Following the November proof results, we are proud to announce the addition of Jardin to our line-up.

Jardin, currently ranked No. 1 in the German RZG top list shows great potential.  He is the exceptional son of Jocko Besne. Jardin has fantastic management traits, with excellent feet & legs. 

The tall Jardin daughters show a lot of potential for development and have outstanding firmly attached udder with the rear udders very high and wide.

Jardin has an exceptional PLI of £81 and a unique protein transmission, with a total fat and protein figure of 47.5 kgs.  Considering fertility and longevity, Jardin belongs to the best!

 All this for £19, now that's value for money!

Leading Holstein sires Loydie, Logan and Toystory are amongst a significant number of elite bulls available from Bullsemen.com that are guaranteed to pass on the desirable A2 beta-casein protein gene to their daughters.

With interest in A2 beta-casein milk production growing following the recent formation by Wiseman of a UK-based joint venture company to source and market this added value alternative to standard milk, the wide availability of elite Holsteins with this genetic trait is a boost for dairy farmers, says Bullsemen.com’s Nick Kirby.

“Progressive dairy farmers in the UK will be looking at ways to differentiate their product and add value, and A2 milk is undoubtedly an opportunity for the future,” he says. “A2 betacasein is the original milk protein and is the key to what is being positioned as an alternative product for the significant proportion of the population who may suffer digestive discomfort from drinking standard A1 milk. The market is already established in Australia, for example, where A2 milk generates a significant premium for producers.

“Dairy farmers that are considering the merits of establishing an A2 herd can begin the process by only using bulls that are homozygous A2A2, and will therefore be certain to pass on the A2 gene to their daughters. Given that high £PLI Holsteins such as the Oman sons Loydie and Logan are A2A2, there need be no penalty or detriment to making these breeding decisions.”

Bullsemen.com has around 70 Holstein sires available to UK farmers that are homozygous A2A2, offering wide access to this potentially important trait without compromising other breeding priorities.

Alliance, with a UK Type Merit of +2.58, is delivering progeny to match his outstanding linear proof, with over 107 classified daughters in the last six months averaging 1.5 points higher than their dams according to Holstein UK.

Daughter:  Hanna

With an average type classification score of 82.0 (61.7% being higher than their dams), this ranks Alliance as the second placed available Holstein bull in the category for bulls. There are now 450 Alliance daughters in the UK, and more than 120 herds recognise his strengths.

A Canyon Breeze Allen son, Alliance is from the great Laurie Sheik Canadian cow family, out of a Comestar Lee daughter of Comestar Lausan Black VG87. With exceptionally strong all round type, Alliance is specifically notable for his +2.42 Mammary and +1.92 Legs and Feet figures. His daughters display excellent Locomotion, as demonstrated by a UK score of +2.54. A Life Span score of +0.3 mean these long-living cows are a great asset to any herd, while a Temperament rating of +2.06 and good ease of milking allows for trouble-free management.

“This is further evidence that Alliance is doing an excellent job for type in the UK,” comments Bullsemen.com managing director Nick Kirby. “Daughter numbers for Alliance rose significantly between the January April bull proofs, but so did his score.”

“He illustrates Canadian Holstein breeding at its very best. Alliance is an all-rounder with no weaknesses. He is ideal for dairy farmers wanting size, good muscle, strength and style as well as excellent functional traits and good production.”

Mr Kirby adds: “Ease of management and good health traits are important as herd sizes grow and the demands on farmers and herdspeople increase, allowing herds to minimise costs and stress. Alliance fits the need for productive and placid cows perfectly.”

Bullsemen.com has confirmed its status as the leading supplier of high £PLI Holsteins following the April 2011 proof run, having in Leif (£168) and Mascol (£160) numbers two and three respectively in the rankings for UK proven sires and in Jancen (£241) and Logan (£224) the top two in the rankings for UK and International sires. Overall, Bullsemen.com now has 31 of the top 100 £PLI Holsteins, and amongst the emerging bulls is the Red Holstein Tableau whose £PLI has leapt by £34 to £114.

Another significant mover for Bullsemen.com in the £PLI rankings is Super (Charlesdale Superstition), the highest TPI Holstein currently available in the UK and one of the first genomically proven bulls from the US to be marketed in this country. A Boliver son and O-Bee Manfred Justice grandson, Super’s £PLI has risen to £152 – up from £106 over the last two proof runs – showing an increasing correlation between his genomic proof and his conventional proof as his progeny numbers increase. Super also has a very strong Fertility Index (+1.4) and an outstanding Lifespan (+0.4).

Other Lifespan performers from Bullsemen.com in the latest proof run include Levin, who is the number one bull for this key criterion with +0.7, and the highest ranked Red Holstein Carmano (+0.6).

Bullsemen.com has also strengthened its position in relation to high Type Merit Holsteins, with Van Gogh (+3.18) holding his position at number two and Alliance (+3.14) moving up to third in these rankings. Two further highlights for Bullsemen.com in the Type Merit table include Toystory, up to +2.02 as his UK proof strengthens and reflects his international proof more accurately, and Gandolf, a major improver for feet and legs with a Type Merit rising to +2.54.

With three of the top five UK proven Holstein bulls in Leif (£187 PLI), Jardin (£178 PLI) and Mascol (£175) and retention of the number one overall position with Lynbrook Jancen (£251 PLI), Bullsemen.com has reinforced its position as the leading supplier of high PLI genetics following the August 2011 proof run.

The company also retains the highest £PLI Holstein available as sexed semen with Logan (£236), has one of the highest risers in Coldsprings Garner - up 20 PLI points to £221 PLI – and has more bulls in the top 100 than any other semen supplier (28).

So strong a showing is no accident, stemming from the clear conviction by Bullsemen.com that dairy farmers’ bull selection should be driven first and foremost by profit.

“There is no clearer indicator for dairy farmers than the Profitable Lifetime Index when it comes to bull selection, with the latest research by Promar valuing each PLI point at £4.21,” says Nick Kirby of Bullsemen.com.

“If we halve this figure to allow for the dam’s influence, we can apply a simple ‘rule of thumb’ that the added profit contribution of a heifer coming into the herd is two times her sire’s PLI. So for a herd with ten milking daughters by Jancen, for example, the additional profitability can be calculated to equate to over £5,000 per annum.

“I urge dairy farmers to apply this simple mathematics across their herd when they make their bull selections to see the potential impact of selecting high PLI sires.”

Majestic-Manor beacon, at £200 PLI, is the highest of six newly released Holstein sires from Bullsemen.com now featuring in the Holstein UK bull proof listings. All six are in the PLI top 50, giving Bullsemen.com a dominant one-third share of this category.

A son of top PLI sire O-Bee Manfred Justice, Majestic Manor Beacon is +705kg for milk and +31kg fat (+55kg fat and protein combined), and -13% for somatic cell count.

Four other O-Bee Manfred Justice sons are amongst Bullsemen.com's latest new releases, including Dansire Oman D Opman (£198 PLI), Springhill-OH Conviction (£171 PLI), Omro (£171 PLI) and Clair-Lo Jack. All share high milk production, very good fat and protein and are long living cattle with good somatic cell count scores.

Lisleview Mtoto Lethal is the sixth new entry from Bullsemen.com since the April proof run. Part of the recently launched Blade Star Sires premium bull calf scheme, Lethal has an excellent lifespan of +0.5 and outstanding milk production of +673kg.

A new concept is being introduced by Bullsemen.com to the UK - one of buying a team of bulls to suit various herd needs rather than just one bull at a time.

This idea is extremely popular in New Zealand, claim Bullsemen.com, and the concept can offer advantages to UK dairy farmers:

• The needs of cows requiring different traits can be better satisfied from within a group of five or six bulls rather than just one or two.  Farmers can select the appropriate bull from within the team to match with cow traits that need improvement, such as udders, feet & legs, body strength and production.
• Buying a bull team lowers overall semen costs as a greater number of straws can be purchased at one time. It is therefore easier to stay within the semen budget.

In the example below the average price of semen is £9.87 for a total 120 straws. More information from Bullsemen.com (Tel: 0808 202 3230).

Example of team of bulls