# Presentation: 671884

## Timeliness of progeny-testing through AI and percentage of bulls returned to service(abstract 1020)

**H.D. NORMAN,* R.L. POWELL, J.R. WRIGHT**
**Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory**
**Agricultural Research Service, USDA**
**Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA**
**C.G. SATTLER**
**National Association of Animal Breeders**
**Columbia, MO 66205-1033, USA**

## Successful progeny testing (PT)

**Select bulls with high pedigree merit**
**Early semen collection**
**Rapid semen distribution and use in milk-recorded herds**
**Daughters with unique ID, recorded pedigrees, and kept until milking**

## PT accuracy and impact

**Accuracy of PT evaluations**
**Number of daughters**
**Daughter distribution across herds**
**Impact on genetic improvement**
**Number of bulls sampled**
**Intensity of culling of PT bulls**

## Objectives

**Summarize characteristics of PT programs related to timeliness of genetic evaluation**
**Examine distribution of PT daughters**
**Determine selection intensity after evaluation of PT bulls**

## Data sources

**National database at AIPL, ARS, USDA**
**Yield information from DHI**
**ID information from DHI and breed associations**
**Bull entry into PT programs and semen distribution dates from NAAB**

## PT definition

**AI organization in US **
**(exception: Semex USA)**
**Bulls aged 10-29 mo at semen release**
**NAAB sampling controller codes 1-222**
**Daughters born 8-42 mo after bull entry into AI sampling**
**Usable 1st-lactation record**
**First 125 based on calving date**

## Number of PT bulls (major studs)

| Year | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer | MS |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970 |   2 |   2 | 19 |   233 |   17 | 1 |
| 1975 |   3 |   8 | 20 |   563 |   35 | 2 |
| 1980 | 13  | 33 | 23 |   826 |   23 | 1 |
| 1985 | 19 | 16 | 41 |   969 |   52 | 1 |
| 1990 |   7 | 30 | 40 | 1191 | 103 | 3 |
| 1995 | 14 | 30 | 26 | 1373 | 134 | 3 |
| 1998 |   8 | 21 | 18 | 1219 |   95 | 2 |

## Bull age (mo) at semen distribution

| Year* | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1975-79 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 |
| 1980-84 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
| 1985-89 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 1990-94 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 1995-99 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| *Year of bull entry into AI sampling |  |  |  |  |  |

## Bull age SD (mo) at semen distribution

| Year* | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1975-79 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
| 1980-84 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
| 1985-89 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.9 |
| 1990-94 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 3.4 |
| 1995-99 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.8 |
| *Year of bull entry into AI sampling |  |  |  |  |  |

## Bull age (mo) at daughter birth

| Year* | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970-74 | 39 | 42 | 38 | 33 | 38 |
| 1975-79 | 39 | 40 | 37 | 32 | 38 |
| 1980-84 | 39 | 40 | 35 | 32 | 35 |
| 1985-89 | 39 | 38 | 35 | 30 | 33 |
| 1990-94 | 36 | 36 | 34 | 29 | 32 |
| *Year of bull entry into AI sampling |  |  |  |  |  |

## Bull age SD (mo) at daughter birth

| Year* | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970-74 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 5.7 | 4.6 |
| 1975-79 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.9 |
| 1980-84 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 4.4 |
| 1985-89 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| 1990-94 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.9 |
| *Year of bull entry into AI sampling |  |  |  |  |  |

## Bull age (mo) at daughter calving

| Year* | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970-74 | 68 | 70 | 66 | 61 | 64 |
| 1975-79 | 69 | 68 | 65 | 60 | 64 |
| 1980-84 | 68 | 68 | 63 | 60 | 62 |
| 1985-89 | 68 | 66 | 62 | 57 | 59 |
| 1990-94 | 65 | 64 | 62 | 56 | 58 |
| *Year of bull entry into AI sampling |  |  |  |  |  |

## Bull age SD (mo) at daughter calving

| Year* | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970-74 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 4.9 |
| 1975-79 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 5.1 |
| 1980-84 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 4.4 |
| 1985-89 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.7 |
| 1990-94 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.1 |
| *Year of bull entry into AI sampling |  |  |  |  |  |

## PT daughter age (mo) at calving	

| Year* | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970-74 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
| 1975-79 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 26 |
| 1980-84 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 26 |
| 1985-89 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
| 1990-94 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 |
| *Year of bull entry into AI sampling |  |  |  |  |  |

## PT daughters (no.)

| Year* | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1960-64 |   57 | 51 | 48 | 67 | 56 |
| 1965-69 | 100 | 56 | 64 | 55 | 60 |
| 1970-74 |   72 | 71 | 53 | 47 | 48 |
| 1975-79 |   93 | 45 | 52 | 48 | 61 |
| 1980-84 |   61 | 30 | 52 | 48 | 64 |
| 1985-89 |   44 | 43 | 40 | 56 | 60 |
| 1990-94 |   44 | 28 | 31 | 61 | 49 |
| *Year of bull entry into AI sampling |  |  |  |  |  |

## Herd distribution (%) by herd PT use

|  | Herd PT use |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year* | 0% | 1-19% | 20-49% | 50-99% | 100% |
| 1965 | 85 | 11 | 4 | 1 | <.1 |
| 1975 | 68 | 22 | 9 | 1 | <.1 |
| 1985 | 56 | 32 | 11 | 1 |    .1 |
| 1990 | 51 | 35 | 12 | 2 |    .1 |
| 1995 | 41 | 39 | 16 | 3 |    .3 |
| 1998 | 39 | 38 | 18 | 5 |    .4 |
| *Year of first calving |  |  |  |  |  |

## PT cows (%) by herd PT use

|  |  | Herd PT use |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year* | <10% |  | 10-19% | 20-49% | 50-99% | 100% |
| 1965 | 18 |  | 32 | 38 | 11 |   .1 |
| 1975 | 19 |  | 31 | 44 | 6 |   .1 |
| 1985 | 20 |  | 33 | 40 | 7 |   .3 |
| 1990 | 18 |  | 32 | 38 | 12 |   .6 |
| 1995 | 14 |  | 27 | 42 | 15 | 1.0 |
| 1998 | 11 |  | 24 | 41 | 23 | 1.1 |
| *Year of first calving |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## PT bulls (%) returned to AI service

| Year* | Ayr | BS | Gue | Hol | Jer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1963-67 | 71 | 48 | 36 | 44 | 46 |
| 1968-72 | 57 | 88 | 44 | 45 | 50 |
| 1973-77 | 67 | 62 | 32 | 39 | 56 |
| 1978-82 | 46 | 51 | 36 | 20 | 38 |
| 1983-87 | 37 | 46 | 28 | 19 | 26 |
| 1988-92 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 14 | 19 |
| *Year of bull entry into AI sampling |  |  |  |  |  |

## Conclusions

**Slight increase in age of PT bull at semen release**
**Decrease in age of PT bulls at daughter birth**
**4.5 mo for Holsteins and Jerseys**
**Decrease in age of PT bulls at daughter calving **
**6 mo for Holsteins**
**5.5 mo for Jerseys**

## Conclusions  (cont.)

**Decrease in herds with no PT records usable for genetic evaluation **
**85% ******** 39%**
**Increase in herds with usable PT records**
**1-19% PT use:  11% ******** 38%**
**>50% PT use:  1% ******** 5%**
**1 in 7 PT bulls returned**
**	****to active service **
**	****not 1 in 10**