2024 was a landmark year for Australian breed genetics, with outstanding achievements across all breeds and multiple ABV releases showcasing the industry’s progress. The dedication and hard work of Australian breeders have driven these exceptional results, giving farmers plenty to celebrate.
The latest ABV release underscores the excellence of Australian genetics on a global stage. Bulls from around the world are ranked based on progeny performance and genomic testing, and once again, Australian bulls have demonstrated their ability to compete at the highest level. Their strong 2024 results reinforce their value as a top choice for Australian farmers.
Australian proven Holstein bulls with daughters milking, PILBARA, LASTIN and PEMBERTON, are the top three bulls available in December. These popular bulls have hundreds of daughters milking with PILBARA at $516 BPI, 1079 SI and 45kgs protein clearly a gold medal performer, offering improvements across production, health and type traits. LASTIN follows closely at $503 BPI while popular sire PEMBERTON is in third place at $476 BPI. He can be used with confidence with more than 600 milking daughters making him 99% reliable.
The performance on the BPI genomic list is just as impressive with Genetics Australia holding the four of the top five positions with JOBOLT [Bolti x Pemberton] 599 BPIg, closely followed by AUSTRALIND [Rocknroll x Jeronimo] $594 BPIg, JORDLIV [Varley x Nippon] $586 BPIg, AUTOBOT [Letsgo x Lambax Informer] $576 BPIg and POLMAX [Fedora x Jeronimo] $558 BPIg follows at number 9, with TLGENZO [Dropbox x Einstein] $558 BPIg closing out the top 10.
Not only is it pleasing to see the strong performance of bulls sourced from Carenda Holsteins in WA, but we must also congratulate Wilara Holsteins and Jelbart Dairies in Gippsland. The cow families these elite breeders have developed are making a solid contribution to genetic improvement in Australia and matching it with the best in the world.
Holstein daughter fertility has taken a significant lift in recent years, with genomic technology at the forefront of this improvement. The polled gene is also rapidly gaining in interest and within a relatively short time, a number of high-rated polled bulls can be confidently used in breeding programs. ILLUMINATOR P [A2P2 x Delta] $452 BPIg, VISSLA P [Magicball x Superhero] and TLGMDOUGLAS PP [Fomo x Bighit] $414 BPIg are three bulls that have proven popular for farmers looking to reduce or eliminate dehorning.
The SLICK gene leaves cattle with a shorter and sleek hair coat and research has shown animals carrying the gene have a greater thermal tolerance. We are excited to introduce our first SLICK bulls. HONDA P [Solar x Lundy] $411 BPIg and ICEMAN PP [Solar x Jeronimo] $452 BPIg, not only warrant their place in the team for SLICK, but for several other key profitable traits.
The December ABVs release clearly demonstrates Genetics Australia’s commitment to supplying elite genetics to current and future dairy farmers. Bulls in the Genetics Australia teams are world class and farmers can be confident they are using elite bulls selected for their daughters to perform well in Australian Conditions.
If you would like more details on any Genetics Australia bulls or on any service or merchandise products, please contact your Genetics Australia representative listed on the back cover.
