Pedigree Analysis of Top Milk Yielding Cows

The aim of the research was to identify the sires that left the greatest number of cows with lifetime yield over 100 000 kg of milk, and to indicate the pedigree relations among these sires. The population analysed was of Dutch origin. The database covered the years 1950-2012 and comprised the information on 22 429 HF (Holstein-Friesian) cows with lifetime yield exceeding 100 000 kg of milk. They were the progeny of 3 888 sires. The conducted analysis proved that some bulls sire more top yielding cows (including those with the lifetime yield of 100 000 kg of milk or above) than others. Some of those sires were related to one another, and the ancestors of bulls that sired the greatest number of daughters belonged to the sire lines known worldwide.