Clean sweep by AltaSeverus for seasonal calving herds

Exceptional daughter health and high-quality milk production have earned the newly proven bull, Peak AltaSeverus, number one position for both seasonal calving indexes – Autumn Calving Index (£ACI) and Spring Calving Index (£SCI) – in the AHDB genetic evaluations, published this week.

Other top £ACI bulls

An ACI of £733 and an SCI of £599 reflect the suitability of AltaSeverus’s daughters for block-calving herds, whether winter-housed and with higher concentrate intakes or whether calving in spring and with production based largely on grazing. He stands alongside several other new entrants in the £ACI ranking, the second of which, Winstar Maserati, has similar transmitting qualities, including desirable daughter lifespan and fertility. His ACI is £714.

Holding third place is Winstar Graziano (ACI £705), known for excellent milk components and SCC.

Ranking fourth and fifth are Denovo 16767 Pinedale (ACI £677) and Denovo Invictus (ACI £675). Pinedale provides desirable solids and components, while Invictus’s key attributes are daughter fertility and low feed costs for maintenance.

In sixth place is new graduate, Denovo 17118 Provo (ACI £670), who transmits excellent fat solids and fertility.

Peak Rainow (ACI £664) ranks seventh, followed closely by OCD Trooper Sheepster (ACI £662) in eighth. Both bulls promote strong yields of milk, fat and protein.

Joint ninth are Peak Mauney and SDG-PH Delux Dominance (ACI £657), Mauney offering improved health and fertility, while Dominance’s strengths lie in production.

Spring Calving Index (SCI)

The £SCI rankings are tightly contested, and just one point behind the leading new graduate, Peak AltaSeverus – who excels in weight of milk solids and udder health, including a standout SCC rating – is Winstar Graziano (SCI £598). This consistent performer also excels for SCC and fat and protein production.

Denovo Invictus slots in at number three with an SCI of £589, transmitting exceptional fertility and maintenance and now with 2,997 UK milking daughters.

New graduate Winstar Maserati (SCI £587) enters in fourth, followed by Jersey bull VJ Ravninggaard Huus Hamlet (SCI £582) in fifth, who excels in lifespan and fertility.

Ranking sixth and seventh are Denovo 17118 Provo – a new graduate – (SCI £581) and Denovo 16767 Pinedale (SCI £576), both transmitting similar production, excelling in both weight and percentages of fat and protein, and SCC.

Jersey sire VJ Outrup Luxi Luxplus moves up to eighth position with an SCI of £574, offering desirable maintenance and lifespan ratings, while new graduate Denovo Adderley (SCI £560) ranks ninth.

Rounding off the top 10 is Winstar Mendel P, with an SCI of £553.

Victoria Ashmore, Animal Genomics Manager at AHDB, said:

"The block-calving indexes – £ACI and £SCI – are uniquely designed by AHDB to help producers select the best genetics for calving in a tight block and from across all breeds, tailored respectively to winter housing or grazing. These rankings are calculated using UK-specific input and output prices, ensuring they reflect the true economic value of sires under UK farming conditions."

No comparison

Block-calving producers are reminded not to compare the component figures of the £SCI or £ACI with those used in the calculation of Profitable Lifetime Index as £PLI is calculated at a breed level, whereas the seasonal indexes are expressed across the breeds and, hence, use a different average.

Peak AltaSeverus