# Presentation: 743485

## Usefulness of International Dairy Bull Evaluations

**Rex L. Powell**
**Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory**
**Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD**
- _[rpowell](mailto:rpowell@aipl.arsusda.gov)__[@](mailto:rpowell@aipl.arsusda.gov)__[aipl](mailto:rpowell@aipl.arsusda.gov)__[.](mailto:rpowell@aipl.arsusda.gov)__[arsusda](mailto:rpowell@aipl.arsusda.gov)__[.](mailto:rpowell@aipl.arsusda.gov)__[gov](mailto:rpowell@aipl.arsusda.gov)_
**http://aipl.arsusda.gov**

## Breeding-program Bull Choices

**Farm bulls (natural service)**
**Young AI progeny-test bulls**
**Proven AI bulls (domestic)**
**Proven AI bulls (international)**

## Numbers of U.S. Progeny-tested Bulls

| Year |  | Bulls Sampled |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970 |  |  | 223 |
| 1975 |  |  | 568 |
| 1980 |  |  | 869 |
| 1985 |  |  | 1243 |
| 1990 |  |  | 1644 |
| 1995 |  |  | 1659 |
| 1998 |  |  | 1413 |

## Interbull Milestones

** ****1983 - Interbull formed**
** ****1988 - Became an ICAR committee**
** ****1991 - Centre established**
** ****1994 - First international service**

## Interbull Centre

** ****Site: Uppsala, Sweden**
** ****Responsibilities and activities:**
**Steering committee sets policy**
**General operations by staff**
**Global service provider**

## Interbull Evaluation Process

**National evaluations sent to Centre**
**MACE combines pedigree and national evaluation data**
**Estimated genetic correlations applied**
**Evaluations returned to countries on their own scale**
**Officiality responsibility of countries**

## Countries Participating in Service

**Countries Participating in Service**

**No. countries**

**Evaluation date**

**Sending**

**Receiving**

## Numbers of Countries per Bull

**62,259**

**3048**

**578**

**238**

**114**

**67**

**45**

**33**

**159**

**0**

**20**

**40**

**60**

**80**

**100**

**Percentage of Bulls**

**1**

**2**

**3**

**4**

**5**

**6**

**7**

**8**

**9+**

**Number of countries**

## Sources of Top 100 Bulls for Milk by Country of Scale 

|  |  | Country of Scale |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Source of Bull |  |  | USA | CAN | NLD | ESP | NZL |
| USA |  | 70 |  | 55 | 51 | 47 | 37 |
| NLD |  | 7 |  | 9 | 18 | 12 | 16 |
| CAN |  | 5 |  | 12 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| FRA |  | 4 |  | 6 | 5 | 10 | 6 |
| DEU |  | 4 |  | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| DNK |  | 2 |  | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| GBR |  | 4 |  | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| NZL |  | 0 |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Other |  | 4 |  | 4 | 4 | 6 | 13 |
| Bulls in Top 100 With US Sires |  | 71 |  | 58 | 53 | 47 | 46 |

## Sources of Top 100 Bulls for Protein by Country of Scale 

|  |  | Country of Scale |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Source of Bull |  |  | USA | CAN | NLD | ESP | NZL |
| USA |  | 46 |  | 37 | 27 | 24 | 17 |
| NLD |  | 21 |  | 26 | 36 | 23 | 17 |
| CAN |  | 1 |  | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| FRA |  | 6 |  | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 |
| DEU |  | 8 |  | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 |
| DNK |  | 2 |  | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| GBR |  | 7 |  | 5 | 7 | 10 | 6 |
| NZL |  | 1 |  | 1 | 2 | 2 | 22 |
| Other |  | 8 |  | 8 | 7 | 9 | 15 |
| Bulls in Top 100 With US Sires |  | 48 |  | 50 | 53 | 47 | 47 |

## Use of Reliability

**Measure of accuracy**
**Guides *****how much***** to use a bull, not *****whether***** to use a bull**
**Minimum restricts the number of bulls**
**Limiting bulls limits progress**

## Websites

_**[interbull.org](file:///../interbull.org)**_
**Publications & bulletins**
**Evaluation summaries**
_**[aipl.arsusda.gov](file:///../aipl.arsusda.gov)**_
**Documents**
**Downloadable files**
**Access to all evaluations**

## Conclusions

**Interbull service is growing (countries, breeds, traits)**
**Rankings differ by country & traits**
**Most gain is from considering all bulls on one scale**

## Impact of Minimum REL On Number of Bulls & Mean EBVM of Top 50 (USA)

| Minimum REL |  | Number of Bulls | EBVM
 (top 50) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| (all) 0 |  | 66541 | 2464 |
| 60 |  | 62486 | 2463 |
| 70 |  | 55584 | 2447 |
| 75 |  | 51599 | 2435 |
| 80 |  | 31628 | 2385 |
| 85 |  | 14757 | 2246 |
| 90 |  | 4571 | 2034 |

**Source: Interbull, February 2002**

## Young Bull (PA Milk = +1000, REL = 36%)

**True TA milk is ****within ****±****480 pounds of estimated PTA**** two thirds of the time**

**PTA milk (pounds)**

**-920**

**-440**

**40**

**520**

**1000**

**1480**

**1960**

**2440**

**2920**