May 2008 No. 19 / 3.00 Euro TOP - NEWS. German Winter Shows Changes in genetic evaluation Holsteins breeding in Russia

Transcription

1 May 2008 No. 19 / 3.00 Euro TOP - NEWS German Winter Shows Changes in genetic evaluation Holsteins breeding in Russia

2 Day of the Newcomer. 10 interesting progeny groups of new bulls and a lot of excitement On May 29th, 2008 from 9.30 to in Cloppenburg on the GGI premisis. What else can be expected: - GGI members inform about the latest developments in breeding - - Food and drinks, a lot of fun and action - - Interesting discussions with breeding fellows - - Visit research farm of Urban Ltd. - - Open air museum Cloppenburg with guided tours - - Exhibition of agricultural companies - Day of the Newcomer 2006

3 Index 2-3 The Red Holsteins hit the 8,000 kg mark 3 Holsteins export report 4-5 Winter-show-report 6 Changes to breeding values 7-10 Comment april proof run 11 New bulls 12 Portrait: Vachim 13 Changes to breeding values 14 Report: Holsteins in Russia 15 News 15 Events 16 Preview: Day of the Newcomer PUBLISHER: German Genetics International (GGI) Am Osterfeld Cloppenburg-Bethen Phone: Fax: info@ggi.de Design/Layout: Print: German Genetics International GmbH Ostendorf Druckerei und Verlag GmbH Cloppenburg The Red Holsteins hit the 8,000 kg mark In 2007 the German Holstein cows produced, on average, 8,747 kg milk; the Red Holsteins surpassed the 8,000 kg mark for the first time, with 8,030 kg (see figure). The number of herdbook cows increased slightly to 1.64 mil lion animals. The top production record for all cows was registered for a Red Holstein, Lanze (s. Academy). The cow of D. Kaluza (Cuxhaven) produced, in her 5th lactation 1,890 kg fat + protein from 18,604 kg milk (305 days). Lanze is the first cow ever to be able to rank in all her 5 lactations among the six best heifers /cows. The highest production record for fat + protein yield among the Holsteins was achieved by Lasso daughter Carina with 1,503 kg solids in her 5th lactation (18,447 kg milk; 305 days). At No Cows Milk kg Fat % Fat kg Prot % Prot kg Holsteins 1,491,730 8, Red Hol. 137,081 8, Still raising in 2007: Average milk yield for 1.6 mio Holstein and Red Holsteins Top lifetime production records (Holstein cows still alive in 2007, ranked by kg fat + protein Cow Sire Calves Milk kg Fat % Fat kg Prot % Prot kg F+P kg Holstein Nashville Enhancer , , ,213 11,812 Insine Stardom , , ,554 11,751 Wenka Chief Mark , , ,164 11,694 Eule Total , , ,268 11,447 Caroline Blackstar , , ,775 11,077 Red Holstein Roxi Creation , , ,935 10,222 Banny Appollo , , ,729 10,023 Danika Trivalent , , ,301 9,650 Photo front cover: Lypoll daughter Odana Photographer: Elly Geverink German Version available as PDF Carina, 5th lactation, (s. Lasso) on rank #1 of the Holstein cows in producing solids in 2007 with her 1,503 kg Fat + Protein. Adria VG85 (s. Stoll) cows (16,

4 German Holsteins Unbroken Demand ranks Villa (s. Luke), having produced 1,468 kg fat + protein and 18,486 kg milk. The top production for amount of milk was by Gibbon-daughter Juna with 20,051 kg in 305 days. In the Red Holstein list Stoll-daughter Adria from W. van Heek (Kleve) ranks No. 2 with 1,426 kg fat + protein over a Cadon-daughter (1,316 kg fat and protein). In the list of highest heifers, once again a Red Holstein heifer is on top. Origindaughter Michelle from the farm Caspar (Heimertshausen) achieved 1,109 kg fat + protein. Ranked No. 2 and highest Hol stein heifer is Baronese (s. Best) in front of Aguna (s. Good) with 1,094 kg fat + protein. The highest lifetime production in 2007 was reached by Enhancer Nashville with 11,812 kg solids (155,958 kg milk). In 2007, a total of 61,046 breeding heifers have been sold to 32 countries. It gets even more impressive when you look at the results of the past 5 years. Since 2003 a total of over 310,000 Holstein breeding heifers have been exported. Even though the majority are black and white Holstein heifers, the customer s demands are also met with the Red Holsteins. The demand for German Holsteins remains strong despite the prices having increased over the last year. Holstein: top lactation records (305d) cows and heifers, ranked by kg fat + protein Cow Sire Lac. Milk kg Fat % Fat kg Prot % Prot kg F+P kg Holstein Cows Carina Lasso 5 18, ,503 Villa Luke 9 18, ,468 Elli Star 3 16, ,440 Franke Black Boy 5 15, ,410 Areila Marmax RF 3 17, , Predello 4 17, ,396 Holstein Heifers Baronese Best 1 12, ,094 Aguna Good 1 12, ,094 Bella Ladin 1 15, ,085 Rica Champion 1 11, ,083 The export to Southern Europe was very limited due to export restrictions following Bluetongue disease. However, the demand in the neighbouring countries of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands has risen strongly. Over the last year they imported 7,500 Holstein heifers from Germany. Many customers from European countries purchase directly from the monthly auction sales at which, annually, more than 20,000 breeding heifers are traded. This underlines the great satisfaction of our neighbouring countries with the German auctions and the good quality of German Holsteins. Other important importing countries within the EU have been Poland and Hungary and towards the end of the year, once again the traditional markets of Spain and Italy. More than half of the animals were exported to countries outside the EU. In particular, customers from Russia imported about two thirds of the heifers. Russia is one of the traditional buyers of German cattle as are countries in North Africa, Morocco being the biggest client for German breeding heifers in the last year. In the current year Algeria and Tunisia will be supplied in greater numbers since there is a very high demand and the veterinary certificates are being negotiated. Furthermore, heifers were delivered to Croatia and after a long break for the first time into the Ukraine. For the current export year the order books are full as Holstein genetics from Germany remain extremely popular. Red Holstein: top lactation records (305d) cows and heifers, ranked by kg fat + protein Cow Sire Lac. Milk kg Fat % Fat kg Prot % Prot kg F+P kg Red Holstein Cows Lanze Academy 5 18, , ,890 Adria Stoll 2 16, ,426 Arabella Cadon 3 16, ,316 Lava Lentini 5 13, ,233 Alma Laredo Red 7 14, ,227 Verena Veteran 3 17, ,221 Red Holstein Heifers Michelle Origin 1 13, ,109 Arabella Rubens Red 1 12, ,027 SN Ashley Paradox 1 13, ,016 Annabel Rotschenk 1 13, ,013 with 1,426 kg of solids is #2 of all Red Holstein 3.16; 305 days.) in her 2nd lactation 3

5 Winter shows present current sires with 39 daughter groups Current sires were presented with a total of 39 daughter groups at 9 winter shows between September 2008 and March Pictures of chosen daughter groups can be found on page 9. A promising start was the LTR Schau in Lasdorf on September 15th, Among others, daughter groups of Bobas (Dutch Boy x Novalis) and Jelto (Jesther x Marconi) were presented. Bobas sires framy animals with stable feet & legs, well-attached, balanced and slightly bigger udders. The Jelto daughters mainly attract attention with functionality and very tight, well-attached udders. At the end of October, the RUW Schau took place in Hamm. The Folleto daughters (Ford x Addison) looked very stylish with good development in stature and frame. They impressed with good feet & legs and very tight quality udders. Redcross (Faber x Rubens) was bred and tested in Canada. His daughters were at the end of their first lactation. They are framy animals with very good pasterns and foot angle as well as outstanding udders. Also presented was a very uniform group of robust and strong Rubinrot (Rubens Red x Kom Leader) heifers showing well set rear legs as well as solid udders. Heifer Fakira was strong for feet & legs and udder and was chosen as champion heifer. Two Cadon daughters won in the Red Holstein classes: Geraldinchen in the middle class and Feuer of the old cows. Pisa (s. Strunz) became Reserve Champion of the young Holsteins. At the RBB show Blickpunkt Rind in Paaren at the end of November, the daughter group of Eminem (Eminenz x Malvoy) was very impressive. The charismatic daughters from the test period moved on very good feet & legs and showed udders with a very good ligament, high rear udders and correct teat placement. The Eminem daughter Elli became Champion. Ticket daughter, Ticka, was a winner in the middle classes. The Rinderzuchtverband Sachsen-Anhalt (RSA) hosted the Nikolaus Schau in Bismark in early December. There were progeny groups of the sires Formalist (Forbidden x Basar), Merinit (Mtoto x Geoffry) and Millennium CV (Mtoto x Luke). The newcomer, Formalist, does not yet have official figures. His daughters showed a strong front end and a deep rib. As well as impressive udders, they had extraordinary long and wide, very wellsloped rumps. The Formalist daughter Fantasy became Champion. The dairy Merinit daughters attracted attention with a very open rib as well as well-sloped rumps and impressive wide udders with a very strong ligament. The framy Millenium CV daughters showed very good bodies and attracted attention with high udders and a correct teat placement. The Bonatus daughter, Hanseatin, was able to win her second Grand Champion title at the Nikolaus Show. She achieved this in her 6th lactation! At the beginning of January the WEU- Konvent took place in Oldenburg. Irana (s. Laroso) Champion Hessens Zukunft Daughter groups of Formalist and Merinit, who had already been successful at the Nikolaus Show, were presented. The daughter groups of Ludox (Lucky Red x Patron) were presented as well-developed dairy heifers, attracting attention with quality feet & legs as well as well-textured and firmly attached udders. Novize (Novalis x Jabot) is a top sire for longevity and components. His correctly sloped daughters impressed with good feet & legs. The highly attached udders with a good teat placement showed high quality. Among the Red Holsteins (old classes) Cadon daughter, Zimba, was able to win ahead of Alone (v. Vince). The RSH local show Neumünster am Abend took place in January. A total of 11 Holstein, Red Holstein and Angler daughter groups were presented. A very uniform daughter group of Leif Geraldinchen (s. Cadon) Intermediate Champion RUW Schau, Hamm Anina (s. Louvre) Grand Champion Exzellentschau, Leer 4

6 (Lukas x Zack) showed a good dairy type with above-average capacity. The high and wide rear udders with a strong ligament were very eye-catching. The Vachim daughters (s. Brando x Celsius) showed a lot of capacity combined with long bodies. As well as good feet & legs with high feet, the daughters impressed with very good udders with an excellent teat placement (More about Vachim on page 12). Solid daughters of Hepcat (Lentini x Factor), with ample frame and wide rumps were presented. As well as correctly set rear legs and good feet, the udders were faultless. The daughter group of Runaway (Rubens Red x Power) presented itself with strong front end and body depth. The feet & legs and udders were perfect. The daughters of Taecks (Tulip x Caveman) were average for frame and dairy BCH Paola (s. Minister) Champion young cows Rind aktuell, Karow type with dry and clear hocks. Highlights were the well-textured udders. Among the Red Holsteins Emsige (s. Achtung) won the middle classes ahead of Joyboy daughter, Eileen. Dunja (s. Faber) was able to win in the older classes. The Holstein heifer Heidelinde (s. Juote) became Reserve Champion. The show Hessens Zukunft (ZBH) took place in Alsfeld at the beginning of February Dermory (Derry x Rudolph) was shown without official figures. His bright daughters are framy, functional cows with a good dairy type, good feet & legs and well-attached udders. The Dubby daughter group (Dutch Boy x Convincer) impressed with a good frame, capacity, very good feet & legs and udders. The Juwel daughters (Jesther x Lord Lily) caused excitement with a lot of type and fine, clean and correctly set feet & legs as well as outstanding udders. Starfire (Stadel x Andries) presented framy daughters with solid feet & legs, clean bone and wellattached udders. At the Excellent - show in Leer (VOSt) back in March daugh ter groups of the second crop bull, Minister (Mtoto x Rudolph) as well as of the 3 Champion sons Chapman (Champion x Starleader), Charts (Champion x Formation) and Chianti (Champion x Gelpro) were presented. Chapman presented long daughters with a correct top line and suitable depth and strength. The averagely high attached rear udders showed a strong ligament. The tall and productive Charts daughters impressed with a correct rump width and slope. The udders were well-attached with a strong ligament. The EX 97 classified Chapman, underlined his qualities as a conformation sire with the impressive Tara, who became Champion Heifer. Reserve Champion was Charts daughter, Lanka. Chianti presents daughters who are average for frame with a good depth and strength as well as correctly sloped rumps. The firmly attached udders show a clear ligament. The Louvre daughter, KHL Anina, was crowned Grand Champion and received the title Miss Ostfriesland. The final winter show was Rind aktuell in Karow (RMV) on March 19th, As well as the daughter groups of Leif and Vachim (RSH show) already mentioned, daughter groups of Check (Champion x Fatal), Moses (Morty x Emerson) and Zar (Zappa x Amaretto) were presented. The dairy Check daughters appeared very uniform with a lot of body depth, strength in the front end and a good top line as well as correct rear legs, good foot quality and impressive, long and firmly attached fore udders. Zac presented uniform and functional daughters. The animals appeared compact with sufficient body depth and were average for frame. The rear leg set was good as well as the feet. In the heifer class, the Minister daughter BcH Paola was placed over BcH Anabel (s. Predello). Larina (s. Leif ) Champion daughter groups Neumünster am Abend Elli (s. Eminem) Champion daughter groups, Paaren 5

7 Many changes in breeding value calculation The German Holstein associations have approved important changes to be introduced in the April 2008 evaluation run. Most important is the introduction of the daughter fertility index RZR and its inclusion in the total merit index RZG. Furthermore the focus is now more on functional conformation with more weight on feet & legs and less on dairy type. In January 2008 VIT introduced the new multi-trait model for daughter fertility with five traits. Germany, Canada (new very similar model) and the joint Scandinavian evaluation are the only countries that can provide all 5 different fertility traits converted by Interbull. Up to now most countries have just two or three of these traits. Countries without good and complete insemination data can only evaluate calving interval. Daughter fertility index RZR For effective practical selection the five fertility traits are aggregated into the new daughter fertility index RZR (R=Reproduction). Besides genetic parameters the economic importance of the traits is accounted for. The four conception traits form the conception index (CON) and get 75 % relative weight in RZR. Time Calving to First Insemination representing the ability of recyc- Re- Cycle Conception Time Calving to 1st Ins. (CF) Non-return rate 56 days (NR ) 1st to Last Insemenation (FL ) Heifer 12,5 % Cow 25 % Heifer 12,5 % Cow 25 % Daughter fertility index RZR (R=Reproduktion) aggregates the 4 conception traits and the ability to recycle after calving according to the economic importance Gibor profits from the changes: 10 % weight for fertility (RZR 121); new trait locomotion (143); more weight for feet&legs (135) ling after calving gets 25 % weight (see figure). Both complexes cause about the same amount of total genetic variance in calving interval but the economic impact of a prolonged calving interval by delayed first heat is less than by reduced conception ability. An extended calving interval results in a slight reduction in milk production independently from the reason. A reduced conception causes additional costs for the (re-)insemination. The two complexes start of cycle and conception are genetically almost independent and all combinations of low/high are found. The heritability of fertility traits is low (1-4 %). Therefore the reliability of RZR from the test period of bulls is %. High reliabilities, and with that, extreme values are reached only from se- Cow 25 % cond crop. An important aspect of selecting for fertility is the negative genetic correlation to milk production traits (-0.30). The higher the genetic level for production, the more difficult it is to combine it with good fertility. So the direct comparison of RZR between bulls transmitting very high production or average production is not fair. However, solving current herd fertility Relativ-EBV Relativ-EBV Reproduction problems is not Conception RZR possible by selecting high fertility (CON) 75 % bulls. The low heritability means that more than 95 % of the differences in cow fertility are not based on genetics but other factors like management. Changes within conformation The most obvious changes are the % lower numbers for all conformation traits. The standardisation of all conformation breeding values was changed to the same system as for all Hilla, 6th La other relative breeding values; i.e. one GENETIC standard deviation is equal to 12 relative points. Before standardisation it was 12 points EBV within the bull base. The reduction of the variance due to standardization has no impact on the ranking of bulls. Re-rankings cause the other changes within conformation. Genetic evaluation for two new traits was introduced: Locomotion and Body Condition Score (BCS). BCS is a possible predicted trait for fertility and is not included in the linear picture and conformation indices. Locomotion is the 5th linear feet & legs trait and gets 20 % relative weight within the feet & legs index. Now all 5 linear feet & leg traits get the same relative weight of 20 % in the feet & leg index. Locomotion has only medium genetic correlations to the other linear traits and describes important new aspects for the overall functionality of feet & legs. Overall feet & legs including locomotion gets more weight in total conformation RZE (30 %; see table). Farmers report feet & legs problems as 2nd most important reason for cows to leave the farm just behind udder health problems with fertility problems in 3rd place. The extra weight in RZE is taken from dairy type (10 %; before 15 %). Dairy type is Relative weight within RZE Holstein old new Dairy Type 15 % 10 % Body 20 % 20 % Feet&Legs 25 % 30 % Udder 40 % 40 % More weight for feet&legs in overall conformation RZE and less for dairy type negatively correlated to fertility. In former times dairy type played a major role in improving the will to milk but today with very reliable EBVs for the production traits, this aspect of dairy type has lost importance. Another change within conformation concerns the weighting of dimension traits body depth, strength and stature in the body index. The breed organizations initiated research by Halle University continued on page 13 6

8 Many new figures, few new bulls The April proof run produced some news by changing the ranking of many bulls. The number of new bulls, however, is small. The introduction of the new fertility index RZR and its weight of 10 % in the Total Merit Index have made most of the Mtoto and Lukas sons go up and Jocko Besn sons drop. All conformation figures are about 15 % lower due to the new standardisation. Finally there was a shift of base for all relative breeding values with -3 resp. -2 points RZM for Holsteins and Red Holsteins. Holstein All these changes could not do any damage to the old and new No. 1, Mascol. Far from it! With a level RZG 151 he even gained 2 points despite the shift of base and continues to maintain his lead. In particular, the combination of very high production and his daughter fertility RZR 111 is impressive. Gibor at No. 2 is probably the biggest winner in this proof run. With almost unchanged single traits, but now with more than 8,000 daughters all changes work for him so that he rises up by 9 points RZG to 147 and gains 11 places. With RZR 121, he is highly positive for daughter fertility. As an undoubted feet & legs (135) and udder specialist, he is benefiting from the fact these conformation traits are weighted higher in RZG. Bobas looses a bit of his still very high RZM, but gains in udder health (122) and above all in longevity (116). The Jocko sons are not the strongest for daughter fertility and so Jardin (RZG 139), Jobess (RZG 137), Jacinto (RZG 132) and Strobel (Stormatic x T Funkis) daughter Stella most of all Jefferson (RZG130) go down a few places. Juncker is one of the few Jocko sons with positive daughter fertility. As he is also climbing for udder health (RZS 107, +1) he is able to rise a few places and is now one of the highest Jocko sons around. Laudan now has more than 20,000 daughters and at No. 12 is now the highest active Lukas son. He gains for udder health and in particular for longevity, now up to RZN 137 (+5) and through his good daughter fertility (RZR 122). Leif also has RZR 112 (RZG 130). Of the 3 Emersonsons, Eleve is now at the top (RZG 134). This conformation specialist (RZE 137) rises markedly for longevity (112, +5). Emil II remains constant. The slightly younger Emir (MS Juror), however, gets additional daughters and looses slightly in conformation (RZE 124). The Jesther sons Juwel (RZG 133), Jelder (RZG 128) and most of all Jurus gain for longevity with more daughter information available for the 2nd and 3rd lactations. Furthermore Jurus is positive for daughter fertility (104). One of the highest new entries in January, Eminem (Eminenz x Malvoy) is a winner but with some changes in his single breeding values. Losses in production (RZM 124) and conformation (RZE 121) are compensated for by gains in udder health (+4), longevity and good daughter fertility (RZR 110). The other newcomer, Vachim (V Brando x Celsius) remains steady (read portrait on page 12). Zar (Zappa x Amaretto) daughter Zerbst New Sires New on the list is Zar (RZG 132) thanks to clear gains in all traits compared to his debut (Read more about this protein and udder health specialist on page 11). Rahn is the first Ramos son on the list (MS Prelude). Like his father, he is attractive for his high figures for functional traits. Mister has a very interesting pedigree with Mr Ships x Jocko Besn x Dannix. With RZM 120, RZE 125, RZS 115 and RZN 107 he is more than solid. Sexed semen is available. Strobel with RZE 132 is the highest of the early Stormatic sons and from a Danish T Funkis dam. He is outstanding in feet & legs and udder health (read more on page 11). Proven Stylist (RZG 132) rises for longevity, currently a clearly positive 108. Now with 3,217 daughters, Novize is able to re-enter the Top 50. The longevity specialist also benefits from the changed weightings within the RZE: now 30 % weighting for his good feet & legs (119). Donato (RZG 127) gains slightly in production (RZM 120) and also rises thanks to a good RZR 107 and still excellent RZE 129. Folleto suffers the heaviest losses (RZG 126). The reasons are lower production figures of his German daughters and additional daughters in the Czech Republic from a co-test (RZM 119, -8). In conformation and udder health the additional daughters confirm the high level of this interesting Ford son (RZE 128, RZS 114). The Mtoto sons remain steady, especially for health traits, with daughters from the second crop. Monami (RZG 126) does not yet have additional daughters, but Merinit already has more than 2,000 daughters from his second crop (RZG 124, +2). Minister (RZG 122) was one of the most used bulls for several years and now the second crop daughters are entering in big continued on page 10 7

9 Current proofs of GGI top sires (April Further information: H O L S T E I N S R E D H O L S T E I N S Name HB-No. Sire M.Sire Milk kg Fat Fat Prot Prot RZM Rel Dau /Herds Dairy C. Body F&L Udder RZE % kg % kg % MASCOL ET TLTV MTOTO RUDOLPH GIBOR TLTV GIBBON SUNNYBOY BOBAS TLTV DUTCH BOY NOVALIS JANGO TLTV JOCKO BESN LUKAS JARDIN TL JOCKO BESN TONIC JOBESS TLTV JOCKO BESN AIRLINER LAUDAN TLTV LUKAS RAIDER JUNKER TLTV JOCKO BESN LASSO ELEVE TLTV EMERSON STORM JUWEL TLTV JESTHER LORD LILY JACINTO ET TLTV JOCKO BESN FATAL EMINEM TLTV EMINENZ MALOY ZAR new TLTV ZAPPA AMARETTO STYLIST TLTV STEVEN GIBBON RAHN new TLTV RAMOS PRELUDE EMIL II TLTV EMERSON ESQUIMAU VACHIM TLTV V BRANDO CELSIUS LEIF TLTV LUKAS ZACK JEFFERSON TLTV JOCKO BESN DOMBINATOR NOVIZE TLTV NOVALIS JABOT JELDER TLTV JESTHER BASAR JURUS TLTV JESTHER ESENTATION DONATO TLTV DUTCH BOY ZACK FOLLETO TLTV FORD ADDISON MONAMI TLTV MTOTO LEE HEROLD TLTV HELDOSTAR CHESAPEAKE MISTER new TLTV MR.SHIPS JOCKO BESN DUBBY TLTV DUTCH BOY CONVINCER MERINIT TLTV MTOTO GEOFFRY AMADOR TLTV AARON ESQUIMAU TIAMO TLTV TANKER CORSARO MINISTER TLTV MTOTO RUDOLPH STROBEL new TLTV STORMATIC T FUNKIS EMIR TLTV EMERSON JUROR JORRIK ET TLTV JORRIELAKE ESQUIMAU ALLIANCE TLTV ALLEN LEE NOG SALEM TLTV SIERRA AMARETTO JANNSEN TLTV JOCKO BESN MANDEL DETROIT TLTV DURHAM LEE FOKUS TLTV FORD MTOTO ALIZA TV AARON BELL ELTON LABIATE TLTV LADIN SALTO DOUGLAS TLTV DURHAM BLACKSTAR JUOTE TLTV JUROR CLEITUS CECON TLTV CAPRI FORMATION FIELDHOUSE TLTV LEE LINDY POLLENT PP TLTV LENTINI RF POLL. PLUS TOCAR TLTV TOPRED LUCKY LEO MALVOY TLTV MARMAX RF CELSIUS STABILO TLTV STADEL LAREDO RED FAMOS TLTV FABER TALENT R CADISCO TLTV CADON KOERIER STARFIRE TLTV STADEL ANDRIES CARMANO TLTV CADON LAY OUT BRAVISI TLTV CLIFHANGER MILESTONE RUNAWAY TLTV RUBENS POWER VINCE TLTV CADON AMEL RUBINROT TLTV RUBENS KOM LEADER LUGARUS TLTV LUCKO KOM LEADER FAROMIR TLTV FABER KOERIER RUBELLO TLTV RUBENS LAREDO RED LUDOX TLTV LUCKY RED PATRON CARTELL TLTV CADON KOM LEADER CARIBIC TLTV CARED TULIP RICOBAR TLTV RUBENS TULIP DRAMBUIE TLTV RUBENS RF JUROR FAME TLTV FABER FLANO ET BARNY RED TLTV RUBENS RF STORM LAUREL TLTV LAY OUT CAVEMAN LYPOLL PP TLTV LYON-RED CLIFHANGER FABER TLTV FACTOR RF NICK JAKE-RED TLTV SOVEREIGN JOHNSON REDCROSS TLTV FABER RUBENS RF TAECKS TLTV TULIP CAVEMAN AVANTI TLTV FLANO ET LEADMAN STAVROS TLTV STADEL FACTOR RF FANROY TLTV FABER ROELS RUSTLER TLTV LAREDO RED MILESTONE

10 2008) RZR RZS RZN RZG Calving Ease *** *** ** ** *** ** *** ** ** ** *** *** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** *** *** ** ** ** *** ** *** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** *** *** ** *** ** ** ** Abbreviations: HB-No.... Herdbook Number M.Sire... Mothers Sire Prot... Protein RZM... Milk Yield Rel.%... Reliability Dau... Daughters Herds... Herds Dairy C.... Dairy Character F&L... Feet&Legs RZE... Type Traits RZR... Reproduction RZS... Somatic Cell Count RZN... Survival Rate RZG... Total Merit Index Calving ease: * below average ** good *** easy Daughter groups presented at the recent Winter Shows Leif daughtergroup presentet at Rind aktuell in Karow Ludox daughtergroup at WEU Konvent in Oldenburg Merenit daughters were presented at WEU Konvent in Oldenburg ** *** ** ** ** ** *** ** * ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** * *** ** *** ** ** ** *** *** * ** *** ** Minister daughters at Exzellentschau from VOST in Leer Novize daughters presented at WEU Konvent in Oldenburg 9

11 continued from page 7 Red Holstein Mister (Mr.Ships x Jocko Besn) daughter Mira numbers. He rose slightly in RZM and RZS but went down for conformation (RZE 120). With Herold, another second crop bull moves into the spot light. Now with more than 10,000 daughters the Heldostar son jumps up +8 points to RZG 126 and attracts new attention with high conformation, extremely good longevity (RZN 136) as well as excellent fertility (RZR 115). Amador didn t really benefit from his first new daughters. The main reason for his lower RZG is the below average fertility, common to most of the Aaron sons like Aliza (RZR 80), Jannsen, the oldest Jocko son world wide, gets his first 49 additional daughters. They cause him to drop slightly in production (RZM 113; -2) and in conformation (RZE 135; -4) though he still belongs to the top when it comes to conformation (135). Dubby is able to compensate for losses in RZE with gains in longevity and good fertility (RZR 107). Tiamo appears without change and is still a good allrounder. The Jorrielake son, Jorrik didn t have to worry about the changes to the new formula with RZR 100, good legs and udders (RZE 118). Among the conformation specialists, Allen son, Alliance with RZE 141 is at the top together with Douglas (RZE 143) who, unfortunately, recently passed away. Labiate with his super feet & legs (131) and udders (127) was able to rise in RZE up to 136. Fokus (RZE 132) goes up 2 points in RZG. Cecon decreases in production down to RZM 95 but is positive in all other traits, in particular, conformation (RZE 131). With RZR 107, Juote (RZE 131) now confirms his fertility figures from Scandinavia. Fieldhouse went up slightly for production with additional daughters but the changes within the conformation affected him quite a bit. The polled Pollent Pp looses due to his below average daughter fertility. The introduction and weighting of the RZR has led to fewer changes for the Red Holstein sires than for the Holsteins, as the important sires of sons do not show such an extreme variation in daughter fertility. Tocar still is at No. 1 but the lead of the Topred son has decreased. Malvoy rises up to No. 4. He goes up slightly for udder health and mainly in RZN up to positive 101. Stabilo, the highest Stadel son at No. 5, gains in RZN (115, +4). With 122, he still is the strongest sire for conformation among the top 5. The conformation sire Famos (RZE 132) increases in production by 4 points up to RZM 127. Cadon sons, Cadisco (RZG 128), Carmano (RZG 127) and Vince (RZG 125) have improved again with better longevity and they are all positive for daughter fertility with RZR 102, 103 and 100 respectively. Starfire (RZG 128) rises in production (RZM 122; + 1) and udder health (RZS 118; +3). Bravisi, however, goes down some Rubinrot (Rubens x Kom Leader) daughter Fakira points in RZE to 113 (RZG 126) due to the changes in the conformation calculation. Runaway rises in almost every aspect, from production (RZM 113, +3) through to longevity (111, +7). With RZE 122 and RZS 119 he is an interesting allrounder. The other two Rubens Red sons Rubinrot (No. 21, +11) and Rubello (No. 27, +25) have also improved their figures. Rubello is very good for daughter fertility (RZR 113). From the Rubens Red sons, only Ricobar decreases slightly even though he is very positive for daughter fertility (RZR 105). When it comes to components he still is an exception with % fat, only exceeded by Taecks showing % fat and % protein, now with 1,899 daughters! Lugarus does not benefit from the new conformation calculation (RZE 119). He remains stable for production with RZM 128 and +2,251 kg milk. Faromir can benefit from the stronger weighting for his excellent feet & legs (129; RZE 126) and good fertility (read more on page 11). Proven Ludox now has nearly 1,000 daughters in his proof and confirms his high production figures (RZM 122) and moves up for conformation (RZE 117). Cadon son, Cartell, and Cared son, Caribic only change slightly. The high new entry of January, Drambuie, looses heavily having included the co-test daughters in Switzerland and USA. Fame remains stable: slightly lower production (RZM 112, -3) is compensated by a clearly better RZN (112, +7). Barny Red gets additional daughters reducing his RZE down to 129. With udder 128 and feet & legs 117, he is still showing outstanding figures and is positive for fertility. Polled Lypoll Pp (Lyon x Cliffhanger) confirms his production figures (RZM 113, -1) and even rises for conformation (RZE 125). Faber now has 45,756 daughters. Jake Red remains unimpressed by all the changes and some new daughters did not affect his proof at all (RZE 129). At the top of the Red Holstein conformation sires, besides the already mentioned Famos (RZE 132), is Avanti with RZE 133 and 10,452 daughters, Rustler with RZE 133 and Fanroy with RZE 131. Redcross is stable with RZE 124 combined with very good udder health (112) and longevity (114). Stadel son, Stavros went down slightly. A real winner of the changes is Laurel with the phenomenal daughter fertility of RZR 120! Another 1,000 daughters from the 2nd crop also give him a slight increase in production. 10

12 Zar TLTV (Zappa x Amaretto x Ladin x Belmont) aaa: Zar is one of the winners from the current evaluation run now ranking No. 26 having been No. 83 in January. The figures for this bull with a real German pedigree went up for all traits. His sire, Zappa, was a Southwind Zack son out of Blackstar with only limited semen availability but high protein. The components of Zar are also positive at % fat and % protein together with +1,565 kg milk! His dam Amaretto Walena has 5 positive sons with 3 ranked in the toplist. Besides Zar these are the Sierra sons, NOG Salem and NOG Sensal. Walena is still alive in her 6th lactation averaging 12,000 kg milk and 3.4 % protein. Besides production, Zar is an udder health specialist (123). The Zar daughters are no-nonsense cows with very good udders. He sires daughters with a very good balance of depth, strength and stature. Feet have a perfect set and foot angle is good. Despite the tremendous will to milk, the udders of the Zar daughters are shallow and very well-attached. Dairy Character (Index) Body (Index) Feet and legs (Index) Udder (Index) RZE (Index) Strobel TLTV (Stormatic x T Funkis x Bellwood x Mascol) aaa: Out of 26 Stormatic sons, Strobel is the most interesting Stormatic son with official figures. Strobel s dam is a Danish EX92 T Funkis daughter tracing back to a Bellwood and then a US Mascot, R-E-W Naquita Nanett. Strobel combines the top conformation from Stormatic with one of the leaders in functionality and health, T Funkis: RZE 132, udder health 118, daughter fertility 112, milking speed 109, body condition score 107. Strobel daughters are above average for stature with lots of strength and depth. For feet & legs he is equal to his famous sire Stormatic. The feet of the Strobel daughters are very high and hard and locomotion is excellent. The snuck udders show a very good texture. Besides the fantastic conformation and functional figures the Strobel daughters milk well (+1,112 kg milk). Strobel is first choice for nice trouble-free, easy to handle cows. With 114 daughters already at the end of their first lactation, the figures of Strobel are very reliable. Dairy Character (Index) Body (Index) Feet and legs (Index) Udder (Index) RZE (Index) Faromir TLTV (Faber x Koerier 104 x Stollberg x Enhancer) aaa: Faromir is one of the most interesting Faber sons and as he recently went up into the top-25 with his 2nd proof in April, he is in the spotlight. Faromir is the first proven son of Wanda VG88 (s. Koerier 104), but her cow family is already well-known through Knirps who is a son by Koerier 104 from Faromir s great grand dam Enhancer Dita Ex91. Between Dita and Wanda there is Tina, a VG87 daughter of Stollberg RF, the sire of Stadel. The cow family excels in production. His dam Wanda has an average of 10,787 kg milk with 4.0 % fat and 3.5 % protein in 4 lactations (305 days). Faromir has stabilized at +851 kg milk and has the rare combination of positive components and a good fat / protein ratio with % fat and % protein. His strongest figure is for overall conformation with especially good feet & legs in all traits. Faromir also has a very nice combination of good milking speed (110) and positive udder health (101). For daughter fertility Faromir scores high 109 RZR. The five maternal dams in his pedigree all had at least five calves and he is predicted at longevity 106. Dairy Character (Index) Body (Index) Feet and legs (Index) Udder (Index) RZE (Index)

13 Vachim: new German star bred in Denmark In January he entered with his first figures at once the top-50. Now Vachim the new star with Denish roots climbed even up ten ranks with additional daughters. Dairy Type Body Feet&legs Udder RZE 420 VG88 (JY Wilow) Ulla 541 EX90 (Leadman) Ulrika 650 VG88 (Celsius) Vachim (V Brando) Is it just by chance that some of the most interesting newcomers this winter have Danish ancestry: Foletto, Strobel (see short portrait at page 11) and Vachim? Normally, about 20 young bulls per year originating from the northern neighbour are tested within the total test capacity of 900 Holstein bulls in Germany. Perhaps as Germany has the most diversified breeding program worldwide, it was only a matter of time until the Danish part of the program delivered top bulls. We have been selecting some young bulls in Denmark for quite a long time explains Mathias Leisen from A.I. Schleswig-Holstein the owner of Vachim. Schleswig-Holstein in the north is the direct neighbouring region to Denmark. I saw Enggard Ulla 541, the Leadman grand dam of Vachim for the first time at the Danish national show. She had one of the best udders I ve ever seen, Leisen is still enthusiastic about the excellent Leadman with a 94 scored udder. The cow family behind Vachim is well known in Denmark. Not only Ulla 541, the dam of Vachim, was a successful show cow but also her VG88 Celsius daughter Ulrika 650 too. The source of this quality is the great grand dam of Vachim, a VG88 Jy Wilow daughter. Jy Wilow (Willow x Elevation) was a fantastic udder transmitter who stamped the Danish Holstein population and he was bred in Germany. The Celsius dam of Vachim and her sister were high in the cow index list with average production of more than 12,000 kg milk 4.7 % fat and 3.5 % protein. Together with the proven show potential of this family, it was what we were looking for. Finally the cow family was contracted heavily by the Danish A.I. s and they are looking, in particular, for the functional traits so this gave us extra confidence. says Leisen. The high demand for young bulls from the domestic A.I. s was a problem when it came to making a contract with the breeders, the brothers Morgens and Knud Jense from Dössing Enggard Holsteins. There was no possibility of getting a contract within a reasonable time period. The only possibility was to take an already available V Brando son, Vachim. Mathias Leisen is now not sorry even though, at the time, V Brando would never have been his first choice to use on Celsius Ulrika. From the five proven brothers of Vachim by different sires, the Aaron son, T Aaronson returned to service. The family will have more influence in Denmark through the Lord Lily sister to Vachim Enggard Lord Ursula. She has two positive sons F Engard (s. Kol Nixon) and T Hoston (s. Manat) who were even used as sire sons. V Brando, the sire of Vachim, is a Danish born and proven Esquimau son out of a Prelude. He is a high production bull with still almost +2,000 kg milk based on daughters. V Brando sires solid conformation with good type and very good rear udders. Up to now his 56 proven sons were all born in Scandinavia. His test Vachim was tested within the regular program of A.I. Schleswig-Holstein. 12

14 continued from page 6 - Changes in breeding value calculation His 2nd proof is now based on 105 daughters in 92 herds. In his home area he has been heavily used since August last year based on his preliminary results. Because of his completely Danish roots, Vachim s pedigree index isn t high on the German base but his daughter deviations for production were very high right from the start. So Vachim s current production proof with +1,569 kg milk, -0,06 % fat and -0,07 % protein (RZM 120) isn t really a surprise. A positive surprise for Mathias Leisen were the exciting conformation figures. The grand dam was a great cow and the dam definitely had stature and capacity but she is a Celsius daughter so I m very glad that Vachim is showing up with this nice linear. The figures show that Vachim transmits stature with style and average capacity. Very strong are his feet & leg figures with 132: perfect set, very clean bones and good locomotion. With 125 overall udder, Vachim is one of the best udder transmitters. Long in front and high and wide from the rear, the udders have perfect teat placement front and rear. These are not just figures as the two daughter groups shown in Neumünster in January and Karow in March demonstrated. Where should Vachim give the best results? He is really an allrounder and from the test period gave very similar daughters mated on different bloodlines. I would protect a little bit for level rumps and perhaps for capacity. The Vachim daughters already have wide rumps as 2-year-olds but have only average chest width. I like that very much because this is the type of animal that will surely grow into a good cow without being mature too early, Mathias Leisen is convinced. For the functional traits, Vachim is a good ambassador for Denmark. His udder health proof has gone up to average, milking speed is high and the brand-new daughter fertility index RZR is positive. Meanwhile Vachim is used as sire of sons in many breeding programs. positive negative No more extra weight for stature (Sta), body depth (BD) and strength (Str) in body index for EBVs above 112 (+1.0 standard deviation) (Prof. Swalve). The results show clearly that extremely deep, wide and tall 2- years-old have significantly reduced real herd life. These findings are now being taken into account in the composite index Body. Bulls with proofs of 112 (+1.0 standard deviation) or higher for the above mentioned dimension traits no longer receive any additional bonus (see figure). The modified weighting of extreme figures for the dimension traits results in a little less variation at the top of bulls for body index. There are only very few bulls with extreme EBVs for all three dimension traits. Bulls that are affected the most are bulls with only one very extreme EBV. These are often bulls with extreme stature but no extreme depth and strength. Finally, the top bulls for the new body index transmit more real capacity because bulls with just extreme stature are no longer at the top for body. The body index not only includes the dimension traits but also rump angle and rump width. Rump width as a functional trait is not restricted above 112. Because of positive correlation to strength, the new formula indirectly gives more emphasis on overall width for body within the top bulls. New weightings in total merit index RZG The inclusion of daughter fertility index RZR made a realignment necessary. The realignment is based on current scientific research on the economic coefficients and index weightings in dairy cattle breeding. In future, the fitness will receive slightly more weight with 40 % in total. In exchange, the weighting for production traits will be reduced by 5 % to 45 %. The direct Relative weights in RZG *) old RZE; new: feet&legs and udder 1:1 **) via former RZZ old Holstein new Production (RZM) 50 % 45 % Conformation 15 %* 15 %* Herd Life (RZN) 25 % 20 % Udder Health (RZS) 5 % 7 % RZZ 5 % - Fertility (RZR) (1 %)** 10 % Calving traits maternal (2 %)** 3 % New weighting within total merit index RZG weighting for conformation traits within RZG remains 15 %. But instead of the overall conformation RZE now only feet & legs and udder will be accounted for (each 7.5 %). The new weightings lead to slight changes in the ranking of bulls. Winners are bulls that can combine high production with good daughter fertility, good feet & legs and udders like Gibor, Ramos and Laudan. Now these bulls can profit from the higher weighting for their good fitness traits. 13

15 German Holsteins fill the milk tanks in Russia For many years now, Russia has been one of the most important export markets for German breeding cattle. Over the last two years nearly 50,000 mainly Holstein heifers, in the early stages of pregnancy, have been exported from Germany to Russia. One of the numerous buyers, successfully producing milk in Russia with German Holsteins, is the farm Nowoe Wysokowskoje in the oblast (region) Kaliningrad. The farm has a total area of 2,000ha; the traditional milk production always included around 500 Holstein cows. In 2005, it was decided by the farm management to expand the milk production and in order that they increase the herd over a short period of time it Manager Iwan Schkaleta was decided to import pregnant Holstein heifers from Germany. Numerous changes have been made in the course of 2006 to be able to meet the requirements of the heifers. The previous herd was relocated to another farm. The old tie stall has been completely reconstructed into a modern free stall for 500 cows. The comfortable new set up has six rows of cubicles with an individual width of 1.20m each which supplies a very high level of cow comfort. Open side walls with adjustable roll up Freestall for appropiate exercise mesh walls guarantee a continuous flow of fresh air and some additional daylight. The animals should not adapt to the barn but the barn has to adapt to the requirements of the animals. If you spend a lot of money on imported heifers, the housing conditions should be adapted accordingly. These words from the farm manager Iwan Schkaleta describe very well the basic attitude of the farm towards modern milk production. Even the milking technique has changed with a 2 x 20 herring bone milking parlour with an electronic detection system as well as an automatic cluster removal. The waiting area is spacious and fitted with selection gates. So, when milking, a high working productivity is achieved. Iwan Schkaleta thinks the Holstein heifers imported from Germany back in the summer of 2006 adapted very well to the farm. They produce an average of 25.5 kg milk per day with some of them even achieving nearly 50 kg milk per day. Thanks to these early changes to the farm, the herd of imported heifers produced a total of 7,600 kg milk with 3.9 % fat and 3.2 % protein in their first lactation. Alongside the excellent animal material, a big factor in this high milk yield has been the TMR-ration being fed equally to all animals. The farm management was very satisfied with the first delivery of 500 German Holstein heifers and, because of this, another 500 heifers have been Pen for dry cows purchased in spring In the course of increasing the herd a new modern cow barn was built. The animals of the second delivery also prove their quality under ideal environmental conditions in this new barn. Photos: Dr. Töws, ADT 14 Nowoe Wysokowskoje in Oblast (destrict of Kaliningrad)

16 Fieldhouse: Show success in Luxembourg, France and Belgium At the Luxembourg heifer show 2008 in Ettelbrück, Fieldhouse-daughter OHV Dyna was the winner of the Reserve Champion title. Dyna was chosen Champion of her class by the judges and was named the best udder heifer in her class. In France, Akotimi du Tombuy was No. 2 in the heifer class on the Eurogénétique 2008 in Epinal. On the Night of Holsteins 2008 in Libramont (Belgium) Farde de Jassogne became Reserve Champion of the young cows. E V E N T S 29 th May Day of the Newcomer, Cloppenburg German Genetics International GmbH (GGI) 5 th -7 th September Grüne Tage Thüringen; Landestierschau, Erfurt Rinderzuchtverband Sachsen Anhalt e.g. (RSA) OHV Dyna (s. Fieldhouse) Akotimi du Tombuy (s. Fieldhouse) 11 th -14 th November EuroTier, Hannover Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft e.v. (DLG) 24 th November Elite Auction, Hamm Deutscher Holstein Verband e.v. (DHV) GGI Bullday 2008 In April 2008 the GGI Bullday took place for the 2nd time. 20 GGI representatives from abroad participated. This year s Bullday focussed on Rinder-Union- West (RUW) with its top bull Gibor. The event was opened by Dr. Rensing (VIT) with a presentation on the new breeding values and continued with a presentation on the RUW by Dr. Hartmann. The evening was concluded with a dinner and discussions in a friendly atmosphere. On the second day, 8 outstanding Gibor daughters and were visited on differentfarms in the RUW-area. Group picture with Hilla (7th lactation). Hilla is one of the 90 Gibor daughters from the test period of which 30 have reached the 6th lactation 12 th December Nikolausschau, Bismark Rinderzuchtverband Sachsen Anhalt e.g. (RSA) German Version available as PDF Most popular Holstein bulls in Germany 2007 The German cattle breeders federation has published the list of the most used bulls in 2007 based on 1st inseminations (FI). Minister and Janos changed places compared to After several years Faber now at No. 7 is out of the top five. Red Holsteins FI Carmano 25,850 Joyboy 23,616 Laurel 11,114 Lichtblick 10,794 Avanti 9,965 Holsteins FI Minister ET 45,891 Janos 42,202 Jefferson 41,164 Emil II 37,835 Jannsen 35,500 Laudan 34,358 Jurus 32,706 Ramos 31,876 Junker 31,649 Douglas 28,559 Lexikon 22,978 Mascol 21,872 Janosch 21,248 NOG Jumit 20,637 Gibor 18,825 15