Australia's offering of good dairy bulls is now even better.
DataGene has updated the criteria for Holstein bulls to attain Good Bulls status.
The organisation said this improvement in the way it classified bulls was set to ensure long-term genetic development for the Australian dairy industry.
From August, a Holstein bull must be above the breed average for the Balanced Performance Index (BPI) to feature in the Good Bulls Guide.
In 2022, 76 per cent of recorded calves were sired by a bull from the 2021 Good Bulls Guide.
DataGene stakeholder relations specialist Peter Thurn said this change shrank the offering of 'Good Bulls' to about 750 Holsteins and a total of 1000 across all dairy breeds.
"With this update, the bottom-end of the criteria has lifted, and this has improved the average quality of the bulls that are labelled 'Good Bulls'," he said.
"Since the introduction of genomics, there have been more bulls available than ever.
"Raising the bar - or the standard of what is called a 'Good Bull' - ensures it is clear which bulls are the best and there's no need to filter through huge numbers of sires."
Mr Thurn said most dairy farmers chose up to seven bulls for breeding, which meant there were still plenty available with the slightly reduced offering.
The improvement in the 'Good Bulls' baseline reflects the genetic progress made throughout the Australian dairy industry thanks to herd improvement tools such as genomics.
For example, the average BPI of Australian Holstein cows has risen by about 233 per cent from 2011 to 2022.
"Australian dairy has made some phenomenal progress with its genetic base, we have some great locally bred bulls as well as access to the best bulls from across the globe," Mr Thurn said.
"It's important to not only reflect this improvement but also put a criterion in place to ensure we can build on this."
Top bulls revealed in latest release
A bull with exceptional production, type and fertility has been crowned Australia's top proven Holstein sire in the latest Australian Breeding Values release.
The bull - Pine-Tree Huron - had a BPI of 536.
It also ranked at the top of the Sustainability Index at 1271.
The bull is marketed in Australia by ABS Australia and according to ABS business operations manager Bruce Ronalds it is the complete package.
"This sire pretty much has everything, he's unique in the sense that he has really high ASI (production) with good type," Mr Ronalds said.
"He's a really good example of how ABS uses strategic mating to develop sires for different dairy farmer breeding objectives.
"For example, Huron can be traced back to the famous View-Home Uno Hope cow, and has huge production, while other sires with similar lineage, Carters-Corner Dazzle and Carters -Corner Fc HI Hope, are kicking goals in the show ring because of their exceptional type."
Mr Ronalds said dairy farmers milking Huron daughters were now choosing to use the sire again, a "testament" to the quality of the bull.
Timboon, Vic, dairy farmer Jason Smith, Ja Dale Holsteins, has a Huron heifer producing 36 litres a day with a production index of 115 in a herd of 200 cows.
The heifer was recently classified 85 points as a two-year-old.
Mr Smith chose to breed with Huron because of its impressive genomic proof, US figures and its lineage back to the strong American cow family Martha Sheen.
"This Huron heifer, she has an outstanding rear udder, high milk flow and production," Mr Smith said.
Two bulls jointly topped the BPI genomic list in the August release.
Carenda Sondalo and 0200HO11284 Progenesis Powerhouse sit at 587 following August ABV proofs.
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