Dairy Crossbreeding

There can be little doubt about the leading elite Norwegian Red sire living today! He is Raastad 252NR10115, a true “All Rounder”! Raastad managed to nudge out his closest rival, Hjulstad, in a proof round which saw the top ten sires essentially ranking as in March, 2009. Consistant sire rankings from run to run is bound to inspire dairy farmer confidence in a sire proving system and once again the Geno system demonstrates this important credential.

Raastad’s proof changes very little, at an overall Total Merit Index (TMI) of 27, shifting upwards one point to 111 for production, with high protein (110) and fat yield (114) and %’s (105 and 110), respectively, and slightly downwards for a remarkable fourth overall ranking for udders (124), with 109 on daughter fertility and 103 and 114, respectively, for resistance to mastitis and other diseases. His fertility as an elite sire in Norway has also contributed to his popularity. We recommend him for use on lactating cows as he is below the Norwegian Red breed average for calving ease and stillbirth frequency, even though he has seen extensive service on yearling heifers in Norway. A true production and udder leader, transmitting daughter fertility and health traits! Some of the most knowledgeable dairy operators in the world are using this sire very heavily. You cannot go wrong on Raastad!

Bumped to # 2 ranking by a single TMI point at 26, stands Hjulstad 252NR10245 the leading udder sire in the Geno lineup with an overall udder conformation rating of 141, the highest rating yet achieved by an Elite Norwegian Red sire. Hjulstad ranks fourth among active sires for mastitis resistance at 116, and is also in the top ½ % of all NR sires for female fertility at 116. He is an easy calver, consequently he is a great choice for yearling heifer breedings. He is slightly below the Norwegian Red breed average for milk, fat, and protein yield (93) but a significant improver for protein % (110) so he is a logical choice for high production dairy breeds for crossing purposes, and should result in crosses with exceptional udders, reproduction and health, thus complementing the Holstein perfectly.

Two sires, Haugseth 252NR10032 and Haga, 252NR10039 are tied for third rank with TMI‘s of 25! Each of these offers a unique genetic package. Haugseth, a perennial “All Rounder” improves all key economic traits significantly and is relatively easy calving, so he currently is in production of sexed semen and is a solid choice for yearling breedings. His fertility is way above the breed average for NR sires on matings as a mature sire in Norway, since he returned to service three years ago, so we expect his sexed semen to be highly fertile too! He leaves daughters with pleasing production (111), exceptional fertility (111) and resistance to mastitis and other diseases (110 and 108), respectively, and soundly attached udders (106). Use sexed semen from this fine sire on your yearlings!
Haga 252NR10039 also ranks third highest at a TMI of 25 and is a perennial favourite in Norway and around the world, excelling in his own fertility and leaving daughters with the highest fertility (127) of any active sire, as well as beautiful, snugly attached udders (122) with quality to burn. Haga has excellent calving performance, so he may be used on heifers. He is just below the Norwegian sire average for mastitis resistance (96), but will improve this trait in other breeds and his daughters are highly resistant to other diseases (110). He is a solid improver for all production traits including %’s with an overall production index of 107.

A new arrival in the top ranking five sires is Holund, 25210285 a ¾ brother to Hjulstad, with a TMI of 21. He contrasts nicely with his brother, with an overall production index of 107, improving all traits but fat %. Holund is an “All Rounder” with 104 on daughter fertility, 106 on mastitis resistance and sterling 132 on udder conformation! These Ulsaker sons will see extensive service in crossing programs around the world, and Holund looks like a solid choice, being an easy calver (108) with low stillbirths (109) and very desirable fertility as a service sire. I like this sire’s proof!

There are three elite sires at 20, and two of the three are very desirably proven. Braut 252NR10177, very popular globally, is an easy calver (111) with low stillbirths (111) more than suitable for yearling matings. Braut transmits high production (111) for yield and %’s (105), excellent daughter fertility (106) and very desirable udders (108), particularly high in the rear attachment (125). Fore udders are a trifle bulgy on occasion (98), so protect him in matings for this trait. This sire is very popular in the USA and Canada.

Haga II 252NR10278, another Ulsaker son is also an “All Rounder “ with a very well balanced proof for production(107) daughter fertility (111) calving ease (101) with low stillbirths (110), as well as excellent udders (118) and mastitis resistance (101). He might be called the “Robot” sire, as his daughters are exceptional in teat placement, as Haga II leaves front teats close together and rear teats wide apart. This makes him the logical mate for Holsteins that have rear teats touching or crossing, as this kind is a problem in robot milking systems. Be sure to note Haga II‘s Reg. # 252NR10278, when using him, as he has the same name as Haga 252NR10039 above, since they were bred by the same breeder! In Norway the breeder’s name often is assigned to the bulls he breeds!

Sand 252NR10232, maintains a very high TMI at 19, excelling in all departments with the exception of daughter fertility (93) where he is just below the NR sire average. All sires, of course, average 100 for all traits except for Total Merit Index (TMI), where the average is 0.0!
Aasheim, 252NR10183, at TMI 16 is a very popular easy calving polled sire with top production across the board (114), excellent udders (110) and daughter fertility (115), and he has sexed semen becoming available right away!

In summary, Ulsaker, 252NR05277 is going down in history as a very desirable bull sire, with several notable sons already at the top of the proof listings, including the 2nd, 5th and 6th ranking sires in the active sire lineup. Any of these three sons, Hjulstad, Holund, and Haga II will transmit improvement in a balanced package!