ABS Australia sires standouts in Australian Breeding Values 2019

The Australian Breeding Values 2019 list ranked according to on-farm profit has an ABS sire in the top position.

SEVEN of the top 10 sires in the most recent Australian Breeding Value Holstein Australian proven release have been claimed by ABS Australia.

Released on Monday, the list ranked according to on-farm profit, has ABS sire, 29HO18101 Larcrest Calumet, in the top position with a balance performance index price of $367.

Sired by ABS bull View-Home Monterey, Calumet is also the No. 1 sire on the health weighted index, a reflection of his positive daughter fertility at 109.

He is also the No. 1 sire on the type weighted index.

Calumet has performed well for mastitis resistance and feed-saved, on top of positive fat and protein percentages.

He has an added advantage of siring offspring with outstanding udders, scoring 111.

Calumet was one of five ABS graduates at the top of the Holstein ABV daughter proven list.

ABVs 2019 TABLE (PDF)

ABS Australia’s operations manager Bruce Ronalds said the December ABV results would allow farmers to plan early with sires that had strong figures supporting their production, health traits and type.

“ABS Australia has never had a proof run as successful as this for our proven product,” Mr Ronalds said.

“It is a testament to the strategy we adopted six years ago when we focused on genomically testing everything coming in from overseas. Our commitment was to make proven sires in Australia, and we are seeing that now.”

ABS Australia South Gippsland account manager Brian Enbom has assessed more than 60 Calumet daughters on eight different farms.

“I have been impressed with the temperament of all the Calumet daughters,” he said. “They are (a) very even groups of heifers that have fantastic udders and great dairy frames. They all have the makings of cows which will last for a long time and be profitable for their owners.”