Publish date: 4.8.26
Today’s dairy industry demands more than single trait selection or industry favorites. To maximize your milk check, minimize expenses, and optimize Beef-on-Dairy production, a genetic plan tailored to your herd, goals, facilities, and environment is required. That’s when you’ll drive real profitability through measurable genetic progress.
As herd goals diversify and production systems evolve, success comes from leveraging the impact balanced sires have on improving longevity, health, fertility, milk production, and profitability, without sacrificing genetic diversity. At ABS, the focus remains clear: helping youprofit from genetic progress by building the right cows for your operation.
Drive Real Profit with Balanced Sires
The classic comparison of a sprinter and a marathon runner can be easily used to describe dairy cattle. A sprinter delivers intense productivity in short bursts, while a marathon runner maintains a steady, reliable output over time. While the sprinter’s speed and power are impressive, it’s the marathon runner who ultimately lasts the longest.
Balanced cows are designed to stay productive over time, combining solid milk production with the fertility, health, and longevity needed to remain in the herd long enough to generate a true return on investment—like a marathon runner. Genetics solely selected for high levels of fat and protein production are sprinters with potentially other weaknesses that lead to early culling before return on investment is met.
The framework for a profitable cow includes a balance of good scores for Productive Life, Daughter Pregnancy Rate, Cow Conception Rate, Milk, moderate Stature, Fat and Protein, and health traits like Somatic Cell Score. At ABS, the objective isn’t to create “sprinter” cows for customers that excel briefly and leave the herd early. Our goal is to deliver marathon cows that perform consistently across multiple lactations, driving overall profitability for customers.
ABS balanced sires produce cows built for the long-haul—delivering profitability and not only short-term gains
Sire Summary TPI Formula Update
This Sire Summary, the CDCB released a formulation change to the Total Performance Index (TPI). The numeric drop from the TPI formula update was the result of a shift in weight from Fat to Protein. Let’s be clear. This does not mean that a bull got worse overnight. The bulls are still the same, but the way in which they are evaluated for TPI has changed.
If you select genetics using this index, it is critical for you to review your genetic plan to ensure you will still incorporate genetics that meet your herd goals with the new TPI formula update. The average TPI drop is 35 points for higher-end sires, whereas on an individual bull basis, the average is closer to around 20 points, give or take. Thus, this update will result in some slight re-rank.
Previously: 19:19 Fat:Protein ratio
New: 14:24 Fat:Protein ratio
With the update, is TPI still aligned with your genetic plan direction?
This TPI formula update does put NM$ and TPI at opposite ends of the Fat to Protein ratio spectrum, meaning the two indexes are moving farther apart. Because ABS selects for a balanced ratio of Fat and Protein, the industry change leaves us in the middle ground as we create sires with many strengths and very few weaknesses. This is another example of why an approach focused on a balanced genetic profile with a customized genetic plan mitigates the impact of industry updates and reranking.
US Holstein Sire Summary Highlights
- 29HO20684 LEEDS is the #10 proven NM$ bull now with 168 milking daughters in his proof and went up for Milk to a huge 2187 lbs and up 12 NM$ points to $1002.
- This is great news for all his sons in production and females in our Denovo genetic nucleus.
- 29HO20911 MONTANA added milking daughters and went up 53 points for NM$ and for Milk to 1816 pounds and is a +0.59 for udders.
- His popular sons, 29HO21668 BILLINGS and 29HO21641 MYSTERY, also went up for NM$ and Milk.
- For polled sires, ABS continue to dominate with 12 of the top 30 NM$ P bulls on the industry list with a stud code.
European Sire Summary Successes
- In the UK, our Sire Summary Day success starts with 29HO21876 LORENZO being ranked #1 for PLI.
- In Italy, 29HO22253 LOCUST is ranked the #1 PFT sire while 29HO20562 EUREKA is the #5 proven bull.
- In Australia, 29HO20629 ELLIS-PP is the #2 Proven sire, an amazing achievement for a PP sire to rank so high!
US Jersey Sire Summary Key Notes
An overall steady day for Jerseys, a few former genomic sires added their first daughters. 29JE4385 BONGO {5} debuts as #10 proven sire for CM$, and 29JE4407 DUDE {6} debuts as #4 for JPI and CM$ among sires with daughters.
Two new Jersey launches include:
- 29JE4628 GOYA {6} is a rare GIDDYUP {6} son from a VG BAZZAR {5} dam.
- A no-holes bull, he offers solid Milk (+429), Fat (+48) and Protein (+36) with nice CCR (+1.1) and double-digit JUI (+11).
- 29JE4644 LETO-P is a new polled option from an untapped cow family.
- Sired by MELOY {6}-P from a Seismic-PP dam, he is extreme for JUI (+18.4) and udder linear traits while offering positive CCR (+0.4) and nice milk (+868).
Our Jersey pipeline is as strong as ever with 24 of the top 25 JPI bulls of all ages. They are sired by 10 different bulls and have 10 different maternal grandsires. The story is similar with Cheese Merit; 23 of the top 30 CM$ sires are ABS Jersy sires. They have 11 unique sires and six different maternal grandsires.
Global Launches
This Sire Summary, we launched 35 sires, including 2 Jerseys, 3 Linear Choice, 2 homozygous polled, and 1 red, that are sired by 22 different sires and 23 different maternal grand sires. We continue to outpace the industry in the space of genetic diversity because we believe it is our duty to help you drive genetic progress faster but in a responsible manner.
Not only do we offer genetic diversity in our portfolio, but we also offer sires that meet a variety of needs and goals. For our global launches, we released 13 high TPI sires, 12 high NM$ sires, 8 balanced sires, and 2 sires focused on milk and fertility. Not to mention, the first 6 sons by Whoops and the first sons of ABS favorites—BRUIN, ENCOURAGE, ROSCO-P, AND ENERGISE—launch this Sire Summary.
Below you will find our new Holstein graduates averages for key traits customers worldwide are looking for. Note once again, this group excels for the key traits we found most important for customers looking to create productive, fertile, healthy, long-lasting, and profitable cows: Milk, Productive Life, Cow Conception Rate, and functional Type.
Exciting June Releases
Also, keep your eyes open for two more sires launching in June 2026. 29HO22402 GALACTIC and 29HO22460 LOTTERY rank very high on the TPI lists and will be sires that have a great global impact. Both are producing semen, and we are generating pregnancies within our breeding program.
*Please note that not all sires are available in all regions. Contact your ABS Genetic Advisor to find out availability.
A Balanced Genetic Plan Drives Your Profitability
Rather than chasing a single number or industry index, ABS emphasizes building a customized genetic plan centered on balance. Balanced sires transmit strengths across multiple profit driving traits, making them easier to use and more reliable across different herd goals and production systems. By prioritizing a balanced genetic profile, producers reduce the risk of creating unintended weaknesses, protecting long-term herd efficiency. This approach ensures cows are productive, fertile, and long-lasting—capable of adapting to changing markets, management styles, and environments while continuing to deliver profitability year after year.
As we close another Sire Summary, one thing is clear: no matter where you are in the world, ABS offers the genetics, tools, programs, and people needed to profit from genetic progress. We stand behind you, helping you maximize your milk check, reduce daytodaychallenges, and boost additional revenue from Beef-on-Dairy production through a genetic plan tailored for your herd.
To profit from genetic progress with ABS today, contact your ABS Genetic Advisor or complete the form below.
