Outstanding lineup of Norwegian Red sires available after the August 2020 proof run

Official Norwegian Red (NR) genetic evaluations for August 2020 are now available from Geno. 

Sexed semen on NR sires (called REDX) continues to grow in popularity and demand for REDX is increasing in many markets. Customer experiences with REDX have been outstanding. Customers should check with their local representative to see about the availability of REDX on top NR sires. In general, most of the top available NR sires have REDX available in many markets as Geno has prioritized the production of REDX on top NR sires.

Norwegian Red sires can be successfully used in almost all herd management systems and in the varied environmental conditions typically seen in modern dairy herds. In general, all NR sires will significantly improve health, fertility, calf survival and reduce body weight (resulting in lower feed consumption) when mated to Holstein cows. Along with these management-related benefits, customers can also expect NR X Holstein crosses to produce similar fat and protein yields as pure Holsteins.

Some NR sires are more suitable than others for specific herd circumstances. We recommend that customers choose groups of sires that meet their individual herd needs.

Norwegian Red sires vary in their breeding value profiles so customers have the option to find bulls that match the needs of their current herd. Local representatives should be able to help customers find bulls that meet their requirements. Customers should keep in mind that many top NR sires are polled and most are A2A2 for beta casein.

Recently available NR sires

The following list includes some top NR sires that have become available recently or will be available soon in most markets. This list includes some very exciting bulls that will likely fit in many herds. Of course, there are additional bulls available in all markets. Comments on key traits for each of the sires are included here.

Brumunddal-PP (252NR12062) – very good all-around sire, outstanding daughter fertility, excellent for heifer matings, PP, A2A2

Eiane (252NR12037) – very good all-around sire, excellent for heifer matings, A2A2

Halbostad-P (252NR12006) – outstanding for solids production and daughter fertility, OK for heifer matings, very small daughter size, Pp, A2A2

Honerud (252NR12039) – extremely high solids production, OK for heifer matings, A2A2

Ihlingen (252NR12046) – very high solids production, excellent udder health and daughter fertility, OK for heifer matings, A2A2

Klopstad (252NR12068) – tremendous combination of outstanding solids production, small daughter size and good udders, excellent for heifer matings, A2A2. Klopstad is must-use sire for intensively managed herds

Maurstad-PP (252NR12009) – very good all-around sire, excellent overall daughter health, very good for heifer matings, PP, A2A2

Steindal-P (252NR11998) – very good all-around sire, high udders with small daughter size, Pp, A1A2

Storflor (252NR12027) – outstanding all-around sire, high component percentages, excellent mastitis resistance, excellent udders, OK for heifer matings, A2A2

Tjelmeland (252NR12044) – excellent all-around sire, excellent daughter health and fertility, high udders, OK for heifer matings, A2A2

Roen (252NR11690) is not a recent addition to some markets but he has turned out to be a popular daughter proven sire in several markets, so he is mentioned here. Roen is an excellent all-around sire with very good daughter production, mastitis resistance and daughter fertility. He is also excellent for calving ease so he is a great choice for maiden heifers. Roen sires very good udders and his daughters are small like many of the top NR sires that are currently available. He should be strongly considered by herds that prefer daughter proven sires.

General comments about genomic sires (GS)

Many top GS sires from the past are now daughter proven and the current daughter-based breeding values (BVs) on these top GS sires line up very well with their past genomic based BVs. However, BVs for individual traits on individual bulls can move up or move down once daughter information is added to the proof calculations.

Customers using GS sires are encouraged to use several sires each year (or several sires every 6 months) to reduce the risk associated with using a small numbers of GS sires. Minor changes in BVs from previous genetic evaluation runs are due to added information and the rolling base change that occurs with each new genetic evaluation run (multiple times per year).

The next official genetic evaluations will be available December 1, 2020.

See www.norwegianred.com for links to articles and the latest sire catalog.