Jersey Australia general manager Glen Barrett said 15 of the top 20 young genomic bulls in the DataGene August update were Australian.
“That’s a strong indicator of the strength of Australian bulls and supports feedback that importing AI companies are struggling to find bulls that are rating well in Australia,” Mr Barrett said.
“With growing global demand for Aussie bulls, we are seeing more companies looking at domestic Jersey bulls.”
The top five young genomic bulls are Pickle with a Balanced Performance Index of 408, followed by Roulette (396) , CSCJamieo (380), Butler (375) and CSCWoodside (372) — all Australian bulls.
The top Australian proven bulls are also dominated by domestic bulls — Douggan (BPI 395), Dobson (358), Invincible (338) and Askn (294), followed by import Matt (287).
The Australian dominance is timely, with Jersey Australia leading a joint trade site at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, in the United States in October.
The site will also include Holstein Australia, Genetics Australia, AgriGene and Central Sires Co-op, with support from National Herd Improvement Association of Australia.
“The great positive is that Australian bulls are providing some of the world’s leading genetics at the moment, so there has never been a better time to market our Jerseys to the world,” Mr Barrett said.
The top Jersey herd in the August ABVs was Con and Michelle Glennen’s White Star Jerseys from Noorat in south-west Victoria, with a BPI of 225, up 18 on the April score.
The top five was rounded out by Bryan and Jo Dickson’s Emu Banks Jerseys, the Bacon family’s Brookbora Jerseys, Rohan and Graham Sprunt’s Kaarmona Jerseys and Michaela Thompson’s Heartland Jerseys.
Mr Barrett also welcomed the new Sustainability Index, which he said would help to drive on-farm sustainability through genetics.
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