South Gippsland’s Jelbart Dairy topped the October proof run with Jelbart Jeronimo Roxane 15905-CNF-DPF-BLF (402BPI) and featured a total of 13 Jelbart animals in the top new genomically tested heifers list.
The average BPI of the top twenty animals has increased by 8% year-on-year (comparing October 2019 to October 2020), from 321BPI to 346BPI.
Tim Jelbart says “Genomics is helping our business in many ways, as it is a better tool for decision making. With sexed semen we have a lot more heifers than we need and genomics is allowing us to select the right animals for the milking herd. Thanks to the additional heifers, we can breed the bottom of the herd to beef. Between beef cross-calves and Holstein export heifers, non-milk income in our business has gone from 10%-20%”.
In at second on the new heifers list was Jelbart Lord 15837-CNF-DPF-BLF (380BPI) followed by Emu Banks Jeronimo Miley 11874-ET-CNF-DPF-BLF (369BPI), one of three Emu Banks animals in the top twenty.
For the third month running the overall list remained very consistent with Illawambra River Sleepy 3950-CCNF-DPF-BLF (426BPI), Ivyhurst Wrangler Mystery 6194-OC (413BPI) and Purnim Moneyman Shasnah CS4525-ET (411BPI) at the top. Jelbart Jeronimo Roxane entered this list at number six.
New sires were featured on this list, most notably Lord (07HO13696), used by Jelbart for five of its thirteen animals.
Genetics Australia’s Gerard Brislin says “we used Lord for targeted mating on maiden heifers due to him being a high calving ease high BPI sire. In commercial operations like Jelbart’s, it’s about the average of the heifer group entering the herd; in this case we aimed for 25% of heifers over 300 BPI and they exceeded expectations by reaching 310 BPI”.
The top four new genomically tested heifers entered the top young heifers list, with the average BPI year-on-year of this list increasing by a factor of just over 9% (351BPI to 383BPI).
Illawambra River Sleepy remained at the top followed by Willtina Perseus Renee 5551-CNF-DPF-BLF (406BPI) and Jelbart Jeronimo Roxane.
Click on the highlighted text to download the October Top 20 New Genomic Females, Top 20 Genomic Females (all time) and Top Young Females (after 30 May 2018).
-Holstein Australia