The Cooperative Resources International (CRI) board of directors adopted a resolution acknowledging Juan Debernardi, CRI’s Argentine distributor, for importing more than 1 million doses of CRI dairy and beef semen in 2011. The incredible achievement was the result of a 30-year working relationship between the two organizations. “Dr. Juan Debernardi and his staff began working with CRI predecessor Atlantic Breeders Cooperative in 1982. In that first year, they imported around 10,000 doses of semen,” notes Doug Wilson, CRI CEO.
“Today, after years of steady growth, the company achieved a CRI record and first ever CRI single year volume of over 1 million units of semen.”
The resolution ratified by the CRI board was presented to Debernardi at the March 21 CRI annual meeting in Bloomington, Minnesota. It described the actions which allowed Debernardi to achieve such success, citing that Debernardi:
- developed an exceptionally skilled staff featuring education as the basis of sales
- saw the need to advance proper utilization of U.S. genetics through a mating system and personally scored tens of thousands of cows
- sponsored and organized thousands of Argentine producers, university staff and industry influencers to visit the U.S. for an understanding of U.S. genetics and herd management. PD
—From Cooperative Resources International news release
PHOTO
Dr. Juan Debernardi (center) accepted a framed copy of the CRI resolution celebrating his achievement of importing 1 million units of CRI semen in 2011. With Debernardi are Michael Sleeper (left), CRI Associate Vice President-International Marketing, and John Ruedinger (right), CRI Chairman. Photo courtesy of CRI.