Norwegian Red shines in global December proof runs

New proofs for Norwegian Red sires around the world

Genetic improvement in the Norwegian Red population continues to perform at a very rapid pace, and this has been validated by the new proofs for Norwegian Red sires in Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). The latest proof run results that were published on December 7, 2021, indicated a strong showing for daughter-proven Norwegian Red sires on many key country bases.

“2021 has been yet another challenging year, with the global pandemic still lingering across all industries. More than ever, Geno has put more focus on improving our products and solutions to help global dairy farmers to achieve faster genetic gains for their herd. As we gear up for 2022, we are delighted to reach the 2021 finish line with Norwegian Red’s remarkable results from the recently announced proof run results in the US, UK, and Australia. And together with our trusted partners around the world, we will continue to offer unique, sustainable, and profitable dairy genetics in the industry.” expressed Kate Stai, Chief Commercial Officer of GENO.

The US interbull

Norwegian Red daughter proven sires performed well in the US with the 1^st, 2^nd, and 4^th place bulls on both the US Available Ayrshire Net Merit list and US Available Ayrshire Cheese Merit list. Roen (252NR11690) ranks 1^st, Onstad-P (252NR11819) ranks 2^nd, and Ranheim (252NR11851) ranks 4^th on both lists. Norwegian Red sires excel at many traits but especially for milk solids yields and daughter fertility. Norwegian Red has also ranked 84 out of the top 100 sires for daughter pregnancy rate on the US Ayrshire base.

Daughter-proven sires from all major countries with Red Dairy Cattle (RDC) and Ayrshire populations have proofs on local bases through the work of local genetic evaluation centers and Interbull. Interbull has not yet provided proofs on local scales or bases for imported genomic selected (GS) sires, so it is still not possible to make good comparisons of imported GS sires from RDC and Ayrshire populations. However, daughter-proven RDC and Ayrshire sires can provide useful information on the quality of sires available in key countries with active RDC and Ayrshire populations.

The UK PLI

The December proof run was also excellent for Norwegian Red sires in the UK. Three Norwegian Red sires were in the top ten in the UK on the Available Ayrshire and Red Bulls list sorted by UK Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI). In addition, four Norwegian Red bulls are among the top ten in the UK Spring Calving and Autumn Calving Index rankings. Ofstad-P (252NR11919)  is 2^nd place overall for UK PLI, while Kolbu-P (252NR11872)  and Ofstad-P are first and second overall for the UK Spring Calving Index. In addition, Ofstad-P is second and Kolbu-P is third on the Autumn Calving index rankings. The top three bulls for the UK Fertility Index are Kolbu-P, Smaagarda-P (252NR11864), and Skretting (252NR11284).

Australia ABV

In Australia, the Norwegian Red sweeps the top spot in December proofs ABV performance, with Ofstad-P (252NR11919) taking #1 place in the Australian Balanced Performance Index (BPI). In the meantime, Norwegian Red also takes the top spot in Health HWI, Production, Mastitis Resistance and Fertility.

Norwegian Red daughter proven sires also ranked very well in the Australia Good Bulls Guide for Red Breeds. Overall, Norwegian Red sires took 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th on the Balanced Performance Index rankings. Norwegian Red occupies 1^st and 2^nd on the Health Weighted Index rankings with Ofstad-P (252NR11919) topping both Australian lists.