April Proofs: Home grown cow families to the fore

With each new proof release the Holstein breed continues to progress with the top list a great indicator of the strength, diversity and success of the breed.

Thank you to the members who genomic test their females’ year-on-year to provide the data that allows the measurement of the genetic gain within the Holstein breed in Australia.

We also wish to acknowledge the breeders who have females ranked at the very top of the breed, as listed below.

April’s top 20 list shows the top registered genomic tested females irrespective of age. Overall the list displays a high level of stability from release to release. The addition of new entrants, with half the list comprising animals born in 2020 and 2021, reflects the genetic progress of the breed.

Many outstanding cow families feature on this list, some representing decades of breeding in Australia while others have been more recent imports, adding further diversity to the local Holstein population.

The top cow, from the Sleepy family, goes back 7 generations in Australia while fourth ranked Currajugle Jeronimo Golden 2906, the Golden family, goes back to an imported embryo from the 1990s developed here in Australia, firstly by the Clifford family and then by the Joliffe’s.

The Dallas and Daria families (number 5 on the list, Illawambra Lawson Dallas 3194 and new entrant this month Emu Banks River Daria 12147) originate from  the same cow family which goes all the way back to Rockwood Park via Eclipse, Manna Farm and, Fiorendino. The Ollies (Dillee Fedora Ollie 329ET) backed by 12 generations is  homebred in Australia.

What is interesting this run is the impact of past Cow of the Year winners and all-round great performers; Bundalong Donor Perfector (2011) and Orchard Vale Informer Tiffany (2019) that feature in the pedigrees of females included in the list.

More recent imports include the Beyonce, Olympia and Comestar-L families, represented by Vala, Karrmona and Redmaw Holsteins.

The long term contribution of the Appendix system, a cornerstone of registration whereby grade cows can be upgraded to purebred status over multiple generations. , is  clear to see at the top of the breed in Australia. Eight females on this list go back to Appendix origins, including Jelbart Jeronimo Roxanne 15905, second on the list, and Gundowring Trickin 7202 at number three.

The Appendix System has allowed Holstein breeders to identify new cow families over the years and through herd testing and classification develop these families into long term contributors to the gene pool.

Genomics has provided the opportunity to reinforce the value of cow families, along with the skill of the breeders, is helping to discover new cow families and the ongoing development of the breed.

This can be seen with animals on this list backed by 12 generations of the  home bred cow family, the Ollies, and heifers backed by more than 15  generations in the Dallas and Daria families, spanning across a number of herds as well as  consistently performing within each herd.

The role of imported cow families also cannot be underestimated. Included in this top 20 list are heifers originating from imports over 20  years ago as well as more recently.  These new additions to the Australian population complement existing Australian cow families and will continue to do so.

The April run highlights the high ranking females at the pinnacle of the breed, with the proven cow families behind the numbers providing an insight into the ongoing development and genetic advancement of the Australian Holstein cow.