Tank toTank
7HO
Sup 11351
ers
ire
2
Bre 50HO10
wm
ast 09
er
7JE11
63
Irwin
7H
Ho O1
ts 253
ho 3
t
26
S8 st
7B gu
u
A
40
U4 l
7G del
r
Co
7HO11314
MOGUL
May, 2015
Proof week
results ... 2 and 7
Measuring your
transition
game ... 4-5
Fertility index
improves
conception ... 7
7
36 o
E1 s
7J on
lf
a
4
Y8 e
7A ett
rd
36
22
O1 NET
7H YO
BA
3
1309
7HO aris
m
a
D
bu
Their quest
for 100 pounds
By Dori Lichty, Communications Specialist
“Our ultimate goal right now is to achieve and maintain
a 100-pound herd average year round,” said Steve
Bollant. “We have a good vet, a good nutritionist,
and Matt (Matt Staner, East Central/Select Sires A.I.
technician.) If those three guys could farm together, it
would be amazing. Having them work with us and our
employees is what makes this farm successful!”
Steve Bollant; his wife, Delores; and Steve’s brother,
Tom, own Bollant Farms, an 800-cow dairy near
Fennimore, Wis., with 12 employees and 2,100
acres. Moises Ramos is the assistant herdsman and
two nephews are very interested in being the next
generation.
1-800-288-7473
www.eastcentralselectsires.com
“Prior to three years ago, we ran our breeding-age
heifers with a bull while our cows were bred A.I.
(artificial insemination) by another company. Matt
kept stopping in and pestering me to let him breed our
heifers A.I. with Select Sires semen. I kept brushing
him off, but he kept coming back to tell me he could
do it ... ‘it would help improve production ... it would
help improve the quality of your cows ... .’ So I let him
-- we started with chalking our heifers.”
“A few months later, we had three very bad cowpregnancy checks right in a row,” remembered Steve.
“I went out to do some field work while being very
upset about the pregnancy results. Matt was doing a
really good job with the heifers, so I stopped in the
middle of the field and called Matt. I said, ‘Do you want
to breed my cows?’ He said, ‘When do you want me to
start?’ And I said, ‘Be here tomorrow morning.’ “
Photo: Owners of Bollant Farms, Delores and
Steve Bollant, left, and assistant herdsman, Moises
Ramos, see obvious benefits from working with
Select Sires and A.I. technician, Matt Staner, right.
continued on page 3
SUPERSIRE and BREWMASTER lead
legendary class of graduates
By Select Sires Communications Department
Producers are excited the stand-out genomic
young sires they’ve been using have turned
into an exceptional class of proven Holstein
graduates: 7HO11351 SUPERSIRE debuts as
the top GTPI® sire at +2613, and the best for
GLPI in Canada, 250HO1009 BREWMASTER,
at +3203. This diverse 16-member class is
sired by 15 different sires.
SUPERSIRE, not only tops the breed for
GTPI, he is the number-one Select sire for Milk
(+2,190), Fat (+96), Protein (+68), Combined
Fat and Protein (CFP) (+164), and Net Merit
(+$834). He is a Superior Settler™ boasting a
+3.3 Sire Conception Rate (SCR) and earns the
FeedPRO® designation. A Calving-Ease sire
(7.5% DBH), SUPERSIRE is available in gender
SELECTed™ semen. Expect his daughters
to be long-living (+6.5 Productive Life) and
medium-sized with high, wide rear udders.
7HO11477 MCCUTCHEN graduates into active
A.I. at +2379 GTPI. This Type standout (+2.90
PTAT) sires tall, strong, deep, wide cows with
tremendous udders (+2.81 UDC) and feet and
legs (+2.28 FLC), while improving Protein (+34P,
+0.03%P) and CFP (+76). Available in gender
SELECTed semen, he possesses a solid +2.0
SCR for the summer breeding season.
7HO11279 MOONBOY joins SUPERSIRE and
his maternal brother MCCUTCHEN in the top
10 of Holstein Association USA’s High Ranking
Sire Report at +2396 GTPI. He transmits
outstanding NM$ (+530), Type (+2.13), Udder
Composite (UDC) (+2.59), Feet and Leg
Composite (FLC) (+2.87), and Protein (+35P,
+0.03%P). A HealthMark™ sire, MOONBOY
improves Somatic Cell Score (SCS) (2.70) and
Free semen
for ad in WHN
The July/August issue of Wisconsin
Holstein News will feature Select Sires.
East Central/Select Sires is offering
free semen vouchers for these ad sizes.
Deadline: June 10, 2015. Contact Laura
to advertise: 608-723-4933 or e-mail
[email protected].
Size
Rate
Semen
Net cost
Full page
$210
- $160
$50
2/3 page
$155
- $75
$80
1/2 page
$130
- $50
$80
Page 2
PL (+5.7). He is a Calving-Ease specialist at
5.5% DBH and a FeedPRO designee.
strong cows with high, wide rear udders and
well-attached fore udders.
At +2271 GTPI and +512 NM$, 7HO11096
BENATAR is a son of 7HO8559 BOGART from
the same maternal line as BREWMASTER.
This FeedPRO sire is a component improver,
and one of the best in this class for Fat (+60F,
+0.09%F) and CFP (+84). BENATAR’s excellent
fitness traits (+2.1 Daughter Pregnancy Rate,
+4.1 PL, 2.89 SCS) earn him the HealthMark
logo. He is a Calving-Ease sire at 6.9% DBH.
Calving-Ease sire, 7HO11283 MAYFIELD,
a maternal brother to MCCUTCHEN and
MOONBOY, is extremely low for calving difficulty
(3.8% DBH). His daughters produce high volumes
of Milk (+1,373) and look good doing it (+2.06
Type) for more lactations (+3.5 PL). A FeedPRO
and HealthMark sire, MAYFIELD creates highquality pregnancies with a +2.9 SCR.
As the first proven son of 7HO10606
OBSERVER, 7HO11488 BRANSON graduates
into the active lineup as a FeedPRO,
HealthMark, and Calving-Ease (7.4% DBH) sire.
He ranks high for GTPI (+2239), strengthens
udder attachments (+2.18 UDC), and improves
SCS (2.77) and longevity (+5.2 PL).
7HO11207 PUNCH (+2295 GTPI) is a maternal
brother to 7HO10524 ROBUST and lineup
sire 7HO10804 SHOT GUN. A FeedPRO sire,
he is a tremendous transmitter of Fat (+49F,
+0.10%F), Protein (+40P, +0.07%P) and CFP
(+89). PUNCH improves DPR (+2.4) and PL
(+3.0) as a HealthMark sire.
Improve your bottom line with a FeedPRO
sire. 7HO11123 WRIGHT leads the Select
Sires lineup for PL (+9.5) and DPR (+5.0)
while ranking well for SCS (2.64) which earns
him the HealthMark designation. He is an
outstanding NM$ (+640) and GTPI (+2297)
sire that transmits less stature without
sacrificing strength.
7HO11258 FANG, a 7HO8856 NIAGRA son,
is a production powerhouse. His daughters
are outstanding producers of Milk (+1,710),
Fat (+52), and Protein (+58). FANG lowers
SCS (2.77), ranks well for SCR (+3.8) and is a
Calving-Ease sire (6.0% DBH).
A HealthMark sire, 7HO11167 APPLAUSE,
offers outstanding fitness traits (+7.6 PL, +3.8
DPR, 2.63 SCS) while improving NM$ (+512)
and FLC (+1.79). A Freddie son from a Shottle
dam, he is a Calving-Ease sire (6.4% DBH)
that moderates stature.
A 7HO8747 BRONCO son, 7HO11402 TAVIR
transmits outstanding production (+1,302M)
and Fat (+45). Daughters of this Calving-Ease
sire (5.8% DBH) have less stature, but are
The first 7HO8477 GABOR son to graduate
in the proven lineup, 7HO11195 KENNARD
is a full brother to the dam of Super Sampler
7HO12418 SPARK. He follows in his father’s
footsteps as a transmitter of high production
(+1,260M) and is a Calving-Ease sire (6.3%
DBH). KENNARD daughters are tall, open,
deep cows that have high, wide rear udders.
Proven showring success from Showcase
Selections™: 7HO11118 BROKAW is the new
number-two Type sire at Select Sires (+3.31
PTAT) behind his popular sire, 7HO10506
G W ATWOOD. He is the top UDC Select
sire (+2.91) and a foot and leg improver
(+2.09 FLC). BROKAW transmits excellent
components (+0.07%F, +0.06%P) and boasts
a solid SCR of +2.6.
7HO11163 LADD P-RED combines Red and
White genetics, the polled gene and high
Type into one complete package. He improves
Type (+2.11), UDC (+2.21), and components
(+0.18%F, +0.12%P) while earning the
HealthMark designation for his outstanding
DPR (+2.3), PL (+2.9), and SCS (2.90).
Canadian success from GenerVations: Not only
does BREWMASTER take the top spot for GLPI
in Canada, he ranks among the top-20 GTPI
sires on the High Ranking Sire report at +2298. A
Garrett son, he transmits exceptional Fat (+75F,
+0.21%F) and CFP (+94) with high NM$ (+531)
and low SCS (2.73). At 6.6% DBH, he can be
used effectively in heifer-breeding programs.
250HO1010 LEXOR comes from the heart of
the Lila Z family. A top-35 GLPI sire in Canada
at +2819, he is a superior transmitter of Fat
(+53F, +0.14%F), Protein (+37P, +0.09%P),
and CFP (+90). His daughters are tall with
extremely strong udder clefts and high, wide
rear udders. LEXOR is a great mating on
heifers with his 5.3% DBH.
Source: 04/15 USDA-CDCB Genomic Evaluation, USDA/HA Genomic Evaluation, CDN Genomic Evaluation, and Select Sires Inc.
Their quest for 100 pounds
Prior to Matt breeding A.I. at Bollant Farms,
they had a 15 percent pregnancy rate; today
their pregnancy rate is 23 percent. “Matt takes
such an interest in our farm ... he wants things
to improve; Wayne (Dieter), the relief guy, is
the same way.” commented Steve.
“With a focus on fertility and type, we try
and use the best bulls, too, like Mogul,
Supersire, and McCutchen. We use
SMS (Select Mating Service) on our heifers
and are looking to do the same on our cows.
We also have a 45 percent conception rate
using sexed semen on first-service heifers.
Our first Select Sires daughters are calving in
now; so, we’re looking forward to better milk
and better type in our milking herd. Everything
is working out very well.”
“It’s been a real success story at Bollant’s -both for them and for me,” added Matt. “Their
success is my passion; that’s what gets me
out of bed every day. We really turned things
around here, and it’s really cool for me. I feel
like I really helped them a lot; and in your
career, that’s what you want to do.”
Making the change to SCR Heatime®
In early 2013, Bollants installed a competitor’s
cow-monitoring system that ended up not
performing properly. “I was forced to walk the
barns several times a day looking for heats,
and it was starting to take a toll on my hips,”
recalled Steve. “One day Matt stopped me and
said, ‘Who’s going to walk the barns when you
can’t do it anymore?’ He then proceeded to
convince me to spend the money on another
cow-monitoring system less than a year after
the first one -- and that’s how we got started
with Heatime.”
“After the Heatime installation, I continued
to walk the barns for a while to check for
accuracy, but it was never wrong; so, I don’t
do it anymore ... except for the occasional
test ... and it’s still never wrong,” noted Steve.
“We use Heatime with our heifers, too. Once
they’re confirmed pregnant, we take the
collars off, and Delores punches them out
of the system.” Delores has worked full time
continued from front page
on the farm for three years -- after almost 30
years with Lands End. She takes care of all
the computer work and knows the Heatime
system inside and out.
“Their customer service is amazing, too,”
noted Steve. “It’s unreal.”
“We were on vacation last year and the farm
was struck by lightning. Delores received a call
on her phone from SCR saying our Heatime
system was not working. They told us not to
worry, they’d take care of it, and at 9 p.m.
that night, we received a phone call telling us
everything was up and running, again.”
In January of this year, Bollants installed
Heatime in their double-12 parlor, too. “I wanted
to be able to go into the Heatime system and
get daily milk weights for the cows; now we
use that additional information to help us with
our culling decisions,” commented Steve.
In addition to activity monitoring, Heatime
offers a rumination feature providing
early detection of health issues, enabling
preemptive action. It also provides insight into
the effectiveness of veterinary treatments, as
well as ration and nutrition issues.
“Our vet really likes the Heatime technology,
too, especially for the rumination data” The
Bollants work with Dr. Tom Hermsen from
Fennimore Vet Clinic. “He’s easily able to
review the overall health of the herd -- or
specific cows. Just like Matt, our vet wants us
to succeed and pushes us, as well.”
Transition cows attract the most attention
When it comes to the health of the herd,
Bollants focus a lot of attention on their prefresh and fresh cows.
“We take a pH sample prior to calving, with
5.5 or 5.6 being the preferred result. If the pH
sample is not to our standards, we then adjust
the “close-up” ration accordingly,” noted Steve.
The University of Minnesota conducted a
rumination study, which involved testing for
ketosis (betahydroxybutrate, BHBA), and
Bollant Farms was one of the test herds.
“The study is done now, but we still test for
ketosis every Wednesday in cows fresh four17 days. If they test above 10 mL/dL, we
drench for three days and take the sample,
again, on Friday. If it’s still high, we drench
for two more days.” The ketosis testing really
benefits Bollant’s mature cows. For example,
in November, 2014, their seven-to-60 daysin-milk mature cows were producing 79 and
98 pounds, respectively. Today, they’re at 92
and 118 pounds, respectively. The Bollants
have been able to be much more proactive
and aggressive in treating subclinical ketosis.
By doing so, they haven’t seen a drop in
reproductive efficiency, even with high milk
production.
Better conception, improved herd health,
and now nutrition
Nutrition was another piece of the puzzle
needing to be addressed in order for Bollant
Farms to achieve 100 pounds.
“Last summer, we had only a 66-pound herd
average,” commented Steve. “It was clear we
also needed to take a look at nutrition.”
Bollants now work with nutritionist, Mason
Amundson, from Hubbard Feeds Inc. “Mason
has been a huge asset to this farm,” noted
Steve. “For example, he had us put a gate
between our first-calf heifers and older cows in
the fresh pen. He had the same ration for both
groups, but the first-calf heifers didn’t have to
deal with the competition; that gate increased
production in those heifers by 11 pounds -average -- after about 1 1/2 months.”
With Delores on the farm full time, Heatime,
Matt’s skill in A.I., good herd-health practices,
and Mason’s nutrition help, today Bollant
Farms has a 94-pound herd average!
“We’ve done a lot of new things in our efforts to
try and do better at dairy farming,” commented
Steve. “Now I look forward to watching these
Select-sired heifers calve in and reaching our
consistent 100-pound-herd-average goal.”
Transition barn at Roger Rebout
and Sons Farm, Janesville
Measuring your transition game
By John Gerbitz, Products and Training Manager
The NCAA basketball tournament is still fresh
in my memory as I write this, so a basketball
analogy seems appropriate. In basketball, the
final score is an accurate indicator of how the
game went, but if a coach wants to know why,
he needs to dig deeper. If the coach wants to
know what happened as the team switched
from defense to offense, he will look at the
transition game. He might start with statistics,
which could lead to a specific player or a
specific point in the game. From there, he
might review game film to focus on an area
for improvement. The final score can tell the
coach there is a problem, but he needs more
specific measures to solve it. The transition
game on our dairies is the same. There are
lots of benchmarks that can tell us something
is wrong, but we need to have more accurate
measures in order to solve the problem.
Statistics showing an obvious problem
The whole crew at Rebout Farms knew they
had a transition problem when the 150-cow
herd had four displaced abomasums in
one week. Roger Rebout and Sons Farm,
Janesville, is operated by brothers Dan, Dave,
and Doug Rebout and their families. They
turned to Dr. Dave Chapman at Stateline Vet
Clinic for help. Dr. Chapman set up protocols
for monitoring fresh-cow health and treating
fresh-cow problems. Stateline Vet Clinic has
set up fresh-cow protocols for 12 herds,
designed to detect and treat subclinical
ketosis, and prevent subclinical milk fever.
Research1 shows that subclinical milk fever
and ketosis affect 40 percent of cows, and
affected cows have thirty more days open,
and are three times more likely to be culled in
early lactation.
Stateline Vet Clinic’s program involves a
three-pronged approach. First, all cows in
the fresh pen are observed daily for attitude
and appetite. Second, all cows are temped
Page 4
at three days in milk, primarily to monitor
metritis. Third, a Precision Xtra® blood
glucose meter is used at five days in milk to
discover subclinical ketosis. Protocols are
established to deal with problem cows at each
step. Problem cows are retested until they are
clear. Dr. Chapman describes the program as
“Getting a good handle and intervening before
there is a problem so that cows get a better
start.” When he outlined the plan for Rebouts,
“The young guys stepped up and said, ‘We
can do this.’ ”
Initiating protocol
Patrick Rebout and Sam McGrath have
taken charge of carrying out the freshcow monitoring program at Rebouts. Sam
described the results this way, “The tank
average is up because cows don’t get a
chance to have something bad happen and
loose production.” Patrick says results are
most evident in the first lactation, “Heifers
take off faster.” In the three months since
that week of four DAs, the herd has had only
two – and those two DA cows responded to
surgery much better than in the past because
they were diagnosed early.
Patrick and Sam say they spend 15 to 30
minutes each day with the fresh cows,
depending on the size of the group and how
many require treatment. They start with a
Dairy Comp 305 list that includes days in milk
and lactation number for cows that are three
to eight days in milk. Cows are fed and locked
just before observation to allow evaluation of
eating behavior and minimize lock-up time.
At Rebout’s, all cows in the second or later
lactation receive a single dose of oral calcium,
in bolus form, at freshening to prevent
subclinical milk fever. No matter how well the
ration is balanced, more than half of cows will
become calcium deficient one to two days
after calving because of increased needs for
milk production and reduced dietary intake.2
Calcium boluses are an excellent way to insure
every cow has adequate calcium. In addition
to preventing clinical milk fever, calcium is
important for maintaining feed intake and
immune function. Some recommendations
call for one bolus at calving, and another the
next day to carry cows through the greatest
risk of calcium deficiency. Your East Central/
Select Sires representative has Bovikalc,
Quadrical, or Cal-D-Cap calcium boluses.
Ask which one is right for you.
Patrick and Sam temp cows on the third
day, primarily for early detection of metritis.
Cows that have a fever are treated with a
broad-spectrum, short-withdrawal antibiotic.
Treatment and monitoring continues until
cows return to normal.
At day five, Rebout’s use the
Precision Xtra blood glucose
meter to check all cows for
subclinical ketosis. Cows that
are over the threshold level
are treated with propylene
glycol and injectable B
vitamins and retested. Patrick
says cows “Dive into feed right Precision Xtra
away after you give propylene blood glucose
meter
glycol.” There are powders
and strips available for ketosis testing, but
the Precision Xtra provides a numerical result
which is more objective and accurate than
other tests. Research shows blood testing for
ketosis is much more accurate than urine or
milk testing.2 Some people are very good at
smelling ketotic cows, but even the best will
only find half the cows by smell.2
The Precision Xtra meter uses a test strip that
fits into a hand-held, battery powered device
which provides an instant digital readout. The
continued on page 5
U.S. dairy heifer/cow reproduction is trending
By Phil Dieter, Marketing Manager
Here at Select Sires, we’ve launched Select
Reproductive Solutions (SRS). SRS is not
a once-size-fits-all approach but rather a
customized toolbox to offer options that fit
for each situation. This included hiring more
than 50 reproductive specialists across the
United States. These specialist are trained to
assist with helping customers choose the right
synchronization program, troubleshoot issues
when they arise, reproductive consultation for
team meetings, on-farm heat detection and A.I.
training, and offering professional technician
service. Additionally, these specialists are
knowledgeable to install, service, and train
customers on the use of our cow-monitoring
systems: Heatime® and CowManager®.
On the genetic side, we focused on traits
like daughter pregnancy rate (DPR) and sire
conception rate (SCR). In terms of semen
quality, we have invested heavily in people and
technology to assist in quality control; a unit
never leaves our office unless we believe in the
fertility of our product. We launched the Program
for Fertility Advancement (PFA) to allow us to
track differences in cells, morphology, motility,
More accurate diagnosis of transition-cow
milk fever, retained placenta, and ketosis
means there is a more accurate definition of
these problems for record keeping. Rebouts
have defined a ketosis event as any cow
that receives propylene glycol. Metritis is
defined as a cow that has a fever and an
odor. With clear definitions, record keeping
Graphs 2-4
September, 2007
700
Number of Herds
These things all add up to make a difference
and keep us in a leadership position in the
industry. We’re proud we can make a difference
that is measureable.
Graph 1 illustrates the number of bulls for
SCR at different breakdowns by stud. We are
happy to continue to be the leader in sirefertility choices.
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
<6 7
9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35
21- Day Pregnancy Rate
21-day Pregnancy Rate
8,441 DRMS Holstein herds
March, 2012
Graph 1
Median = 15%
Mean = 16.1%
Holstein Active A.I. Bulls Sire Conception Rate
Stud
≥ +0.0
≥ +1.0
≥ +2.0
≥ +3.0
Select Sires
76
60
32
9
ABS
41
16
4
1
Genex
38
29
12
3
Alta
41
31
9
1
Accelerated
33
20
10
5
Semex
62
39
13
4
Graphs 2-4, right, show the change in
pregnancy rate across the U.S. This data was
compiled from Holstein herds using Dairy
Records Management Systems (DRMS). You
can see progress is being made across the
U.S. with pregnancy rates. The focus on fertility
by Select Sires is part of this success, and we
are happy to report this progress.
Continued efforts are still being placed on
reproduction, and we’re dedicated to seeing
can be more accurate and it is easier to track
improvement.
Rumination monitoring is another accurate,
reliable way to monitor transition-cow health.
Cows with subclinical ketosis, milk fever, or
metritis will ruminate less than healthy cows.
Rumination information can be used to screen
cows for closer observation, testing, and
temping. This results in more focused, efficient
observation and testing cowside. Rumination
can also spot problems which start in the dry
period and cause symptoms after freshening,
as well as problems later in lactation which
fall outside fresh-cow monitoring or result
from fresh-cow problems.
8,660 DRMS Holsteins herds
Median = 14.5%
Mean = 15.3%
800
Measuring your transition game
meter is manufactured for human use. It is
available from many vet-supply companies
for under $70. Each test requires a new test
strip. Test strips are priced under $2 each, but
availability from vet suppliers is limited. Test
strips are also readily available from local
drug stores, but at a higher price, though.
these trends continue. Contact your local Select
Sires rep., and they will be happy to assist you
with your21-day
reproductive
needs. Rate
Pregnancy
700
600
Number of Herds
Dairy producers, A.I. companies, and groups
like the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council
(DCRC) have set out to make reproduction and
fertility a priority, again.
sexed semen, and extenders -- all to raise the
result of the finished product. Select Sires also
offers Select Check, which is an advanced
training school for our tenured technicians to
advance their skills with palpation, detection,
and semen handling.
500
400
300
200
100
0
<6 7
9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35
21- Day Pregnancy Rate
21-day Pregnancy Rate
January, 2015
6,917 DRMS Holstein herds
Median = 17.7%
Mean = 18.6%
600
500
Number of Herds
Prior to a decade ago, the dairy industry was
focused on breeding cattle that could produce
more and last longer. Traits like milk, protein,
fat, net merit, type, udders, and good feet/legs
were heavily selected for, and we were making
good progress. Little focus was directed to
reproduction.
400
300
200
100
0
<6 7
9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35
21- Day Pregnancy Rate
continued from page 4
There’s not much we can do about it if
you were unhappy with final scores in the
NCAA basketball tournament. If you are
unhappy with reproductive performance, milk
production, or herd health, the team at East
Central/Select Sires can help you pin point
the problem and provide the products to solve
it. Our rumination-monitoring systems can
help you focus attention on the right cows at
the right time. Your herd-management team
can help set up monitoring and treatment
protocols that will help individual cows reach
their potential.
Sources:
1. Dr. Mike Overton, Elanco Animal Health
2. Dr. Gary Oetzel, University of Wisconsin
Page 5
Fertility Index improves conception
By Jerome Meyer, Dairy Programs Manager
In December, 2014, Holstein Association USA
updated the TPI formula. New traits were
added with a goal to increase the emphasis on
production traits and to improve the accuracy
of each component within the TPI formula. One
addition to TPI was the “fertility index.”
What is the fertility index?
The new fertility index is comprised of daughter
pregnancy rate (DPR) and two new traits: cow
conception rate (CCR) and heifer conception
rate (HCR). The following chart illustrates
the weighting each trait has in the makeup of
fertility index.
Fertility Index
DPR
64%
CCR
18%
HCR
18%
The original fertility evaluations
The Holstein breed has made great strides in
production over the past decades, but those
extra pounds of milk, fat, and protein came at
the expense of fertility.
In the late 1990s, Holstein breeders started
to recognize fertility had become a serious
problem, as they faced challenges getting cows
bred back quickly. As the industry realized this,
DPR was developed to help combat the issue
of infertility, and DPR evaluations were first
released in 2003. Initially, many breeders were
skeptical of the importance of DPR and the
huge economic impact it has on their dairies.
With a new trait in place as a means to select
for fertility, the Holstein breed has now made
progress since it was first measured. In fact,
the December 2014 base change was the first
since the initial release of DPR evaluations to
show an improvement for this trait.
While DPR was a huge breakthrough for the
industry, there were some flaws in how it was
initially calculated. Previously, DPR was only
calculated using non-return rates – assuming
every cow over 250 days in milk (DIM) was
pregnant, regardless if she was or not. Also,
DPR did not used to adjust for individual
changes in an animal’s voluntary waiting
period (VWP). A cow’s DPR was discredited
if a management decision was in place to not
breed at 50 DIM due to high production, a
desire for a 305-day record, or entering into
a flush program.
Page 6
The new, improved fertility evaluations
DPR evaluations now have greater accuracy
and have evolved to what many breeders
desire – an actual observation of a pregnancy.
It is now measured by a series of yes or no
observations in regards to pregnancy on a 21day interval between 50 and 250 DIM. Cows not
confirmed pregnant at 250 DIM are assumed to
be open.
The new and improved DPR -- along with the
new traits CCR and HCR -- uses conception
rates and breeding information to accurately
obtain the fertility index (FI). CCR is defined
as a lactating cow’s ability to become pregnant
at each service, while HCR describes a virgin
heifer’s ability to become pregnant at each
service. A CCR or HCR of 5.0 would imply that
daughters of that particular bull are 5 percent
more likely to conceive than daughters of a bull
with a CCR or HCR of 0.
There is less emphasis on early conception
rates and more on actual conception rates
during the lactation. This can benefit the
industry by rewarding daughters of bulls that
milk extremely hard and breed back on the first
service, even if it is not at 60 DIM.
The reality of CCR
Let’s take a closer look at how CCR translates
into real performance in an on-farm situation.
The following example is from a progressive
1,500-cow dairy in western Wisconsin.
As you can see from the table above, the
expected difference in conception rate
between the two groups based solely on sire
PTA for CCR was 5.1. The actual conception
rate difference this dairy sees is a five percent
increase between the cows that have a high
CCR versus those with a low CCR.
How to use the FI on your dairy
Perhaps one of the most exciting opportunities
with CCR and HCR can be utilizing it to
determine which cows or heifers are more apt to
become pregnant to a given service. Identifying
which animals have a higher ranking for CCR or
HCR can allow breeders to incorporate the use
of higher-priced semen or sexed semen with
more confidence knowing they’ve increased
their odds of creating a pregnancy.
Identifying which cows are more likely to
conceive, and then utilizing more valuable semen
on those animals can pay large dividends. The
increased semen costs would be nullified by
increased confidence in conception rates.
Additionally, many dairy owners have hesitance
toward using sexed semen on virgin heifers
because of the decreased fertility of sorted
semen. This can be minimized by incorporating
sexed semen on the virgin heifers with the
highest HCR – allowing for the maximum
number of pregnancies to be created.
Herds utilizing the Select Mating Service (SMS)
could also take it a few steps further and rank
their herd based on pedigree value, according
to what they desire in genetics, and breed their
top quartile to a more elite group of sires.
A dairy programs specialist from East Central/
Select Sires can work with you to rank your
heifers in line with your dairy’s genetic goals.
From there, you can sort through HCR data to
identify which heifers are more likely to conceive,
whether to use sexed semen, or to use highervalue semen that meets your genetic goals.
Employee
milestones
Dave Hahn: Recently celebrated 40 years of
employment with East Central/Select Sires
Steve Ottesen: 100,000 first services,
April 14, 2015, 27 years of employment with
East Central/Select Sires
Scholarships
due June 1
We’re offering five, $1,000 educational
scholarships. Applicants must be presently
enrolled in a four-year college or a oneor two-year technical college or shortcourse program in an agricultural-related
field OR be a high school senior admitted
into one of the aforementioned programs.
Also, applicants or their parents must be
currently purchasing semen and/or farm
products from an East Central/Select
Sires representative. Those who are
interested can download the application
from www.eastcentralselectsires.com.
Select high-components lineup leads the way
By Select Sires Communications Department
Following the April, 2015, proof, Select Sires
still offers the best and widest variety of Jersey,
Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, Guernsey, and Milking
Shorthorn proven and genomic young sires.
Five of the top-10 Combined Fat and Protein
(CFP) sires are part of the Select Sires lineup:
523JE927 MAGNUM (+119), 7JE1067 GOLDA
(+116), 7JE1150 DIGNITARY (+105), 7JE1151
GALVANIZE (+102), and 7JE1149 DIMENSION
(+102).
DIMENSION was one of the largest movers
this sire summary adding 352 daughters in
49 herds to his production proof. His Jersey
Performance Index™ (JPI™) jumped to +212
while he improved for Milk (+256), Fat (+61),
Somatic Cell Score (SCS) (2.77), Net Merit
(NM$) (+512), and Cheese Merit (CM$) (+576).
His full brother, DIGNITARY, became the new
number one in Canada for Lifetime Profit Index
(LPI) at +1882.
New proven graduate 7JE1163 IRWIN (+2.2) is
the new Type leader among active A.I. sires.
Former number one, 7JE1038 VALENTINO
(+1.9), is now tied for number two while 7JE1169
TOPEKA (+1.8), GOLDA (+1.5), and 7JE962
SUCCESS (+1.5) join him in the top 10. IRWIN
ranks second for Jersey Udder Index™ (JUI™)
at +31.0. TOPEKA (+22.5) and Showcase
Selections™ sire, 7JE1088 COLTON (+26.0)
are also among the breed’s best.
A VALENTINO son, IRWIN graduates into
the proven lineup as a leader for Type as
expected, with outstanding NM$ (+469) and
CM$ (+483), solid production (+747M), and
positive components (+.05%F, +.01%P). He is
one of the best at Select for SCS (2.86) and
Productive Life (PL) (+5.5). IRWIN daughters
are impressive individuals that are open and
dairy with strong fore udder attachments,
high and wide rear udders and shallow udder
depth.
Fertility frontrunners: DIGNITARY (+4.3 Sire
Conception Rate), 7JE859 RILEY (+4.2),
7JE1173 PRESCOTT (+4.2), 7JE1036 PAT
(+4.2), SUCCESS (+4.1), and TOPEKA (+3.7)
are in the breed’s top 10.
PRESCOTT transmits outstanding Milk
(+1,412), Protein (+45), and Fat (+51) yields.
He’s a top-five JPI sire at Select (+174) and
a FeedPRO® sire. As a Superior Settler™,
PRESCOTT is perfect for the upcoming
Member Hotline
QuadriCal MINI
QuadriCal EHQHÀWVLQDVOHQGHUSURÀOH
®
QuadriCal® MINI
7AY84 BURDETTE remains the number one
Ayrshire Type sire at +1.8, while his son, 7AY90
LOCHINVAR, holds the number two spot at
+1.6. They are also two of the top SCR sires in
the breed at +2.5 and +1.3, respectively.
The Brown Swiss breed’s number five GPPR
active A.I. sire, 7BS826 AUGUST, remains one
of the most balanced sires in the breed. He
improved for NM$ to +336, SCR to +2.3, CFP
to +56, and Milk to +682. AUGUST continues
to be a top-five sire for SCS (2.68), Mobility
(+1.0), Calving Ease (4.4% DBH), and Type
(+0.7). Super Sampler™ 7BS871 ADVISOR
is the breed’s top NM$ (+521), PL (+6.9), and
SCS (2.63) genomic young sire. New Super
Sampler 7BS873 SHAW debuts at the number
three sire for NM$ (493) and PL (+5.7).
7GU398 ALSTAR (+101), 7GU440 CORDELL
(+88), and 7GU438 LEVI-ET (+68) rank
among the top-10 PTI active A.I. sires.
ALSTAR improved for several traits including
Milk (+1,046), PL (+3.6), NM$ (+316), and
CM$ (+295). LEVI is now the No. 4 DPR sire
at +1.2 while CORDELL is a breed leader for
SCR at +1.9.
1/2-in. wide grooves protect your cows from injuries and slippery concrete
®
Calcium Bolus
summer breeding season at +4.2 SCR. His
daughters are tall and open with wide rumps.
ORAL
CALCIUM
BLAST
Barn-Floor Groovers
Free stalls • Holding areas
Feed lots • Pens • Stalls • Walkways
Dick Meyer Company, Inc. • 1-800-228-5471 • www.barnfloorgroovers.com
Size comparison only.
Not actual sizes.
Original QuadriCal®
%HFDXVHRQHVL]HGRHVQ·WÀWDOO
BIO
VET
April2015
LISTEN FOR
®
Microbes
at Work™
or www.greatriversnews.com
Bio-Vet, Inc.
300 Ernie Drive
Barneveld, WI
53507
800-246-8381
www.bio-vet.com
high-school baseball and girls softball
tournaments later this month
Tank To Tank News (USPS
164-440)(Issn. NO. 0743-9865)
is published four times a year by
East Central/Select Sires, N11463
State Road 26, Waupun, WI 53963.
Periodical Postage Paid at Waupun,
WI 53963 and additional mailing
offices. Postmaster: Send addresschange notices to Tank To Tank,
P.O. Box 191, Waupun, WI 53963.
Copywrite©
East Central/Select Sires
P.O. Box 191
Waupun, WI 53963
Vol. 74 Issue 2
Member
profile:
Bollant Farms
Fertility Index
Measuring your
transition game
Best sire summary in almost 40 years
By Alan Deming, General Manager
Board members:
President
Steve Abel, Eden
It’s a very exciting time for our cooperative. While April
produced a cold climate in southern Wisconsin, the April
sire summary was sizzeling hot for Select Sires.
Directors
Jeff Buchholz, Westfield
Dorothy Harms,
Reedsburg
Rick Adams, Elkhorn
Jeff Hendrickson,
Belleville
Randy Nigh,Viroqua
Larry Voigts, Platteville
In my almost 40 years at Select Sires, this was one of the
most dominating summaries I’ve experienced. The Holstein
Top 100 TPI list featured Select Sires with six of the top 10.
In addition, 1/3 of the Top 100 TPI Daughter-Proven Sires
and 28 of the TOP 100 Active Genomic Young Sires are
from Select. This newsletter provides details on the new
Holstein graduates, as well as high-componant breeds.
Fiscal year-end activity
We finished out the best fiscal year we’ve ever had with
record sales units, dollars, and profits! I will elaborate on
details in the next newsletter, after the year-end totals are
tabulated and the audit report is prepared.
On April 27, the board of directors approved the budget
for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. Our plan is to sell 565,400
units (+29,477) and achieve sales dollars of $15,009,900
with an $816,350 net margin. We also plan to add three
new employees. The new business we’ve gained during
the last four months, along with herd expansions, makes
the growth possible.
I would like to thank all members and employees for the
great year we have finished. I look forward to the new year
and am excited about the growth and opportunities in front
of us.
Visit us on:
Facebook
Dairy-bull
1-800-288-7473
eastcentralselectsires.com
Hoch Niedrig Mayf Jellybean, daughter of new graduate,
7HO11283 MAYFIELD, Cliff and Peggy Jones, Arena, Wis.
search