3 June 2016
LIC bulls deliver top results for farmers
LIC is celebrating the co-operative’s top bulls with the release of the industry’s latest Ranking of Active Sires (RAS)
list – which ranks the top breeding bulls in New Zealand.
”These are our farmers’ bulls, developed by LIC on behalf of farmers for farmers,” LIC’s General Manager Biological
Systems Geoff Corbett said.
The co-operative is pleased to see that 26 of the top 30 bulls of all breeds in the country are LIC’s. In other great
results, the top 12 bulls across all breeds are LIC’s.
“We want to acknowledge the hard work of breeders throughout the country who have contributed to these results, by
providing outstanding young bulls for our bull teams,” Corbett said.
“We also want to acknowledge the strategic foresight and skill at LIC that goes into providing the best LIC genetics to
our farmers. The Bull Acquisition team, including Simon Worth, Casey Inverarity and Taylor Connell (Holstein Friesian & KiwiCross), and Malcolm Ellis (Jersey & SGL), works tirelessly to achieve genetic gain and create herds that are more efficient converters of feed to profit.
“It truly is a team effort across the whole country, working with farmers,” Corbett said. Three out of four inseminated
cows grazing on New Zealand dairy farms are sired by an LIC bull.
While bulls that make it to the RAS list are top bulls, they still have to measure up on other traits to make it into
LIC’s top bull teams, Premier Sires. Not all high-BW (breeding worth) bulls that graduate through LIC are eventually
marketed. If a bull doesn’t measure up in terms of traits other than production, they won’t make the Premier Sires team.
Top results from the latest RAS list (released 28 May 2016) for LIC include the following:
Holstein Friesian
· 43 of the top 50 Holstein Friesian bulls in New Zealand are LIC’s.
· The top 10, and 19 of the top 20, Holstein Friesian bulls are LIC’s.
· The No. 1 Holstein Friesian bull (also No. 1 across all breeds) is LIC’s 112035 Carsons Mecca Pulse (photo attached) -
the only current bull to beat the 300 BW barrier.
· Three full brothers are performing outstandingly well – 111037 San Ray FM Beamer (No. 3 on the Holstein Friesian
list), 111036 Arkan FM Buster (No. 5 on the same list) and Arkan FM Brilliant (who continues to climb up the rankings,
now No. 10 on the Holstein Friesian list).
· Currently a few BW shy of the RAS list is 112080 Fire-Up, who has moved up 6 BW. Nearly at consideration for LIC’s top
bull team, Premier Sires, he is the industry’s No. 1 protein bull at a massive 50kg. He also has outstanding
conformation scores at 1.12 udder overall and 1.04 dairy conformation.
Jersey
· LIC’s Jersey bulls continue to perform extremely well, affirming the resurgence of this breed.
· 8 of the top 10 Jersey bulls are LIC’s, including the top 6, and all 6 of those are new graduates.
· LIC’s Chardonnay Frankie is the No. 1 Jersey bull in the country.
Crossbred
· 21 of the top 25 Crossbred bulls in New Zealand are LIC’s.
· The top 9 out of 10, and 15 out of 16, Crossbred bulls are LIC’s.
· 511011 Priests Sierra firms up his position at No. 1 on the Crossbred list, moving up 3 BW to 289 BW. This also makes
him the highest BW Mint-Edition son in the country.
· There were good gains for the top 6 LIC Premier Sires Crossbred bulls with 511026 Arkans Beaut up 4 BW, 512050 Arkans
Perspective up 3 BW, 512037 Greenmile Game Day up 2 BW, 511051 Drysdales Sovereign up 2 BW and 512024 Werders Prelude up
3 BW.
ends