The first progeny proven SHOTTLE sons With the release of sire summary data on Tuesday, January 12, ABS Global added 11 new Holstein sires to its active global line-up.

Included in this group are four of the world’s first progeny proven SHOTTLE sons.

“ABS is pleased to provide dairy producers a diverse group of high-ranking new graduates,” stated Scott Bentley, Global Dairy Product Manager. “In addition to introducing the first proven Shottle sons, the new graduates excel in health and fitness traits needed to produce long-life cows.”

29HO13224 Eastview SENTRY-ET is from the world-renowned Mattie family of Eastview Farms, Virginia. Sentry, a Shottle son with exceptional Type (+2.33) and Udder Composite (+2.18), sires hard-working daughters built to last. Transmitting a desirable combination of dairyness and strength, Sentry is a balanced sire with an outcross pedigree that can be used across the herd.

29HO13245 Langs-Twin-B JANUARY-ET was the first Shottle son sampled in the U.S. He is a Rock Solid (100 daughters in 60 herds) graduate and hails from the well-respected Jezebel cow family. January sires outstanding components at +54 pounds of Fat and +50 pounds of Protein, and his daughters produce high volumes of milk from youthful udders. A top-30 TPI sire, January excels in Type at +2.08.

A full brother to January, 29HO13246 Langs-Twin-B JULY-ET is another exciting Shottle son to graduate into the active line-up. July daughters have shallow udders with deep clefts. July makes balanced cows that excel in locomotion traits while maximizing improvements in all fitness traits.

29HO13325 Mister MAGNETISM-ET is a Shottle son from the same family as 29H8614 MARATHON and Magical. Magnetism sires outstanding Type (+2.87), udders (+2.43 UDC) and daughters produce quality milk (2.67 SCS). Daughters are suited for any environment, producing large volumes of milk with feet and legs built to last.

Another highlight of the January 2010 graduates is 29HO13162 Schillview GERARD-ET. He is a Rock Solid graduate premiering in the top 20 of the Holstein Top 100 TPI list. Gerard, an O Man son, sires daughters with exceptional udders (+2.38 UDC) and high components (+56 lbs. Protein). Gerard hails from the same cow family as ABS favorites 29HO13083 GARRETT and 29HO11967 GAMETIME.

29HO13205 Straussdale Ramos GARNER-ET 99% I is a Ramos son, who like his sire, excels in Productive Life (+4.9), Daughter Pregnancy Rate (+2.2) and is a calving ease sire (7%). Garner daughters are moderate-sized cows that display a high and wide rear udder with teats that are placed squarely beneath each quarter.

29HO13218 Clear-Echo Ramos DEWEY-ET 99% I sires the profitable kind at +5.4 Productive Life and 2.58 Somatic Cell Count, coupled with a low calving ease (6 %). This Ramos son sires problem-free daughters with tremendous rear udder height and width.

—From ABS news release

Genex synchronization research leads the industry

Accompanying the January 2010 sire summary, Genex Cooperative, Inc. has released an updated ranking system for sire fertility. First released in 2007, SynchSmart rankings indicate sire fertility when used as part of a synchronization program. Since the initial release, Genex has utilized the cooperative’s large employee technician force throughout the United States to collect data on synchronized breedings and strengthen the SynchSmart evaluations.

“The early data was based on estimated synchronized breedings and the new SynchSmart evaluations are based on recorded synchronized breedings. We now have over 500,000 breedings to back up the rankings,” stated Gamal Abdel-Azim, Genex research geneticist. Abdel-Azim went on to share the excitement, “Our research has shown there can be up to a three percent increase in conception of some bulls when used in synchronized breeding programs.”

The extensive Genex field technician force allows this sort of research to continue. It was Genex technicians who first realized a difference between sires in synchronization programs. Through the hard work provided by these individuals, continued research was able to confirm a significant difference exists, bringing producers one more fertility advantage available through Genex.

—From CRI news release

Designer Series added to Semex suite of solutions

Semex is proud to introduce its Designer Series sires following the January 2010 genetic evaluation. Hand-selected for their ability to sire individuals with Semex’s famous high-type look, these elite sires are proven to be those that transmit the head-turning look that leads to longevity and the related increased production that breeders everywhere are looking for.

No other genetic supplier can offer a deeper history and more worldwide success. The 200 stud code is well versed with this success, representing hundreds of thousands of excellent classified daughters, thousands of show champions and sale toppers, and thousands of famous, profitable pedigrees influencing herds around the world. Breeders are continuing to seek these sires that transmit the elite genetics that lead to high-scoring cows, deeper maternal lines, longevity, profitability and show-winning individuals.

“When breeders look for elite genetics and high-type sires, Semex is their first source,” says Brad Sayles, Semex Alliance Vice President, Global Marketing. “With the launch of this Designer Series lineup, we’re making it even easier to choose Semex sires. You can trust that the Designer Series™ lineup is the symbol of high-quality, elite high-type individuals.”

These proven sires are part of Semex’s Balanced Breeding philosophy, a selection process based on the careful mating of the world’s most popular sires and proven cow families. Elite, high-type young sires will be available through Semex’s Genomax™ program.

The Designer Series sires join a growing suite of solutions designed to make it even easier for producers everywhere to match their needs to Semex’s lineup, including: Repromax (high-fertility sires); Genomax (genomic-tested young sires); Health$mart (sires whose daughters are low-cost and trouble-free); and SEMEXX (gender-selected semen).

Semex’s Designer Series sires are designated with a “Designer Series” logo. These sires are included in ProMate, Semex’s global custom selection index.

—From Semex news release

Maximize your profit with long-lasting, trouble-free cows

You want to maximize your herd’s profitability by breeding cows for high production levels and excellent health traits – cows that breed back easily, have a low incidence of mastitis, and are productive members of your herd for several lactations. In the United States, concerns about high replacement cow costs have driven increased interest as well.

That’s why health traits are an important part of your genetics program. Sires who rank high on health traits like Productive Life (PL), Somatic Sell Score (SCS), and Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR), as well as lower Calving Ease (CE) and Stillbirth (SB), produce cows who are very valuable to your dairy operation.

Before the coined phrase ‘Health Traits’ became popular, Accelerated Genetics saw the importance of producing long-lasting, trouble-free cows and began selecting genetic packages for the PACE young sire program that would meet the modern market demands.

That’s why Accelerated Genetics offers many health trait-leading sires, including 014HO03597 Potter, 014HO04148 Nifty, and 014HO04099 Billion. Health Traits have already become widely utilized by producers around the globe using these selection tools to create more profitable cows.

—From Accelerated Genetics news release

Graduates offer balanced genetics

With the release of January 2010 genetic evaluations, Select Sires graduates nine Holstein sires into active A.I. The new releases include elite type and superior production with high Total Performance Index (TPI). Of the nine graduates, each new sire exhibits a GTPI of +1840 and higher and carries the Calving Ease designation. Select has added to the selection of sons sired by the legendary 7HO6417 O-Bee MANfred Justice-ET with four new graduates.

“This graduating class illustrates the quality of genetics that Select Sires offers,” said Blaine Crosser, vice president of dairy sire product line and sales management for Select Sires. “Select Sires always strives to provide the most elite Holstein sires and this outstanding group of graduates includes sires that excel in TPI while maintaining strong health traits and low calving difficulty. These new graduates improve the top end of Select Sires’ lineup.”

7HO8885 Hankeseen EMPHASIS-ET is an exciting new graduate with tremendous and strong Type at +2.51. To further qualify Emphasis as a type specialist, he is the only sire in active A.I. with an Udder Composite (UDC) and Feet and Leg Composite (FLC) over +3.00 (+3.53 UDC and +3.00 FLC). Emphasis offers the balanced package and is an excellent mating on cows in need of enhanced mobility and udder improvement. He leads Select’s lineup for Foot Angle (+4.08), Fore Udder Attachment (+4.08) and Udder Depth (+3.80). His daughters will last in the herd at +3.6 Productive Life (PL) and low calving difficulty (7% CE), complemented with a GTPI of +1867. Supported by a time-tested family, his dam, Kerndtway Durham Emily-ET (EX-92-EX-MS-GMD-DOM) is backed by two Excellent dams including great-grandam Henkeseen M Hillary-ET (EX-94-3E-EX-MS-GMD-DOM).

Topping Select’s new releases for GTPI at +1984 GPTI is 7HO9052 Bru-Su Boliver MORPHEOUS-ET, who ranks sixth in Select’s lineup for GTPI. This profitable sire has a Net Merit Dollar (NM$) value of +$477 that ranks him among Select Sires’ top 10 sires for Net Merit Dollar and an extreme Cheese Merit Dollar (CM$) value of +$552. With sound type (+2.16), he sires strong mammary systems and ranks among Select’s top 20 for Fore Udder Attachment (+2.32), Udder Cleft (+2.86) and Udder Depth (+1.79). This calving ease (7%) and HealthMark™ sire depicts great fitness traits with +3.2 Productive Life and 2.66 Somatic Cell Score. Morpheous is a great cross on daughters of O MAN and 7HO5708 Fustead Emory BLITZ-ET.

—From Select Sires news release

Genex Jersey lineup bursting with options

With the addition of seven new sires, the Genex Cooperative, Inc. Jersey lineup has improved in depth and quality among both genomic- and progeny-proven bulls.

The lineup acquired four new genomic-proven sires including 1JE00750 CECIL-P. This Matinee x Action son is the industry’s highest- ranking polled sire for Cheese Merit (CM) at +$507. 1JE00711 PLUS is an all-around sire standing at +$434 CM and +221 JPI with high yield (+1396), excellent type (+1.8) and outstanding udders (+6.62 JUI). 1JE00672 GOOSE, a maternal brother to 1JE00604 GANNON, follows suit at +1.3 PTAT, +4.24 JUI and +203 JPI. 1JE00700 LEXICON, a Lexington x Rebel son, sires deep and open-ribbed cows with outstanding udders.

Genex also has three new progeny-proven debuts that fit the total performance label. 1JE00654 ALLSTAR is a high CM bull from Sunset Canyon MBSB Anthem-ET EX-95%. He transmits tremendous component percentages as well as outstanding conformation (+1.0 PTAT) and udders (+5.27 JUI). At +$458 CM with 91 daughters in 47 herds, 1JE00631 NESTOR is known for great solids (0.13% Protein, 0.23% Fat) and fitness traits. 1JE00644 VETERAN is a low EFI sire that improves both type and fitness.

With these additions to an already outstanding lineup – which included sires like the producer favorite profit star 236JE00003 IMPULS, the exceptional CM bull 1JE00666 VERMEER, and the elite JPI and milk yield sire 1JE00604 GANNON – Genex has the Jerseys to fit any producer’s breeding goals. PD

—From CRI news release