIGH OCTANESTANTONS HIGH OCTANE
HOCANM11696704
080HO06052

For those who are willing to take a flyer on a non-show family and a sire stack that may not be proven in the show ring there is the extreme genomic index sire Stantons High Octane.  High Octane also has a DGV for conformation of +24.  While his sire stack does not say it, his genomic conformation break down has High Octane built for the show ring.  He ranks in the top DGV’s of the breed for conformation, Mammary System, Dairy Strength, and Rumps.  The challenge for many breeders will be that there isn`t any show pedigree behind him even though he does trace back to the Barbie’s through Golden Dam finalists REGANCREST S CHASSITY EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 9* and her dam REGANCREST CINDERELLA EX-92-2E-USA DOM GMD 6*. (Read more: REGANCREST S CHASSITY – 2012 Golden Dam Finalist)

#4 – DILIGENT

CLAYNOOK DILIGENTCLAYNOOK DILIGENT
HOCANM11595050
200HO10095

A third sire with a DGV for conformation +24 is CLAYNOOK DILIGENT.  This early Velthuis Let It Snow is from the WINDSOR-MANOR RUD ZIP EX-95-4E-USA DOM GMD 1* cow family.  Similar to High Octane, Diligent’s pedigree may not read as a who’s who of the show ring, with sires like Snowman and a double dose of Planet, but if you have confidence in the genomic system, this sire is sure to deliver.  The nice part about Diligent is that there is no Goldwyn in his pedigree.  Therefore he can be an outcross sire to use on your Goldwyn daughters.  In fact Diligent is a nice conformation cross on the typical Goldwyn as he excels in both pin width and body depth without sacrificing the mammary system.

#3 – AFTERSHOCK

MS ATLEES SHT AFTERSHOCKMS ATLEES SHT AFTERSHOCK
HOUSAM65249839
094HO14105

While AFTERSHOCK daughters are not as silky or refined as many Goldwyn’s, he does make a great proven cross on your Goldwyn’s.  As proven by his Goldwyn brother, Atwood, there really is no question that the cross can deliver at the highest levels.  While you won’t typically get that all black heifer that the show ring loves, you will get extreme loin strength, feet and legs and dairy strength.  That is just what many Goldwyn’s require to take them to the next level.

#2 – SAVIOR

LADYS-MANOR SAVIORLADYS-MANOR SAVIOR
HOUSAM71057277
200HO03855

The last of our genomic test sires and the greatest outlier in the breed for type is LADYS-MANOR SAVIOR.  This Lauthority son (#10 on our list), has insane genomic tests.  His genomic test for conformation +24 is tied for tops in the breed and is 10 points higher than his parent average (+14).  From the same cow family as that produced Shamrock, Savior’s third dam is LADYS-MANOR RUBY JEN EX-94-2E-USA DOM GMD.  When looking to produce an extreme outlier, you need to mate them to exactly such   an extreme outlier as this.  SAVIOR is that extreme outlier.  His linear is perfect for the show ring, and he will certainly leave a range in his daughters, as he is also a list topper when it comes to daughter deviation.

#1 – ATWOOD

MAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOODMAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOOD
HOCANM8956379
007HO10506

Call it playing it safe, or call it the smart choice, either way you look at it, Atwood and his extensive use and consistent transmitting ability will certainly leave the most daughters that will contend with those of his sire Goldwyn.  There are so many reasons to choose Atwood.  First you have the magic Goldwyn on Durham cross, then you add in his dam who was  the exceptional MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 2*.  Atlee also had extreme conformation herself, winning Reserve Intermediate Champion at Madison in 2005, and going on to be named unanimous ALL-AMERICAN SR.3-YR that year.  She comes by it naturally with her grand dam being MS Kingstead Chief Adeen EX-94.  Combine that with the greatest type sire of the past half-decade, Goldwyn, and you have yourself an unbeatable show-winning package.  Atwood offers the great mammary systems his pedigree would indicate but needs to be protected for flat loins and high pins, much like his sire.  While he may not pass his sire in accomplishments, there is no question that Atwood is establishing himself as the heir apparent.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

While playing it safe will certainly give you the most consistent type herd from top to bottom, sometimes you need to search for those outliers that can throw you the extremes.  In this list we give you a mixture of proven sires, genomic sires, and sires that are going to leave you some extreme ranges.  While you certainly must always consider corrective mating when breeding for the show ring, it’s also important to try some sires that will give you the extremes.

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The Top 7 Sires of 2013 that will Breed the Next World Dairy Expo Champion

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Friday, September 27th, 2013

Last year we took a lot of heat for putting a list of mostly Genomic test sires out as the bulls that would sire the next World Dairy Expo Champion (Read more: 7 Sires to Use in Order to Breed the Next World Dairy Expo Champion).  The funny thing was that, as this past year unfolded, you started seeing more and more of the sires from our list – Atwood, Bradnick, and Brokaw heifers – were winning shows at the county and championship level.  Therefore, this year we thought we would take another look at just what sires, proven or genomic, stand the best chance of siring the next show winner.

#7 GIBBS-I CLAYNOOK DUDE

Atwood x Bolton x Shottle
Making the list for the 2nd year in a row is Dude.  Not to be confused with the Facebook sensation (He is One Ugly Dude).  Dude’s numbers are just too high to refuse.  Even if, or should I say “when”, his numbers drop, they are just too high to ignore.  This Atwood son from SONNEK BLT DOUBLE DIPPED VG-85-2YR-CAN has unbelievable genomic values for all major conformation traits, well above his expected parent averages.  Expect Dude to sire breed leading mammary system improvement and loads of dairy strength, though he will need to be protected on high pins.

#6 CANYON-BREEZE AT AIRLIFT

Atwood x Shottle x Morty x Bellwood
Dropping  from his #2 ranking last year to #6 this year is Airlift.  Like we said last year, while the female side of this cow family may not have won any major shows, they do have generation after generation of outstanding strength, frames and feet and legs, tracing back to the same bloodlines as the great CANYON-BREEZE ALLEN.  Combine that with Atwood’s udders and you have the potential for greatness.  Expect Airlift to sire extreme feet and leg improvement as well as rumps.  For the line breeding fans out there, Airlift would make a great cross with your Goldwyns.  He brings the needed rump and dairy strength improvement many Goldwyn’s need.  However, much like Allen, you may not want to use him on cattle that are extremely straight legged.  Airlift also makes a great option for those looking to sire show-winning calves as Airlift is almost over 4 points on all major type traits outside of mammary system.

#5 SILVERRIDGE AVALANCHE

Meridian x Man-O-Man x Goldwyn
New to the list, Avalanche is a kind of a sneaky sire.  His sire Meridian and maternal grand sire Man-O-Man, don’t say show type.  However, go one generation back from that and you have the Goldwyn sister to Atwood and Aftershock, Allyndale-I Goldwyn Albany-ET VG-87-2YR-CAN 1* from the great D-Delight Durham Atlee-ET EX-92 GMD DOM.  While some might be skeptical of the Meridian part in the equation, Avalanche has a DGV of +17 for conformation and excels in udders and dairy strength.  Combine that with the great feet and legs of Man-O-Man and back it up with a Goldwyn x Atlee cross and you start to see why this sire is worth your consideration.

#4 HEAVENLY GOLDEN DREAMS

Goldwyn x Durham x Storm
A newcomer to our list, but a sire that should get a lot of attention, is Golden Dreams.  The reason for that is he is the full brother to Atwood.  However, he actually has higher genomic tests for all the major conformation traits than Atwood, especially in rumps, an area that if I was going to fault Atwood is an area that I would protect him on, though Golden Dreams daughters may not be as deep.  The daughter pictures I have seen have them looking pretty similar to Atwood, so if you cannot get any Atwood semen, or want to protect your mating on rumps a little more, Golden Dreams may be the option for you.

#3 MR ATWOOD BROKAW

Atwood x Mac x Durham x Juror
Another returnee from last year’s list is Brokaw. The early Brokaw calves are pretty impressive.  Now he has dropped from his #1 rank from last year.  But what do you expect?  New genetics are coming out every day.  It’s only natural for a bull to drop in rank after a whole year has passed.  In Brokaw you combine the two greatest type families in the breed today.  On the paternal  side you have Atwood and his dam MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 2*, 2012 Golden Dam finalist and Reserve Intermediate Champion at Madison in 2005 followed by her grand dam  MS Kingstead Chief Adeen EX-94.  On the maternal side you have REGANCREST MAC BIKASA VG-87-2YR-USA who is the daughter of REGANCREST-PR BARBIE EX-92-7YR-USA DOM GMD 3*, also a 2012 Golden Dam Finalist.  Watch for Brokaw to be extremely tall and have the necessary frame, dairyness and bolted on udders to get the job done.  While his rumps may not be ideal for classification, expect them to be bang on when it comes to the show ring, demonstrating the necessary width and boxcar rumps that judges love so much.

#2 MR LOOKOUT PESCE ALTA5G

AltaKool x Atwood x Shottle
The number one genomic type sire in the world comes in at number two on our list (CDN DGV Conformation).  As we all know there can be a big difference between a high conformation score and a sire that can sire show winners.  While Alta5G does have a high stature rating, it is his lack of body depth that has him not at the top of our list.  He will give you outstanding udders with great feet and legs.  That makes him the ideal mating for that big deep old brood cow you have that needs to be cleaned up in the legs and snugged up in the udders.  You also will need to protect him on his rump angle as he is high even for the show ring.  Like Dude, Alta5G’s numbers are just too high to not take a look at, even if it’s for limited use.

#1 MAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOOD

Goldwyn x Durham x Storm
Over the past year I have had the opportunity to go to many shows and see daughters from many different sires.  While Goldwyn’s still dominate in the older cow classes, if I had to choose a sire that would get the job done, outside of Goldwyn, it would be Atwood.  First you have the magic Goldwyn on Durham cross, then you add in his dam who is the exceptional MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 2*.  Atlee also has extreme conformation herself, winning Reserve Intermediate Champion at Madison in 2005, and going on to be named unanimous ALL-AMERICAN SR.3-YR that year.  She comes by it naturally with her grand dam being MS Kingstead Chief Adeen EX-94.  Combine that with the greatest type sire of the past half-decade, Goldwyn, and you have yourself an unbeatable show-winning package.  Atwood offers the great mammary systems his pedigree would indicate but needs to be protected for flat loins and high pins, much like his sire.  While he may not pass his sire in accomplishments, there is no question that Atwood is establishing himself as the heir apparent.

Again a Note on Goldwyn

Yes, I acknowledge that Goldwyn has been the most dominant show ring sire of the past decade.  Moreover, he has done so like no other ever before him.  But there comes a point where you have to use something on your Goldwyn’s.  That means you can either line-breed as some of the greats have done in the past and use sires like Atwood and his sons, or you can corrective mate and go with sires like Alta5G or Avalanche.

The Bottom Line

As we will see next week, everyone loves to win and, as we have already seen with our viral Fantasy Exhibitor© competition, everyone dreams of being on top at World Dairy Expo.  In reality there are only two ways to get there.  Either win the lottery or breed your way there.  Using sires like the seven above will help you achieve the latter.

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16 Sires Every Dairy Breeder Should Look At For Their Breeding Programs

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Thursday, June 27th, 2013

top13of2013If you are like most breeders between the time spent sorting through the many different lists from around the world and listening to the propaganda the A.I. companies put out promoting their sires, the hype is enough to make a breeder’s head spin.  In order to bring clarity to the confusion, the Bullvine has filtered through the many lists, brought them into a common base and has developed the following four categories  sires that you should take a look specifically  for your breeding program.

Overall Performance

When looking for the sire the will help improve your herd across the board, we looked for sires that have a balance of production and longevity.  Additionally, we wanted high health and fertility traits that deliver a low maintenance cow (Read more – Fact vs. Fantasy: A realistic approach to sire selection).

  • DE-SU OBSERVER
    (Planet x O Man x BW Marshall)
    With his validation from top genomic sire to proven sire status, Observer is a sire that should be on all breeders’ lists.  This former No. 1 GTPI genomic young sire and worldwide father of sons is now the #1 gTPI sire in the USA and transmits excellent production (+1,602 Milk) and Protein (+52 Protein, +.02% Protein) with highly reliable data from over 200 milking daughters.  OBSERVER daughters have exceptional udders (+3.02 Udder Composite) and Type (+2.70 Type).  Observer will work best on tall females with lots of frame and that need udder improvement.
  • LONG-LANGS OMAN OMAN
    (O Man x Aaron x Bellwood)
    When it comes to your breeding goals, Man-O-Man certainly is a sire that should still get consideration even for the most aggressive genomic programs.  Look for Man-O-Man to sire outstanding production from cattle that have correct feet and legs and strong mammary systems.  One area to watch him for is his rump angle, as his daughters can be a touch high in the pins.
  • CO-OP BOSSIDE MASSEY
    (MASCOL x FORM BRET x MANFRED)
    Massey is a popular sire of sons combining elite indexes with a great outcross opportunity.  Massey daughters are snug uddered with strong attachments.  Though they should be protected for rump angle (high) and dairy strength, his low somatic cell score, high herd life/productive life and strong fertility make Massey a great sire for your breeding program.
  • MR LOOKOUT P ENFORCER
    (Facebook x Shottle x O Man)
    This Marbri Facebook son has some of the highest DGVs in the breed.  Look for him to sire extreme component yields from strong dairy cattle with great feet and legs.  One area to be cautious on using him is his body depth.  Both his sire stack and his DGVs would say this area needs protecting.
  • DA-SO-BURN MOM EARNHARDT P
    (Man-O-Man x Lawnboy x September Storm)
    If you’re breeding for polled you are most certainly thinking of where the market is heading.  One area that I always find interesting is those breeders who breed polled, but in fact are only selecting for type.  If you are going to go polled you need to consider overall improvement and production as well.  Earnhardt P is one of the premier gTPI polled bulls in the breed.  He sires high protein and extreme NM$.  He has been used heavily as a sire of sons as a result of his polled status and high Net Merit.  Look for Earnhardt P to sire high components, with solid feet and legs and mammary systems.  One area he will need to be protected on is his rumps, as he can leave high pinned daughters that are a touch narrow.

Production Improvement

It might be easy to just take the top milk lists or combine the fat plus protein and say those sires are the best for overall production.  We here at the Bullvine would not want to totally forgo type as well as health and fertility so we are looking for the sires that give you the maximum production gain, without sacrificing everything to get it.  In addition to Observer, Man-O-Man and Earnhardt P mentioned above we recommend the following sires to improve production.

  • UFM-DUBS ALTAESQUIRE
    (O Man x AltaSam x Patron)
    ALTAESQUIRE’s 2nd crop daughters seem to be outperforming his first crop proof.  Watch for ALTAESQUIRE to sire more production and components as well as better mammary systems than his current proof would indicate.  While offering dairy strength and rump improvement, ALTAESQUIRE needs to be used cautiously on mammary systems and feet and legs.  But if you are looking to put a production punch into a good uddered and legged cow/heifer, ALTAESQUIRE will do the trick.
  • DE-SU ALTAGOALMAN
    (Bolton x O Man x BW Marshall)
    ALTAGOALMAN is a proven sire from the high Genomic Index De-Su herd.  Though ALTAGOALMAN will sire outstanding production both his genomic proof and his daughter information would indicate that he needs to be protected on dairy strength.  He delivers significant overall production improvement.  While AltaGoalman will not hurt your udders and legs, he certainly needs to be protected on body depth and rump.  AltaGoalman is most definitely best suited for commercial environments but can also be used for a shot of production, if used carefully.
  • SEAGULL-BAY SUPERSIRE
    (Robust x Planet x Shottle)
    This Robust son from 2012 Golden Dam Finalist AMMON-PEACHEY SHAUNA VG-87-2YR-USA, really is a genomic wonder.  Not only does he have some of the highest genomic values in the breed for production but he also has great functional type and health traits to go with it.  Here you have a sire that is over 2500 lbs. for milk, with positive component deviations, 2.50 for type, and over 7 for productive life.
  • PINE-TREE OHARE-P
    (O Man x Signif-P x Goldwyn)
    For those of you looking to get into polled there is Ohare-P.  Extreme production combined with functional type and good health traits make Ohare-P a sire that if you are breeding for the future, should be   part of your program.  He will need to be protected a little on % components, and frame and capacity.

Longevity Improvement

For those of you who  are looking to breed cattle that last lactation after lactation, or maybe you are having problems with your 2 year olds not coming back for a 2nd lactation, we recommend the following sires:

  • MAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOOD
    (Goldwyn x Durham x Storm)
    While many would consider Atwood a show bull, and he is very good at that (Read more: 7 Sires to Use In Order To Breed the Next World Dairy Expo Champion) he is also a great longevity sire as well.  Unlike many of the top show sires who are negative for production and low fertility scores, Atwood actually has solid components and acceptable health and fertility numbers.  While you most certainly would want to protect him on production and daughter fertility, Atwood will add a punch of type to your high producing 2yr olds that, for whatever reason, may not be around for many more lactations.
  • COYNE-FARMS DORCY
    (Bolton x Bret x Rudolph)
    Dorcy is proving to be an outstanding longevity improvement sire, through both his sons and daughters.  Breeders interested in a Bolton son from an outcross pedigree, top-notch udders, very good feet & legs and functional traits may consider using DORCY.  Dairy Strength and Rump are only slightly above breed norms.
  • MR LOOKOUT PESCE ALTA5G
    (Altakool x Atwood x Shottle)
    An Atwood son sure to get a lot of attention is Alta5G.  While not from a big name show ring family, this type sire has a breed leading +23 DGV for Conformation in Canada.  Alta5G is from the same family at De-Su as Observer and, much like the other members of this outstanding genomic family, it seems that generation after generation keeping getting higher and higher numbers.  Look for him to sire daughters with outstanding udders and feet and legs, with loads of dairy strength.  One area that he will need to be protected on is his rumps, specifically rump angle and pin setting.
  • SILDAHL JETT AIR
    (BAXTER x BW MARSHALL x MANFRED)
    This outcross sire offers great longevity improvement combined with strong health and fertility.  He does need to be protected on protein and milking speed.  However his great feet and legs, udders and health and fertility make him an outcross sire you don’t want to miss.

Health and Fertility Improvement

One area that is not getting enough attention from most breeders is health and fertility.  While there is no question that every breeder knows that more pregnancies equal more profits, many of the top ranking sires actually have negative values for health and fertility.  The following are some sires that should help you change that:

  • BADGER-BLUFF FANNY FREDDIE
    (O Man x Die-Hard x Metro)
    If you are going to talk health and fertility, you’re going to have to take a look at Freddie.  While his type numbers may scare some, you cannot deny his extreme health and fertility numbers combined with solid production.  While I don’t expect to see many Freddie daughters in the show ring any time soon, he will work well in most commercial environments.  He will leave moderate sized daughters that have strong udders but very much need to be protected for dairy strength.
  • S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM
    (Domain x Bolton x O Man
    S-S-I DOMAIN LITHIUM has some of the highest DGV’s for health and fertility.  Lithium is from one of the top genomic cows in the breed, GLEN-TOCTIN BOLT LUCILLE VG-87-DOM. Combining high herd life, low Somatic Cell counts and high daughter fertility with over 1600 lbs. of milk, 110 of fat and protein and 2.5 points on type makes Lithium a great choice when looking for improvement.  It is interesting to note that his DGV’s for health and fertility are almost 8% higher than the next highest genomic young sire (BRANDT-VIEW ALTAOTIS) and 50% higher than his own official index, indicating that he really is the sire to use when wanting to address this area that has flown under the radar far too long.
  • TIGER-LILY LADD P-RED
    (Destry x Lawn Boy x September Storm)
    For those of you that are really looking to breed to where the market is heading, there is LADD-P-RED.  He is the highest health and fertility polled sire in the breed today.  These are two key aspects that breeders around the world are looking for.  (Read more: Why Is Everyone So Horny For Polled? and How Healthy Are Your Cows?).  While LADD-P-RED will not wow you with his production, his strong components, with solid type make him a sire that will fit into most breeding programs.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

We have stated it many times.  In maximizing your genetic gain, you can’t simply choose   the very top of the TPI or LPI list.  You need to make sure that your matings are the best corrective cross.  Breeding great cattle is part art and part science.  You need to have both parts.  It takes careful consideration and generation after generation of corrective mating to breed great cow families.  That is why, instead of just giving you a list of the top 16, we have tried to provide you with insight into which sires will provide you with the maximum gain in each specific area.  It`s all about choosing what is best for you.

 

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Other posts you might like:

Bullvine Performance Index (BPI) – Top Sires December 2012
The 10 Outlier Sires that will Accelerate Your Genetic Gain the Fastest
FACT VS. FANTASY: A Realistic Approach to Sire Selection
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Durham vs. Goldwyn: A Clash of Two Titans

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Monday, January 14th, 2013

Inspired by the recent announcement of Regancrest Elton Durham siring the most excellent cows in the U.S. (Read more – Durham Passes Elevation to Become the Leading Sire of Excellent Cows in the U.S.) and Braedale Goldwyn the most in Canada (Read more – Goldwyn First Ever to 1000 EX Daughters in Canada), we here at The Bullvine thought it would be a great time to take a closer look at these genetic giants to  see who has had more impact on the Holstein breed.

The Regancrest Elton Durham Story

Durham coverBred by Regancrest Farms, Waukon, Iowa, Durham was born in 1994 and would go on to be one of the most popular sires of the first decade of the new millennium. Durham’s pedigree combines Bell and Chief Mark bloodlines as he was by a son of Bell, and Snow-N Denises Dellia (EX).  His dam was out of a Bell daughter. Also Dellia and Effie, his sire’s dam, were both from Chief sons and his pedigree shows four Ivanhoe crosses and two to Fond Matt.  Durham has left a very consistent transmitting pattern in both his daughters and his sons. Due to his low production numbers, he was not used heavily as a sire of sons, but his daughters have seen extensive use as bull mothers.

For five consecutive years 2003-2007, Durham was Premier Sire at World Dairy Expo.  This certainly establishes Durham as a once-in-a-lifetime sire of type.  His pattern leaves long bodies, broad and flat rumps, udders that are well attached and  wide rear udders.  However what made him so successful in the show ring was that Durham also transmitted outstanding dairyness and style.

Durham Sons

Durham sons were extremely consistent in their pattern and, at one point, eight of them were in the top ten spots for P.T.A.T (2005).  Some highlights include:

  • REGANCREST-MR DRHAM SAM
    From the Saturday family, his dam was Sher-Est Emory Swanny (EX). Mr Sam is also the sire of the popular type sire Pine-Tree Sid, who is the sire of Micheret Alexandra Sid (VG-88-2YR) All-American (tied) and All-Canadian Senior 2yr old in 2010.
  • MESLAND DUPLEX
    Sampled in Spain, Duplex was the highest type sire in the US for several summaries, with high numbers for udders and feet & legs.  Similar to Mr Sam, Duplex was also from an Emory dam this time going back to Henkeseen Mark Marci (EX-94).
  • REGANCREST-LH MODEST
    Modest was Durham’s highest production son from Meadow Bridge Aero Missy (EX).
  • TO-MAR D-FORTUNE
    At one time, Fortune was in the top 10 on the Canadian LPI list.  Probably best known now for being the sire of the winning 4 year old at the 2012 Royal, Macpes Fortune Koquine EX-94-Can.
  • WINDY-KNOLL-VIEW PRIMETIME
    From a great maternal breeding family, Primetime was the Durham son of Windy-Knoll-View Peggy (EX-94), and had a high type proof and for a long time was among the top Herd Life sires in Canada.  He was also the sire of the 2006 World Dairy Expo Junior Champion and All-American fall calf, Wm Ariannas Pt Aesha.

Durham Daughters

Daughters represent  the area where Durham has had his greatest impact. There are many great daughters to choose from. Here are just a few:

  • KAMPS-HOLLOW ALTITUDE EX-95-2E-USA DOM 1*
    Probably best known for being the dam of KHW Kite Advent who was Premier Sire of the Grand International Red and White show for three consecutive years and KHW Regiment Apple who was Grand Champion of the 2011 International Red & White Holstein show.
  • LYLEHAVEN LILA Z EX-94-CAN 14*
    Probably best known for being the second highest selling cow in Canadian History (Read more – Lylehaven Lila Z: Was she really worth $1.15 Million? and 2012 Golden Dam Finalist) she is also the dam of 2012 Canadian Cow of the Year Nominee, Comestar Goldwyn Lilac (VG-89) who’s descendants led the way at the recent Genetics By Design Sale (Read more – Genetics By Design – Crosses the $4,000,000 Mark).
  • MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE  EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD   6*
    All-American in her own right as a 3yr old in 2005, Atlee is probably best known for her sons who dominate the current type evaluations: MS Atlees Sht Aftershock (+18 Conformation Dec*12); Maple-Downs-I G W Atwood (+17 Conformation Dec*12) and MR Atlees AltaAmazing (+16 Conformation Dec*12).  Atlee herself traces back to the great brood cow AITKENBRAE STARBUCK ADA EX-CAN EX-94-2E-USA DOM 4* (Read more – MD DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE – 2012 Golden Dam Finalist).
  • REGANCREST-PR BARBIE EX-92-7YR-USA DOM GMD 3*
    BARBIE is the sixth generation of the Regancrest breeding program combining both the Dellias and the Brinas.  Eleven of her daughters are ranked in the top 25 of the American type index list.  Barbie’s offspring consistently generate top prices at international sales.  In 2009, granddaughter and fellow 2012 Golden Dam finalist, Regancrest S Chassity EX 92, sold in a package with her offspring for $1.5 million.  Barbie is the dam of 14 EX & 16 VG daughters and, currently, one of the breed’s leading type sires – Braxton EX-95.
  • MARKWELL DURHAM DAISY EX-92-6YR-USA GMD DOM
    Daisy does it all.  She has high production, fitness, longevity and outstanding type.  This Excellent Durham granddaughter of Markwell Bstar Raven EX-95, who as a young cow made many waves at Madison, also transmits it all.  Daisy’s dam Markwell Luke Rapture recently passed away at 18 years of age.  Numerous daughters, granddaughters and their sons distinguish themselves in the genomic rankings.  As a bull dam in 2010, Daisy had some fabulous results with the high-ranking O-Man sons Dakota (the Netherlands), Duke (Germany), and Osaka (Spain).  In 2012, Daisy’s first progeny sampled grandson, Danillo, provided an impressive sequel with top position in the Netherlands.  Also of note is her grandson Goldday (By Goldwyn) who is from A-L-H Destiny and currently the top International Sires on the BPI List (Read more – Bullvine Performance Index (BPI) – Top Sires December 2012)

While Durham daughters were not typically the hardest milkers they were some of the most trouble free cows and, as more attention is being given to this, Durham decedents are gaining more attention again.  Because of their health traits, Durham daughters have been appearing on the Net-Merit lists and have A.I. studs using them heavily as dams  of sons, not just to get type sires, but to also get Net-Merit list toppers.

The Braedale Goldwyn Story

goldwyn test sire sheetGoldwyn has been an extremely popular sire worldwide since his initial proof in 2004.  This is not surprising given the strong maternal line behind him.  His dam Braedale Baler Twine (VG-86 23*) was Canada’s cow of the year in 2007 and his second dam Braedale Gypsy Grand (VG-88 36*) was the Canadian Cow of the year in 2003.  While many think that Goldwyn made the name for this cow family, long before Goldwyn was proven the family was already proving itself with Gypsy Grand sons Goodluck, Freelance, Spy, Freeman and Bold topping the bull list and daughters Cheetah, Second Cut, and Clairvoyant topping the cow lists.  This explains why Baler Twine was contracted as a virgin heifer at a time when the family name was not as prevalent as it is now.

According to E.Y Morwick in his book The Holstein History, “The pedigree of Braedale Goldwyn offers a clinic on the art of successful line breeding.  He carried three close crosses to Madawaska Aerostar: Sharemar James, his sire, was out of the Aerostar daughter, Stelbro Jenine Aerostar (VG); Braedale Baler Twine, his dam, was sired by Maughlin Storm, an Aerostar son; and Braedale Moonriver, dam of Braedale Gypsy Grand (Goldwyn’s maternal grand-dam), was an Aerostar daughter.  In Goldwyn’s lineage were three crosses to Walkway Chief Mark: Shoremar James and Braedale Gypsy Grand were both by Mark CJ Gillbrook Grand, a Chief Mark son; while Gypsy’s maternal granddam was Sunnylodge Chief Vick (VG 2*), a Chief Mark daughter.”

By February of 2009, Goldwyn had racked up a pretty impressive list of accomplishments, including finishing in the top six on the Canadian LPI list 14 out of 15 times.  He was number one once and number two twice.  He was also the top rated sire for conformation 11 times.  In 2008 when Goldwyn won Premier Sire at World Dairy Expo (ending Durham’s long reign), he was not only the youngest sire in 25 years to do so, but he was also the first bull who topped the LPI list to do so. With his win in 2012, Goldwyn has now tied Durham in achieving five consecutive Premier Sire awards at World Dairy Expo.

Goldwyn Sons

In addition to Goldday mentioned above, there have been impressive sons.  While maybe not LPI or TPI list toppers, they have certainly passed on the high type traits that Goldwyn has to offer.  They include:

  • CRACKHOLM FEVER
    Underrated by many, Fever is more than just a high type sire (+16 Conformation Dec *12) he is also a great mastitis and fertility improvement sire making him a great sire to address the major herd culling problems and should probably get greater attention from many breeding programs (Read more – From Fantasy to Reality – Top Sires to Address Herd Culling Problems).
  • LIRR DREW DEMPSEY
    Similar to Durham, many Goldwyn sons did not excel in production but did offer great improvement in conformation and health and fertility traits.  Dempsey is one such case.  His daughters would not WOW you with their production, but their strong components, outstanding udders and legs, combined with long herd life and low somatic cell score, certainly make them favorites among their owners.
  • MAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOOD
    Atwood is probably the sire that is going to give Goldwyn the closest run for his money, over the next few years, at the Royal and World Dairy Expo.  His daughters are already putting up some impressive show results (Read more – Breeding The Next Show Winners) and he was among our picks for one of the sires to breed the next World Dairy Expo Champion (Read more – 7 Sires to Use in Order to Breed the Next World Dairy Expo Champion).  Of course Atwood is from the magic cross of Goldwyn on Durham that has produced many great results.  His dam is one of the top Durham daughters MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 6* (Mentioned above).
  • COMESTAR LAUTHORITY
    Lauthority combines two of Canada’s greatest cow families, the Gypsy Grand’s and the Laurie Sheik’s. His dam is COMESTAR LAUTELMA IGNITER who is proving she can leave top sons and top daughters as proven by COMESTAR LAUTAMIE TITANIC VG-89-2YR-CAN 14* who was Reserve All-Canadian Jr. 2yr old in 2006.
  • FUSTEAD GOLDWYN GUTHRIE
    Guthrie is currently Goldwyn’s highest proven LPI son at +2494 that has him in the top 50 MACE  gLPI sires.  Guthrie is one of the few Goldwyn sons over 1000 KG of milk and combines that with extreme type (+16 Conformation) and solid health and fertility traits.

Goldwyn Daughters

Similarly to Durham, Goldwyn  has made a bigger impact through the maternal side. Some of his  most notable daughters include:

The Bullvine Bottom Line

There is no doubt that Goldwyn and Durham are the two greatest type sires since the turn of the century.  However, they have yet to leave that legacy son that tops the lists.  While Goldwyn does have Atwood who is going to give him a run for his money at the upcoming North American shows, there is no top index sire to continue the tradition.  For both sires the greatest impact is going to come through their daughters and in that area Goldwyn holds much more opportunity, since Durham was found to be a carrier for CVM and could not be used in countries like Canada, greatly limiting his potential impact.  Which brings us to the question, “Is Goldwyn’s dominance because  he has had a greater opportunity than Durham did (Read more – Braedale Goldwyn: Is He the Greatest Type Sire Ever?).  What is clear is that Goldwyn daughters have fared much better in the show ring while Durham daughters have proven themselves more when it comes to proven sons.  Though the quality of both these sires’ progeny is certainly of the highest level, it will take time to determine just which one of these two sires will have the greatest final impact.

Other posts you might like:

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7 Sires to Use in Order to Breed the Next World Dairy Expo Champion

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Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

Everyone loves winning.  No one enters a competition to finish last.  Regardless of who you are every purebred dairy breeder dreams of winning supreme champion at World Dairy Expo.  Your dream of walking in the spotlight, on the colored shavings, with everyone applauding you, starts with choosing the right sires.

Logic would tell you that you take top 10 PTAT sires or Conformation sires and away you go.  However, we all know what wins in the barn does not win in the ring.  That is because the relative importance/weights are different in each area of the Dairy Cow Scorecard.  Therefore, instead of your typical classification weightings that make up the basis of PTAT and Conformation indexes (Udder 40%, Dairy Strength 25%, Feet & Legs 20% and Frame 15%) we decided to place more emphasis on traits that make a difference in the show ring to come up with our short list of sires to use (Udder 35%, Feet & Legs 13%, Stature 13, Strength 13%, Body Depth 14%, Dairy Form 13%). For those of you who think great show cows don’t produce as well we recommend you read Show Cows: All Type and No Action)

We then went to Genomics.  Yes genomics for show cattle.  Many confuse the word genomics and TPI or LPI index when actually genomics is just a more accurate and earlier-in-life method of evaluating or predicting a sire’s ability to transmit improvement for that specific trait or composite.  Therefore, it can actually be a huge tool for breeder who is looking to breed great show cattle.  In the case of young sires, we were also careful to make sure we did not use sires with type genomic traits lower than their parent averages, as our previous analysis showed us (Read – 7 Reasons Why You Wouldn’t Use Sires with DGV’s Lower Than Their Parent Averages).

Let`s get a better understanding of  what sires will help you win that elusive prize of breeding the next great show cow.  The following are the lucky seven sires we would recommend in order to breed the next supreme champion.  Having said that, we admit that all great breeding is two parts homework, one part intuition, and three parts luck.  Let`s start with the homework.

#7 – MAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOOD

MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 2* - dam of Atwood

MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 2* – dam of Atwood

It’s no fluke that MAPLE-DOWNS-I G W ATWOOD EX-90-4YR-USA is probably the next generation of great show bulls available today.  Combining  Goldwyn on Durham would normally be enough but added to that his dam is the exceptional MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 2*.  Atlee also has extreme conformation herself, winning reserve Intermediate Champion at Madison in 2005, and going to be named unanimous ALL-AMERICAN SR.3-YR that year.  She comes by it naturally with her grand dam being MS Kingstead Chief Adeen EX-94 (the full sister to the recently deceased World Champion Shoremar S Alicia EX-97).  Combine that with the greatest type sire of the past half-decade and you have yourself an unbeatable show-winning package.  Atwood offers the great mammary systems his pedigree would indicate but needs to be protected for flat loins and high pins, much like his sire.

#6 – PINE-SHELTER CLAY WOOD

PINE-SHELTER CHELSY SHO VG-86-2YR-USA DOM - dam of Wood

PINE-SHELTER CHELSY SHO VG-86-2YR-USA DOM – dam of Wood

If you don’t want to use Atwood himself, how about one of his sons?  Possessing the highest values of all the bulls on our list for stature (5.09), PINE-SHELTER CLAY WOOD will give you that punch of stature needed for show cows.  Not surprisingly since his third dam is none other than 2003 World Dairy Expo Champion, PINE-SHELTER CHEYENNE EX-95-3E-USA DOM. Expect Wood to sire a very balanced cow that needs to be used on cows that have deep ribs and deep heals.  He will give you those big wide rear udders that can do wonders when the judge is standing behind you making those critical decisions.

#5 – GIBBS-I CLAYNOOK DUDE

SONNEK BLT DOUBLE DIPPED VG-85-2YR-CAN - dam of Dude

SONNEK BLT DOUBLE DIPPED VG-85-2YR-CAN – dam of Dude

Possessing the highest genomic values for most conformation traits is GIBBS-I CLAYNOOK DUDE VG-87-1YR-CAN.  (Not to be confused with the Facebook sensation He is One Ugly Dude)  This Atwood son from SONNEK BLT DOUBLE DIPPED VG-85-2YR-CAN has unbelievable genomic values for all major conformation traits, well above his expected parent averages.  This is opposite to the situation for most recently proven Claynook bred bulls, whose PAs exceed their genomic values and whose indexes dropped in a major way from when they were sampled to when they were proven.  (Read – The Hot House Effect On Sire Sampling).  Dude has the genomic values to back it up.  Expect Dude to sire breed leading mammary system improvement and loads of dairy strength, though he will need to be protected on high pins.

#4 – REGANCREST-GV S BRADNICK

REGANCREST BREYA VG-88-3YR-USA DOM 1* - dam of Bradnick

REGANCREST BREYA VG-88-3YR-USA DOM 1* – dam of Bradnick

For those of you who want a sire other than Atwood and Atwood sons, I offer up the next two selections.  In REGANCREST-GV S BRADNICK VG-87-2YR-USA you have no Goldwyn blood at all.  From the REGANCREST-PR BARBIE EX-92-7YR-USA DOM GMD 3* (2012 Golden Dam Finalist) family, by way of a VG-88-3YR-USA DOM 1* Shottle daughter REGANCREST BREYA, and sired by GEN-MARK STMATIC SANCHEZ EX-94-6YR-USA ST’12.  Breya is the former #3 PTAT Cow in the breed and continues the strong legacy that Barbie started.  In Bradnick you get a sire who is over 3 points on all composites except Dairy Comp where he is at 2.92.  In every major type trait Bradnick’s DGV’s are higher than expected from his parents.

#3 – SCIENTIFIC B DEFIANT

SCIENTIFIC GOLD DIOR RAE-ET *RC EX-92-4YR-USA DOM - dam of Defiant

SCIENTIFIC GOLD DIOR RAE-ET *RC EX-92-4YR-USA DOM – dam of Defiant

As the  REGANCREST S BRAXTON EX-95-5YR-USA son of the #4 GTPI RC cow, SCIENTIFIC GOLD DIOR RAE-ET *RC EX-92-4YR-USA DOM, SCIENTIFIC B DEFIANT is doubly blessed as his is also a red carrier.  Of course Dior Rae is from none other the great show winning SCIENTIFIC DEBUTANTE RAE-ET  EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 2*, tracing back to the Queen of the Breed herself GLENRIDGE CITATION ROXY EX-CAN EX-97-4E-USA GMD 6*.  In Defiant you get a sire stack of Braxton from a Goldwyn from Durham that just drips dairy strength.  Expect Defiant to sire extremely tall framey cows that have strong, snug, shallow udders.  However, you may want to protect him on the cleanliness of bone as well as slight curved legs.

#2 – CANYON-BREEZE AT AIRLIFT

CANYON-BREEZE S AUBURN EX-90 - dam of Airlift

CANYON-BREEZE S AUBURN EX-90 – dam of Airlift

Coming in at #2 is another Atwood son CANYON-BREEZE AT AIRLIFT.  While the female side of this cow family may not have won any major shows, they do have generation after generation of outstanding strength, frames and feet and legs, tracing back to the same bloodlines as the great CANYON-BREEZE ALLEN.  Combine that with Atwood’s udders and you have the potential for greatness.  Expect Airlift to sire extreme feet and leg improvement as well as rumps.  For the line breeding fans out there, Airlift would make a great cross with your Goldwyn’s.  Bringing the needed rump and dairy strength improvement many Goldwyn’s need.  However, much like Allen, you may not want to use him on cattle that are extremely straight legged.  Airlift also makes a great option for those looking to sire show-winning calves as Airlift is almost over 4 points on all major type traits outside of mammary system.

#1 – MR ATWOOD BROKAW

REGANCREST MAC BIKASA VG-87-2YR-USA - dam of Brokaw

REGANCREST MAC BIKASA VG-87-2YR-USA – dam of Brokaw

Leading the way, but surely not a surprise, is MR ATWOOD BROKAW.  In Brokaw you combine the two greatest type families in the breed today.  On the paternal  side you have Atwood and his dam MD-DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE EX-92-4YR-USA DOM GMD 2*, 2012 Golden Dam finalist and Reserve Intermediate Champion at Madison in 2005 followed by her grand dam being MS Kingstead Chief Adeen EX-94.  On the maternal side you have REGANCREST MAC BIKASA VG-87-2YR-USA who is the daughter of REGANCREST-PR BARBIE EX-92-7YR-USA DOM GMD 3*, also a 2012 Golden Dam Finalist.  Watch for Brokaw to be extremely tall (4.85 Stature) and have the necessary frame (3.89 Body Comp), dairyness (3.06 Dairy Comp) and bolted on udders (3.77 Udder Comp) to get the job done.  While his rumps may not be ideal for classification, expect them to be bang on when it comes to the show ring, demonstrating the necessary width and boxcar rumps that judges love so much.

Side Note on Goldwyn

For those of you wondering how we could leave probably the most dominant show sire of the past decade BRAEDALE GOLDWYN GP-84-8YR-CAN EXTRA’05 GM’12 off of the list.  Here is our explanation.  While there is no question that Goldwyn is a great sire, and a fantastic type improvement sire, we argue that part of his success came through opportunity as much as through genetic ability.  Since Goldwyn was used on so many cattle including the top type cattle in the breed, because of his outstanding proof, he had far more opportunity than most other sires to leave his mark.  While he has not disappointed, his sons, such as Atwood and his grandsons as in Defiant, have now surpassed him.

The Bottom Line

The truth is everyone loves a winner.  That`s the simple truth.  Ask yourself, “How many times have you seen a packed house to hear the naming of the top new TPI or LPI sire?”  This is not to say that you can’t strive for both.  (Read – Show Cows: All Type and No Action?)  Nevertheless, everyone would love to breed the next great show cow.  That starts with using the correct sires.  In then means using the bloodlines that have proven they have done it before.  We have chosen Brokaw as the greatest sire for show type improvement.  Of course, as is the case with all mating decisions, you need to make sure the sire you choose crosses well and is a corrective mating with the cow you are breeding.

For those of you looking for a more balanced breeding approach, check out The Top 12 Holstein Young Sires to Use for Maximum Genetic Gain.

 

Other posts you might like:

Duds and Studs – Why you shouldn’t use the same sires as the AI units
MD DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE - 2012 Golden Dam Finalist
From Fantasy to Reality – Top sires to address herd culling problems
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