Genus ABS breeds top five polled sires with sustainability focus

Stock photo for illustration purposes only.

As part of its sustainability focus, Genus ABS has been striving to their genetic portfolio has the capability to nourish the world, in the most efficient and environmentally-friendly way possible.

This is well supported by the data results of traits including maintenance, Envirocow and Feed Advantage, as well as the company’s progress towards making efficient and strong polled animals (a cow which is born naturally without horns as a result of its DNA).

EMEA dairy brand manager for Genus ABS, Hannah Goodwin, commented: “Every April the base average of every animal changes due to the genetic progress of the national herd, and for this reason, the average increases.

“With that said, we have shown that we have the most diverse variety of sexed bulls available in the market, allowing us to identify sires to allow us to create the right genetic plan to meet our customer’s goals.”

Among the stars of the line-up is DeNovo 18757 Homeland, son of Pine-Tree Gardner, a great new addition to the Sexcel offering. This sire has a £PLI of £841 and a production value of +844kgs. Whilst producing high quantities of milk, the sire will also maximise the positive components of fat (0.08%) and protein (0.09%.)

Available in Sexcel, Genus ABS sexed genetics, DeNovo 18757 Homeland offers great fertility with a score of +9.2, plus an additional +143 days of lifespan.

Whereas, DeNovo 2808 Anton, son of Denovo 16219 Aladdin, offers a package of High £PLI of £837, milk +597kgs and components of +0.19% fat, and 0.10% protein. This sire excels for management traits with daughter fertility of +11.7 and lifespan of +180 days. He also offers high scores of +2.0 for calf survival and +1.9 lameness advantage.

Meanwhile, the number one homozygous polled sire available on the market is DeNovo 9443 Meridian-PP, another Genus ABS ‘icon sire’, with a £PLI value of £819. Son of Mendel-P, Meridian-PP offers phenomenal components of +0.45% fat and +0.19% protein and his offspring will all be polled (hornless), which is both sustainable and cost-effective.

Genus ABS’s DeNovo 9443 Meridian-PP.

As for the top sexed homozygous polled sire, DeNovo 18452 York-PP is the highest £PLI homozygous sire with sexed semen available on the market with a £PLI of £772.

York-PP offers strong components with +0.34% fat and +0.11% protein along with impressive management traits. This sire has a positive feed advantage score of +176, a daughter fertility of +8.9, and a healthy cow score of +233. The daughters of this strong sire will be of low stature and suitable for commercial systems.

DeNovo 18452 York-PP, the highest £PLI homozygous sire with sexed semen on the market, bred by Genus ABS.

The red and white star in the company’s line-up is Ruw Tricky-Red, another Genus ABS ‘icon sire’, offering a £PLI of £670. Ruw Tricky-Red is perfect for breeding with all Rubels Red daughters and has an impressive milk score of +813kgs, plus components including +27.2kg fat, +28.4kgs protein and a lifespan score of +156 days.

The red and white star, Genus ABS’s Ruw Tricky-Red.

Striving for sustainability

Genus ABS is making continuous efforts to both feed the world and make the supply chain more sustainable. To achieve this, the company has invested in the genetics of its polled animals, which offer a great genetic portfolio and prevent the need to remove horns, saving the average farmer thousands of pounds a year.

According to Genus ABS’ Real World Data, the company’s sexed genetics, Sexcel, has a 95% relative conception rate, offering farmers peace of mind that their cows will get pregnant and will deliver strong, efficient and female offspring.

Therefore, Sexcel ensures every animal in the herd will have a purpose, helping to reduce the farm’s carbon footprint.

If you’re interested in improving your herd’s genetics, visit the Genus ABS website or speak to one of their experts on 01270 616681.