2000+ Cows Category
High Noon Dairy LLC Hereford, Texas
“Being located in the Southwest, surrounded by cheese plants and housing cows in an open lot, there are obvious reasons to milk Jerseys,” states Jody, “but we aim to create animals that have more Holstein influence to increase milk flow and hybrid vigor.” With the help of GENEX strategic account managers, pedigrees are analyzed and DairyComp records are monitored to ensure the crossbreeding program is followed correctly and the best animals are creating the next generation of replacements. Through use of programs like the GENEX Calf Math program, the dairy has almost perfected their strategic breeding program. They use a combination of sexed semen and beef semen to produce the right number of replacements as well as beef x dairy calves. They would have perfected this breeding strategy already, if it weren’t for the sexed semen conception results exceeding expectations! SM
Key members of the dairy's team include, from left, Rene, Roberto, Jose Alfredo, Santos, Pedro, Juan, Leonardo and Jose.
Excellence in Genetics & Reproduction Platinum Award Winner
High Noon Dairy has made great strides since opening in the Texas panhandle nearly five years ago. In the past year, the dairy achieved reproduction results most in the area did not believe were possible. Dairy manager Jody Cole moved from the Northeast to Texas and has been with the dairy since its beginning. In that time, the herd has grown to almost 4,500 head with the help of excellent reproduction and partner operations in Wisconsin and California.
Protocol Compliance Is a Top Priority If you expect to achieve a rolling 12-month pregnancy rate of 39% with 88% of the herd pregnant by 150 days in milk (DIM) and to produce almost 75 lbs. energycorrected milk with a consistent somatic cell count less than 150,000, then everything from hormone administration to heat detection and breeding technique, fresh cow protocols, and milking procedures must be near perfect. 12
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HORIZONS
At High Noon Dairy, that perfection stems from protocol compliance. This is a team effort, as Mauricio Garcia of GENEX constantly works with the breeding team, and the veterinary team from Progressive Dairy Health works regularly with the fresh cow team. In addition, the dairy’s employees hold each other accountable. With protocol compliance as the goal, the Double Ovsynch program has resulted in an average 52% first service conception rate for sexed semen with breedings occurring at 79-85 DIM. Aggressive yet accurate heat detection by GENEX technicians after first service allowed for an 84% heat detection rate.
Using the Best Genetics Initially, the farm had primarily Jersey cattle but since has focused on a crossbreeding program to add more Holstein influence.
“In our beef on dairy breeding, we are using male-sexed Limousin semen instead of conventional beef semen because our conception rates are strong, and we’re seeing the added return from male beef crosses versus female,” explains Jody.
Always Striving for Success When presenting the Excellence in Reproduction & Genetics award plaque, Jody's strong desire to continually strive for excellence showed through. The conversation centered on how to attain even better numbers next year and how to earn higher recognition in the heifer category. While many things impact genetic and reproductive success, having an attitude like that and a dedicated team surrounding you is half the battle.
