New cheap-to-maintain Jersey tops Spring Calving Index ranking

There’s a little more movement than usual in the our ranking for Spring Calving Index bulls, in part because of a slightly increased penalty against heavy cows in grazing-based systems in the newly adjusted £SCI.

Spring Calving Index (£SCI)

This has helped bring the Danish Jersey bull, VJ Ravninggaard Huus Hamlet, to the fore as the new number one sire, with an SCI of £537. This move reflects his daughters’ predicted milk quality, fertility and lifespan as well as their smaller size and lower maintenance costs.

Hamlet has risen through the rankings from 14th place in the last (December) proof run, and now stands ahead of the former number one sire, Progenesis Unicorn. This Holstein bull’s outstanding feature is his daughter Fertility Index and he now takes second position with an SCI of £534.

The third ranking bull is the Holstein, VH Balisto Brixton (SCI £528), while fourth placed Westcoast Yamaska (SCI £526) is the outstanding production bull of the leading £SCI group.

In fifth place, the Jersey, Danish VJ Zummit (SCI £525), transmits high milk quality, while his daughters have even lower maintenance costs than the leading sire.

The sixth ranking Jersey, VJ Skolvad Dau Dandi, is a newcomer to the ranking at SCI £509, and also scores well on £PLI.

Seventh place is taken by the Holstein, ABS Sassafras (SCI £507), while another new Jersey, VJ Groenbjerg Lobo Lobster, ranks eighth. His SCI of £506 comes in part from high milk quality and low maintenance costs for feed.

The Jersey sire, Danish VJ Raastrup HIHL Gislev, rises 36 places through the rankings into ninth position (SCI £505), but the even bigger jumper is the New Zealand bull, Glenui Degree Hoss. His rise into 10th position is also a reflection of his daughters’ high quality milk and low maintenance costs. He earns an SCI of £497.

Autumn Calving Index (£ACI)

It’s little surprise to see some similar names in the £ACI ranking, although the Holsteins take over the running. Ranked on a genetic index designed to breed the most profitable daughters for block calving in a largely winter milk production system, the number one place goes to high production sire, Westcoast Yamaska. With an ACI of £635, he stands ahead of cell count improvers, Progenesis Unicorn (ACI £627) and Melarry Frazz Arrowhead (ACI £626) and daughter fertility improvers, Stowey Magician (ACI £610) and De-Su 14118 Reginald (ACI £604).

Level pegging in sixth position (ACI £600) are newcomers, Bomaz Montreal and Denovo 14566 Crosby who also make their debut as number one and three sires in the new £PLI ranking.   

VH Balisto Brixton (ACI £594) and Pine-Tree Verona (ACI £591) stand ahead of two bulls who round off the £ACI top 10 in equal position – ABS Sassafras and Denovo 8084 Entity, at ACI £589.