Selections | Fall 2021

SELECTIONS FALL 2021

IN THIS ISSUE

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GET MORE WITH LESS

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HHP$: AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS

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MYSTIC VALLEY DAIRY

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BOOST CALF SURVIVAL

12

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HERDFLEX: BEEF OUT OF DAIRY

COOPERATIVE SPIRIT, COOPERATIVE VALUE David C. Thorbahn, president and C.E.O.

In the months of May, June and July, the dairy and beef industries are energized to ramp up promotions.

These months are nationally recognized to support beef, dairy and ice cream.

We host special events, focus on the dietary benefits of these foods and celebrate the industries that we hold near and dear to our hearts.

October is yet another nationally recognized month and the spotlight shines on cooperatives. National Co-op Month is a firm reminder for Select Sires. Our cooperative structure with farmer-owner leadership sets us apart from other genetics companies. As we plan for the future, this unique business model becomes even more valuable – ensuring that no decisions are made without the direction and support of our farmerowners and boards of directors.

Select Sires Inc. and local member cooperatives are working together to develop future plans for our organization. Above all else, the goal is to sustain our cooperative structure and maintain genetic leadership so that we can continue to serve farmer-owners. Select Sires is focused on being a leader for you - today, tomorrow and for years to come.

Unification update The farmer-owner boards of Minnesota Select Sires Co-op, Inc. and COBA/Select Sires Inc. voted with overwhelming support to ratify the federation’s unification proposal that was introduced earlier this summer. However, voting results from Select Sires MidAmerica Inc. did not garner adequate support. And so, all six boards are working together to consider alternatives. In these discussions we see the true spirit and value of a cooperative structure.

As the dairy and beef industries evolve, we know that Select Sires must follow suit. To benefit our nation’s farmers and ranchers, and continue providing outstanding service, we must invest in research and development. We look forward to the plans that our boards develop and set forth.

Programs for profit While these discussions are ongoing, Select Sires is designing and refining programs to bring more profit to your operation. ProfitMAX® and ProfitSOURCE™ are two of our most popular programs. Learn more about ProfitSOURCE and HerdFlex™ SimVitro® straightbred beef embryo opportunities on page 12.

This edition of Selections provides a wealth of resources and information to enhance your business and identify opportunities for profit. As a cooperative, our mission in its simplest form is to serve you, our farmer-owners. For more information, please connect with your local Select Sires representative. u

These high-ranking new graduates are creating excitement worldwide!

To learn more about these elite GTPI® sires and the rest of the August 2021 graduating class, scan the QR code below.

l-r: S-S-I Legacy 7978 10465-ET (GP-83), LEGACY daughter, Destiny Farms LLC, Marshfield, WI, photo by Jordan; S-S-I Rivet Hailin 10346-ET (VG-86), RIVETING daughter, Brandon and Blake Biese, Chilton, WI, photo by Jordan; S-S-I Renegad 8235 10203ET (GP-82), RENEGADE daughter, Michael and Julie Duckett, Rudolph, WI, photo by Herges.

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GET MORE WITH LESS Lyle Kruse, vice president of U.S. market development, Select Sires Inc.

With most of the world demanding sustainable practices for a smaller carbon footprint, the U.S dairy industry can stand proud. During my 40 years working with Select Sires, I have witnessed phenomenal changes in our business. Improved efficiency and lessened environmental impact lead that charge.

Just consider production in the U.S. In 2020, the average cow produced 23,777 pounds per lactation, more than double the production per cow in 1980.

Genetics have played an important role in cow efficiency, and yet, we are just scratching the surface. As dairies double-down on genetics, they are more critical of the genetic superiority of females selected to produce replacements. This strategy, combined with an intense focus on sire selection, is expected to move the dial on genetic advancement.

I’m grateful to work with some of the best dairy managers in the world. Learning about their goals and helping develop solutions and strategies to meet those goals is part of my role.

Throughout the last year, I’ve heard many of these dairy owners and managers echo a common wish, “I want more with less.”

While there are a lot of tools and varying strategies available to help farmers work toward this notion, it’s important to go back to the basics. Simplify your plan and remember that there are only two parts to this equation: females and sires.

250HO15513

Elon

Part 1: Elite Females

Progressive dairy owners have made it their goal to create future herd replacements that are healthy, reproductively sound, and efficient with the genetic capacity to maintain high levels of milk production. In summary, these dairies want to produce more milk with fewer cows.

To get more with less, genetic planning is critical. Select Sires offers ProfitMAX® tools and proprietary calculators to determine the best breeding strategy for each herd.

With the help of your Select Sires advisor, ProfitMAX uses genomic or pedigree data to deliver optimal replacement numbers, maximize genetic improvement from high-ranking females and take advantage of beef x dairy or straightbred HerdFlex™ beef diversification opportunities with lower-ranking females - making sure each mating yields the most profitable outcome.

Part 2: Sire Selection

A more aggressive approach to sire selection will deliver returns on your investment. NxGEN® provides dairies with early access to the cooperative’s top genetics. Visit www.selectsires.com/NxGEN to enroll today.

The lineup changes monthly with new, high-caliber sire additions. The September lineup totaled 19 sires and averaged +2934 GTPI®, +971 Net Merit (NM$), +890 Dairy Wellness Profit Index® (DWP$®) and +975 Herd Health Profit Dollars™ (HHP$™). These elite sires provide dairy owners with a significant opportunity to maximize perfomance and productivity of their next generation. Boost genetic superiority to increase efficiency and you will get more with less. u

Thomas photo, reversed

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A BETTER COW FOR A BETTER FUTURE AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF SELECT SIRES’ HERD HEALTH PROFIT DOLLARS (HHP$) INDEX Chuck Sattler, vice president of genetic programs Select Sires Inc.

Genetic improvement is a long-term process that requires foresight, strategy and consistent planning across several generations. With these conditions in mind, it’s essential to prioritize the most important traits based on broad industry trends and economics using a selection index.

The state of the industry Today’s dairy herds are optimizing the value of calves and breeding more dairy cows to beef sires. This breeding strategy is happening around the globe and there looks to be a permanent shift in dairy herd management. With this strategy, we are seeing a steady decline in heifer inventories. Smaller heifer inventories means reduced culling and reduced turnover rates in the milking herd. This, in turn, means we will be milking more and more older cows.

This is a good thing. Recent studies1 show the economic optimal culling rate is between 25 and 30 percent. This is lower than the industry average, so less culling makes economic sense for most dairy farms. As always, the more we can shift culling from involuntary to voluntary helps increase herd profits. For example, there’s a better return on investment with older cows because they are more productive than two-year-olds. Some other benefits of reduced culling include reduced heifer raising expenses and more opportunity to diversify income with beef x dairy calves.

Tighter management of dairy heifer inventories is a chance to review dairy sire selection strategies. With the need to reduce culling, it makes sense to focus sire selection on making improvement in the areas that most frequently cause cows to leave the herd. These reasons will vary from herd to herd but most usually boil down to four key reasons – failure to get pregnant, mastitis, low production or lameness.

HEIFERS FOR MILK COW REPLACEMENTS EXPECTED TO CALVE IN NEXT YEAR

Source: USDA, NASS Cattle Inventory

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An evolving genetic strategy Direct selection for improvement in these areas is almost always more effective than indirect selection. Since the mid-1990s we’ve used Productive Life (PL) PTAs for selecting animals that best avoided culling. When evaluations for Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR) were introduced, this provided the opportunity to directly select for improved cow fertility rather than indirectly improving it by selecting for PL. Gradually, we saw most industry indexes add emphasis to DPR and remove some emphasis on PL. A similar scenario exists today with effective genetic evaluations for mastitis resistance. Mastitis is a major reason cows leave the herd and shifting emphasis away from PL and directly selecting for mastitis resistance makes sense. PL PTAs are a valuable breeding tool but directly selecting for things like cow fertility and mastitis resistance, that are measured earlier in a cow’s lifetime, will speed up the genetic progress in these important traits.

This is the major reason behind Select Sires’ new Herd Health Profit Dollars™ index (HHP$™). HHP$ places strong emphasis on health traits, particularly mastitis resistance, using health trait PTAs from the Council of Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB). Mastitis resistance and Somatic Cell Score (SCS) PTAs receive a relative emphasis of 19 percent in the HHP$ formula compared to only 5 percent in both TPI® and Net Merit (NM$).

Another distinguishing feature of HHP$ is that it places some emphasis on udders. HHP$ rewards animals with shallower udders and uses an intermediate optimum approach for teat size and rear teat placement.

INDUSTRY INDEX COMPARISON TPI®

NM$

CM$

DWP$®

HHP$

Milk

0%

1%

-2%

1%

0%

CFP

44%

48%

48%

34%

37%

Mastitis, SCS

5%

3%

4%

13%

19%

Fertility

13%

6%

5%

12%

11%

Other Cow Health

9%

21%

20%

21%

17%

Calving Ability

2%

3%

3%

2%

1%

Calf Health

0%

1%

1%

7%

0%

Conformation

25%

4%

4%

0%

8%

Size/RFI

-2%

-13%

-13%

-10%

-7%

HHP$ includes the latest genetic information from CDCB on feed efficiency. However, it uses a slightly different approach from other industry indexes. HHP$ includes negative weights for stature and Residual Feed Intake (RFI) PTAs to genetically improve feed efficiency. It does not reward animals that are low for strength or high for dairy form.

AVERAGE OF TOP-100 HOLSTEIN A.I. SIRES RANKED BY VARIOUS INDEXES CFP

Mastitis Resistance

SCS

DPR

PL

RFI

ST

STR

DF

Udder Depth

R Teat Place

Teat Length

HHP$

154

+2.2

2.71

+0.5

+6.1

-26

+0.32

+0.06

0.76

0.72

0.42

-0.34

NM$

161

+1.3

2.77

0.0

+6.0

-27

-0.41

-0.80

1.12

0.19

0.61

-0.65

TPI

163

+1.3

2.79

+0.1

+5.5

-4

+0.41

-0.11

1.30

0.72

0.88

-0.54

Building a sustainable future To be profitable and sustainable, dairies must leverage genetics. Breeding for cows that are productive and trouble-free into their third lactation and beyond can improve profitability. However, it’s important to note that avoiding mastitis and maintaining low cell counts is a major challenge in these second and later lactation cows. HHP$ prioritizes selection for mastitis resistance and offers a solution to help improve this reality. This index directly selects for key reasons cows leave the herd to create older cows.

The HHP$ index is the result of significant research, planning and direction from Select Sires’ farmer-owner sire committees. As dairies consider their future and potential to pass their farm onto the next generation, genetic standing can be a determining factor. By emphasizing health and wellness genetics, herds can secure better profit margins-regardless of the milk market. HHP$ is not just another selection index, it is an innovative tool that can bring immense value to the dairy and sustain the operation for years to come. u

De Vries. Economic trade-off between genetic improvement and longevity in dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 100: 4184-4192.

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STALLS ARE VALUABLE REAL ESTATE

MAKING SURE THE BEST COWS FILL THE STALLS AT MYSTIC VALLEY DAIRY If you’re a landlord, turnover is tiring. You want good tenants that stick around and don’t cause trouble. The same can be said about the cows that fill your barn.

Mitch Breunig, owner-operator at Mystic Valley Dairy, compares each stall to a valuable piece of real estate. He makes genetic decisions that guarantee each of his stalls are occupied by the most genetically elite cow – a cow that he describes as high-producing, efficient, healthy and low-maintenance.

Mystic Valley Dairy is home to 435 lactating cows and 550 youngstock in Sauk City, Wisconsin. The herd makeup is 42 percent first lactation, 22 percent second lactation and 35.3 percent third lactation and greater.

Among Breunig’s list of goals, having a herd of older cows is a primary target. To accomplish this, he emphasizes genetics, specifically health and wellness traits, as well as production and type.

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Good tenants protect property and profit Breunig summarizes two leading advantages to older cows: low cull rate and high production. Because Mystic Valley is leveraging health and wellness genetics combined with balanced type, their cows are thriving well into their third lactation. This has created unique opportunities for the herd. Each year, they sell 150-180 high-quality replacements that go into production at other dairies.

Since 2003, Mystic Valley has sold 2,800 head, making cattle sales a sizeable component of their business model. Breunig compares this volume to having a complete dispersal seven times over. The second lactation cows are a big part of those dairy sales and why the herd has a lower percentage of second lactation cows.

Mystic Valley’s low cull rate and cow sales go hand-in-hand to deliver substantial return to the dairy’s bottom line. Meanwhile, the high production yields of older cows makes for good tenants in those valuable stalls.

Peak milk production for Mystic Valley’s first lactation cows averages 98 pounds, while the peak for third lactation and greater averages 148 pounds. Breunig and Kevin Jorgensen, Holstein sire analyst for Select Sires Inc. and cattle partner at Mystic Valley Dairy, work together to develop genetic strategies based on herd reports.

Jorgensen says, “Production reports show you that the old cow pen is the barometer for the entire dairy. When the older cows are doing well, the dairy is doing well.” These greater lactation cows produce more milk and deliver a bigger return on investment.

Another important metric for Breunig and Jorgensen is pounds of solids per cow. With a current herd average of 7.5 pounds, their goal is eight pounds. More solids and greater production efficiency improves income over feed costs (IOFC) and contributes to the financial position of the dairy.

Genetically selecting the right tenant Mystic Valley’s genetic strategy is designed to take advantage of their unique cattle marketing opportunities. To achieve their desired goals, the selection parameters are index driven with emphasis on Herd Health Profit Dollars™ (HHP$™). The inclusion of udder health traits in HHP$ sets it apart from other indexes. Jorgensen says, “For cows to live longer, they need to be built to resist mastitis and avoid other common ailments.”

Proven service sires include 7HO14158 BRASS, 7HO14160 LUSTER-P and 250HO12961 DOC. Young sires in use include 7HO15139 FANECA, 7HO15348 PAYLOAD, 7HO15471 ZZ TOP, 7HO15472 HARPER, 7HO15523 PARSLY, 14HO15223 CONWAY and 250HO15211 CAVIAR. As NxGEN® members, Mystic Valley has early access to Select Sires’ top young sires and they are currently using 7HO15085 PARFECT, 7HO15465 CRUSHER, 7HO15651 MOZZARELLA and 250HO15513 ELON. Lastly, their high-type service sires include 7HO13839 TATOO, 7HO15023 ANALYST-RED, 7HO15325 HANANS, 7HO15634 CADILLAC and 250HO15397 HOMECOMING. Individual expectations, operational goals Precise genetic goals lead to better outcomes, just like a renter’s contract outlines expectations. As landlords, Breunig and Jorgensen have implemented a progressive genetic strategy so that healthy, longer-living cows occupy the stalls. This comparison between stalls and real estate allows Mystic Valley to hone in on individual cow performance while also achieving long-term, herd-wide goals. u 7 u

DPR DAUGHTER PREGNANCY RATE

PROVEN DPR SPECIALISTS

GFORCE ™ DPR SPECIALISTS DPR

REL%

7JE1705 MAGICIAN

3.6

69

7JE1758 JX THRASHER {6}

2.7

69

14JE1921 JX CRISPIN {5}

2.4

64

81

7JE1956 JX CALLAN {5}

2.3

66

73

14JE1946 JX CHUEY {5}

2.2

66

1.7

67

7JE1920 JX REFORM {6}

1.6

65

7JE1699 JX PINE {6}

1.3

73

1.2

66

1.2

66

DPR

REL%

7JE5052 CLOSER

3.2

77

7JE1628 AMP

2.7

84

7JE1529 DOORMAN

2.5

81

7JE1662 JX FIRESTAR {6}

1.1

7JE1605 MR SWAGGER

1.0

614JE1895 DILICH

7JE1628 AMP DAUGHTER

250JE1834 STURGIS 7JE1948 JX WAYLON {6}

Daughter Pregnancy Rate is an excellent trait to increase daughter fertility in your next generation.

Select Sires provides a strong offering of sires to help you create more pregnancies in your herd. Plan for a profitable future by calling your Select Sires representative today and add these DPR specialists to your breeding program!

JX Victory 48547 Amp 54722 {4} (VG-82%) Victory Farms LLC, Revillo, SD

08/21 CDCB/AJCA Genomic Evaluations. All bulls listed on this page qualify for semen export to Canada. All bulls listed on this page are BBR 100, JH1F JNSF.

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BOOST CALF SURVIVAL PROTECT YOUR GENETIC INVESTMENT CHECK YES OR NO:

Lyle Kruse, vice president of U.S. market development King Smith, vice president of North America’s Select Dairy Solutions Select Sires Inc.

Has your Select Sires representative performed a ProfitMAX® genetic audit on your herd?

o YES o NO

Do you adhere to a strategic breeding program?

o YES o NO

Are you mating your lower genetic merit females to beef sires or implanting beef embryos?

o YES o NO

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you likely have less replacement heifers.

Right-sizing replacement needs allows dairies to increase investment in sire selection and reveals opportunities in the beef supply chain. While this strategy adds dollars to the bottom line and accelerates genetic success, the dairy creates less heifers, therefore reducing the surplus of replacements.

Increased genetic investment coupled with less replacement heifers makes calves even more valuable. It is paramount that herds have a plan to boost survival rates and keep calves healthy to maximize the number of heifers that return to the milking operation as herd replacements.

Industry benchmarks The metric used to measure heifer performance is heifer non-completion rate. This is a percentage of heifers that are born on the operation but don’t calve and ultimately do not enter the milking herd. Heifers that die or are sold for health or reproductive issues are included in the non-completion rate percentage. In the last decade, heifer non-completion rates have improved, but there is still tremendous opportunity in both the genetic and management space to better these rates.

Based on data provided by the Select Sires consultant team, the average non-completion rate from 326 progressive dairy operations in 20 states is 13 percent. This can be interpreted as 87 percent of all live heifer calves born are returned to the milking barn as herd replacements. The range was 4-5 percent on the low end and over 25 percent on the upper end of the data set.

There is ample data to support the fact that healthy heifers that do not experience respiratory ailments develop into efficient and productive lactating cows. There is both a genetic and management approach to lowering calf mortality and morbidity to ensure that heifers reach their genetic potential as cows and return the most profit to the dairy. u

HEIFER NON-COMPLETION RATES 13% Non-Completion Rate Average

70

Average N/C Rate 13%

60 50 40 30 20 10 0

>28% 26% 24% 22% 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10%

8% 6% <4%

1,000-COW DAIRY LOST REVENUE BASED ON NON-COMPLETION (N/C) RATES N/C

Total Total Calves Total Heifers Replacements Lost Calving

Value

Lost Heifer Revenue

16%

860

138

722

$600

$82,560

15%

850

128

723

$600

$76,500

14%

840

118

722

$600

$70,560

13%

830

108

722

$600

$64,740

12%

820

98

722

$600

$59,040

11%

810

89

721

$600

$53,460

10%

800

80

720

$600

$48,000

9%

790

71

719

$600

$42,660

8%

780

62

718

$600

$37,440

ASSUMPTIONS: 2.4 units/live heifer calf; $30/unit for semen and $5/service for insemination Majority of replacement heifers generated from sexed semen u $3 per day for rearing, treatment and miscellaneous up to six months of age u Average mortality age is three months u Opportunity cost for lost heifers is $250 each u 1,000-cow dairy with 13 percent non-completion rate needs 830 replacement heifers in total inventory u u

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GENETIC TRAITS

TOOLS TO BOOST

Chuck Sattler, vice president of genetic programs, Select Sires Inc.

The availability of genetic evaluations for calf health and fitness traits has expanded in recent years.

Adding these traits to your selection index can help make sure these economically important traits are improved over time. Faster genetic improvement is achieved when using traits with higher reliability and using evaluations that effectively identify the extreme animals within the population.

CDCB Traits

Table 1: Number of records, incidence and heritability for calf wellness traits.

Daughter Stillbirth (DSB): DSB measures the ability of a sire’s daughter to deliver a live calf. This is expressed as a percent of stillborn calves, meaning the lower the value, the better.

Trait

Phenotype time period

Incidence (%)

Number of records

h2

Zoetis Calf Livability

2 - 365 days of age

4.7

1,935,405

0.060

Heifer Livability (HLIV): HLIV measures the genetic ability, or probability, of a heifer to stay alive until 18 months. HLIV PTAs express mortality differences as percentage points, with a positive number being favorable.

CDCB Heifer Livability

2-547 days of age

4.0

3,400,000

0.007

Zoetis Calf Respiratory Disease

0 - 365 days of age

17.3

1,314,944

0.042

Zoetis Calf Scours

2 - 50 days of age

20.8

733,136

0.045

Heifer Conception Rate (HCR): HCR is a measure of a daughter’s ability to become pregnant when bred prior to first calving. These evaluations are expressed as percentage points of conception rate and high values are preferred.

Table 2: Genomic standardized transmitting abilities (STA) for Calf Wellness traits based on a reference population of approximately 449,391 head with Calf Wellness trait predictions, cow wellness trait predictions and CDCB primary trait predictions.

Average STA

Standard Deviation

Minimum

Maximum

Zoetis Calf Livability

100

5

66

116

Zoetis Calf Respitory Disease

100

5

83

116

Zoetis Calf Scours

100

5

85

117

Trait

Zoetis Traits Dairy Wellness Profit Index® (DWP$®): DWP$ is a multi-trait selection index which includes production, fertility, Type, longevity and the wellness traits, including Polled test results. The higher the number, the higher the expected profitability.

Calf Wellness Index™ (CW$™): CW$ combines evaluations for calf respiratory disease and scours to directly estimate the additional dollars these traits contribute to overall profitability. A higher number is preferred.

Table 3: CDCB Traits - PTA Distribution of Active Holstein A.I. Sires Average PTA

Standard Deviation

Minimum

Maximum

Daughter Stillbirth

5.5

1.2

2.9

12.1

Heifer Livability

0.8

0.5

-1.2

2.3

Heifer Conception Rate

0.4

1.5

-4.6

5.5

Trait

Data displayed in charts courtesy of Zoetis and CDCB.

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CALF SURVIVAL

MANAGEMENT

Jill Strangstalien, director of herd management solutions, Select Sires Inc.

Newborn calves, especially heifer calves, are an investment in the operation’s future. The first and most important step to maximizing the lifetime production and reproductive performance of these heifers is a colostrum management program that assures successful passive transfer. To meet your operation’s goals, implement a high-quality, nutritionally dense liquid diet. Viable direct-fed microbial supplementation, stringent management and sanitation practices are essential to optimize rumen development and prepare your calves for a strong, healthy start. The Build a Better Heifer® portfolio of products offers this and more.

TRI-START JR+ FIRST DAY FORMULA

®

There is never a second chance for their first feeding. FIRST DAY FORMULA is made with 100 percent dried bovine colostrum providing the protective benefits newborn calves need to optimize immune development and health. FIRST DAY FORMULA offers consistency for every calf with the research-based recommended amount of IgGs and biosecurity from transmittable diseases, as well as feeding convenience whenever timing is a factor.

FIRST DAY FORMULA is a proven choice as a replacement for, or supplement to, maternal colostrum.

To support your calf’s developing immune system, look to TRI-START JR+ (paste form).

Developed using the latest calf research, the unique formulation of TRI-START JR+ is designed to boost your calf’s immune system at birth. The ingredient combination below helps improve rumen function and health by establishing microbial populations, which crowd out pathogens.

• 20 billion viable colony forming units (CFU) of naturally occuring microorganisms selected specifically for young calves • Short-chain fatty acid included to optimize absorption • Egg protein antibodies protect the calf from specific pathogens • Vitamins B, C and E and selenium yeast to support immune system development

ACCEL RS

Calf Recovery Solution

• Re-energize • Restore • Recolonize • Rehydrate Help them recover with ACCEL RS so they can get back to happy and healthy! This calf recovery solution is designed to aid in hydration and digestive health for pre-weaned calves.

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BEEF OUT OF DAIRY

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH BEEF X DAIRY

A NEW OPPORTUNITY TO BOOST PROFITS

HerdFlex calves born in March and April from Triangle H Feedlot.

A large segment of the U.S. dairy industry is breeding a portion of their dairy herd to beef sires, producing a beef x dairy calf that will eventually enter the beef supply chain. Less and less dairy producers are choosing to sell purebred dairy bull calves into the beef supply chain. A recent study from Kansas State confirms this shift and the potential value.

Kansas State compiled a summary of beef x dairy cross calves selling through Superior Livestock Auction compared to purebred Holstein steer calves and straight Angus-type calves selling at the same time. The data showed that the beef x dairy calves at 550 to 600 pounds sold for $15 per hundredweight (cwt) under straight Angus-type calves. However, purebred Holstein steer calves were $40 per cwt under the beef price. Bottom line: beef x dairy calves brought about $80-$90 more per head than Holstein steers. While there was no data in the study regarding Jersey bull calves, we can speculate they would fetch even less at market.

Crossbred beef x dairy calves are one thing, but what if a dairy farmer could use their current dairy herd resources to gestate a beef embryo and send a straightbred beef calf to market? If you’ll remember from the Kansas State study, pure Angus-type cattle garnered the highest price at Superior Livestock Auction. To take it a step further, imagine a dairy could supply a year-round source of calves out of high-performing terminal beef genetics, backed by committed management standards with confirmed traceability!

This is the discussion sparked by Chris Sigurdson, general manager of Minnesota Select Sires Co-op, Inc., and Andrew Swanson, beef business manager, at a staff meeting in 2019 and then shared with others throughout the Select Sires federation.

The journey to beef out of dairy Before we dig deeper, let’s back up and look at how the industry arrived at this point from Select Sires’ perspective.

Select Sires has been working alongside farmers for generations to maximize the profit potential of dairy operations. Throughout the years, we have introduced value-added programs including Select Mating Service® (SMS®) and Select Reproductive Solutions® (SRS®).

Fast forward to the introduction of sexed semen and its subsequent improvements in fertility. Dairies embraced the 12 u

technology that allowed them to generate an abundant supply of heifers. Profit-minded producers were quick to realize that the abundance of replacements was widespread, which meant they were left with extra stock that was not in high demand. Select Sires stepped in with ProfitMAX®.

ProfitMAX service professionals work with farm management to achieve long-term profitability from every genetic decision. An audit of each participating dairy’s reproductive records, cow and heifer inventories, as well as evaluation of each animal’s genetic value are considered using proprietary inventory calculators and genomic test results, if the dairy has them, to determine the best possible pairing to generate profit. “It’s all about healthy uterus management,” says Lyle Kruse, vice president of market development for Select Sires.

“Some cows or heifers may carry a high-value gender SELECTED™ calf or embryo to enter the milking string as a replacement and advance the herd’s genetic merit. Less genetically valuable heifers or cows may carry a beef calf to be sold immediately or retained to market weight to enter the beef supply chain. These decisions will maximize profits with every mating.”

“Three years ago, many dairy producers simply sought ‘cheap’ semen that would produce a black calf. Sadly, this created the cattle

we have been seeing in feedlots and packing rails the past year or so,” says Dr. Larry Corah, professor emeritus, Kansas State and Select Sires’ beef supply chain development consultant. “As a result, the feeding/packing sector has started to push back by pricing these cattle at the same value as a Holstein steer.”

Select Sires introduced the ProfitSOURCE™ beef x dairy program in 2019. ProfitSOURCE sires are hand selected for crossbreeding on Holsteins and Jerseys. These sires excel for calving ease, growth performance, carcass merit and offer elite fertility to maximize reproductive performance. ProfitSOURCE is a complete beef x dairy program producing offspring to meet the desires of growers and packers throughout the supply chain, including committed management standards for offspring as well as specific tagging for easy traceability.

Select Sires launched a multi-year initiative seeking to create value from dairy producers to beef consumers. Numerous meetings with calf ranches, feeders and packers provided a great deal of direction. It was clear that each desired a steady supply of predictable outcomes.

“By leveraging performance-based terminal genetics, committed management standards and a sound tagging system for traceability, it became clear that our farmer-owners could deliver what the supply chain wanted,” says Swanson. Calf ranches, feedlots and packers interested in source-verified, high-quality ProfitSOURCE calves have established partnerships with Select Sires as demand is growing.

Still, there was the thought that the highest premium opportunity might come from straightbred beef calves made in a dairy production system. “We had a vision that we could maximize genetic potential and consistency and take advantage of dairy system attributes of healthy, year-round scaled production and traceability,” says Swanson. “That’s where the idea for HerdFlex™ was really founded to use embryo transfer,” says Sigurdson. “This is a beef production strategy designed to maximize calf value. Dairies contribute their extra pregnancies, calf-raising expertise and the year-round production system.”

After discussions with Simplot®, Select Sires became the exclusive supplier of SimVitro® HerdFlex beef embryos in the U.S. “Early in the partnership with Simplot, we trained some of our best technicians and put together an embryo trial to test our vision,” says Swanson.

“The dairyman must see an economic advantage,” says Swanson regarding the addition of a beef embryo program. Minnesota Select Sires quickly set a trial in motion with the assistance of four dairies in central and southeast Minnesota. From June 2019 through February 2020, genetically elite beef embryos were transferred. All cows with embryos transferred were previously assigned mating to beef and randomly chosen for embryos. The only culling from the group was if a cow was unlikely to still be in the herd at calving or if, upon palpation, a cow was thought to be cystic. If there was no evidence of a corpus luteum, embryos were transferred on the side with the largest ovary. To provide comparison, a group of cows were also bred with beef semen.

“

“

We were pretty pleased with the results.

Conception rates for the embryos were within -.55% of the beef semen.

- Andrew Swanson

HerdFlex Calves

JUNE 2019 - FEBRUARY 2020 BEEF EMBRYO TRIAL Beef Embryos

Beef Semen

146 Pregnancies

971 Pregnancies

398 Total Embryos Transferred

2,608 Total Units Used

36.68% Conception

37.23% Conception

JUNE 2019 - SEPTEMBER 2019 Beef Embryos

Beef Semen

91 Pregnancies

438 Pregnancies

228 Total Embryos Transferred

1,288 Total Units Used

39.91% Conception

34.01% Conception

“Through the study, we learned that in times of heat stress while semen performance often lags, embryo performance in the trial during June through September was 6 percent better than that of high-fertility beef semen,” says Swanson. “With conception on a dairy being of the utmost importance, we knew going into this venture that keeping pregnancy rates as high as possible would be a must, so this data was reassuring.”

Starting in March of 2020, calves began to arrive and initially either stayed on the farm or went to the farm’s calf raiser and they were handled and fed just like their dairy calves: fed colostrum, navels dipped, appropriately tagged, placed in a calf hutch, fed waste milk or milk replacer, calf starter was made available along with water. All calves received appropriate vaccinations and males were castrated. Calves were weaned in July and August at about 250-300 pounds and were then transferred to a grower in southwest Minnesota. ... continue reading on page 14.

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In January of 2021, study calves arrived at Sam Hands’ Triangle H Feedlot in Garden City, Kansas in two groups, based on age and size.

To allow for the comparison of growth performance data one group of calves was placed on a feedlot and a second group was turned out to wheat pasture to assess whether these straight beef cattle that had been raised in a dairy system would be able to graze and convert forage into pounds of product at harvest.

End results and what we’ve learned “When they arrived, the HerdFlex calves looked like stout, traditional Angus cattle in the feed yard, as expected they were very uniform, peas in a pod,” says Hands. The first calves were shipped for harvest in late July through late August.

TRIANGLE H CONSUMPTION REPORT Larger Feedlot HerdFlex Calves

4.09 ADG

Smaller/ Wheat Pasture Grazed HerdFlex Calves

3.13 ADG

Feedlot Beef x Dairy Calves

3.63 ADG

“Over the same period of time, the beef x dairy calves required more feed to reach market weight. The HerdFlex cattle had better overall feed conversion,” says Hands. The added value of HerdFlex calves is seen when they are harvested and sold on a grid. The Triangle H HerdFlex calves were sold on the U.S. Premium Beef grid and graded 74 percent Prime and Premium Choice (Certified Angus Beef), netting a premium of over $150 per carcass.

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“

I think beef x dairy has been a nice bridge to the quality and uniformity gap of traditional beef. It has been an easy way to improve what is basically a byproduct from dairies. If a dairy farmer is willing to make additional effort to improve and think about it as a profit center rather than a byproduct, HerdFlex may be for them!

We could see great demand from packers for HerdFlex cattle if we can assure a consistent, uniform product, year-round in terms of end product delivered.

- Sam Hands

“

BEEF OUT OF DAIRY, continued...

Swanson suggests that HerdFlex embryos be used in conjunction with a beef x dairy program as a way to decrease the level of risk.

He reminds producers interested in embryos that the cost to produce a HerdFlex calf, compared to a beef x dairy calf can be as much as an additional $150. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of well-trained embryo technicians to the success of the venture,” says Swanson. “That’s the biggest lesson we have learned to date.

To garner the most success with SimVitro’s embryo technology, the ideal recipient is first or second service, first lactation females. Later lactation cows are probably better candidates for beef semen. Taking these measures will keep pregnancy rates in line. We will never lose sight of the fact that our farmer-owner’s primary income is from the sale of high-quality milk!” u

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BENEFITS OF USING COWMANAGER’S FERTILITY INSIGHTS

Information about your dairy herd is within reach of a Wi-Fi connection, but sorting through the data is a problem many struggle with. Today’s dairy farmers are presented with more data than ever before and the use of cow monitoring systems only adds to the pile.

Generally, having too much information is a good problem to have, but it can be hard to decipher what is most important to daily operations.

While it is essential to know which cows are in heat through activity tracking, this kind of monitoring can also be beneficial when tracking a cow’s overall fertility. This is where CowManager’s Fertility Insights come into play. CowManager users can easily access essential fertility data within the Fertility module to learn about potential abortions, irregular heats and more.

1. ABORTION DETECTION If any feature of Fertility Insights should be used, it is this one.

According to CowManager Research and Technical Consultant Dr. Ray Nebel, Fertility Insights is able to identify potential abortions early, instead of right before dry off.

“I was working with a farm in Utah, and the first time they looked at the data, there were six suspected cows who had aborted,” Nebel says.

“We checked all those cows and all six had aborted.”

With this technology, farmers are empowered to take action and provide proper care to cows of suspected abortion. If the cows have not aborted, the data may be a good indication that something is wrong and can be addressed with a veterinarian. Finding aborted cows earlier makes it easier to decide to cull or re-breed. This is a money saver.

2. NO HEAT AFTER CALVING If a cow has calved and has not returned to her normal cycle, Fertility Insights highlights the cows that might require a check-in. Finding noncycling cows earlier results in a higher first heat conception rate!

3. IRREGULAR HEAT: SHORT INTERVAL Fertility Insights can indicate if a cow may be cystic. The veterinarian can determine further if treatment should begin to get the cow back into normal ovulation patterns.

4. IRREGULAR HEAT: ABSENCE OF HEAT A cow’s absence of heat can be recognized by Fertility Insights. This can happen after an abortion, in young heifers and cows, in certain breeds, current body conditions, or even past adverse calving conditions.

Breeding cows with irregular heats will result in a lower chance for a pregnancy and knowing this information can save herd’s money.

5. INSEMINATION WITHOUT SUCCESS Tracking when a cow was inseminated is standard practice but confirming she’s pregnant or open early on can decrease instances of missed heats.

6. CYCLING When all is right with the herd, it is still helpful to be informed and cut back on overall worry. Cows on the list can be bred and have a high chance to get pregnant!

7. PREGNANCY The earlier pregnancy is confirmed, the sooner farmers can take the proper steps to keep her healthy and prepare for calving.

The Fertility Insights reports are very helpful with pregnancy checks.

For example, the “Inseminated and not confirmed pregnant” list gives a lot of information about the cow’s reproductive status and that could be helpful during the pregnancy check with your veterinarian!

Farmers using Fertility Insights have shared the benefits it has made to their operations.

“On the breed list, I use Fertility Insights to get more information on a suspicious cow,” says Tiffany Schneider, herd manager at Paulus Dairy LLC. “For example, I’ll look at a pregnant cow that maybe just had an increase of activity. If the increase is low and Fertility Insight says ‘pregnant’ I might let her go instead of checking her.”

By being able to see cows with abnormal activity, farmers and herd managers can make quick decisions on how to treat their cows by crossreferencing their current state in their cycles. Users of CowManager find checking Fertility Insights an important data set when looking at the herd as a whole.

Keep in mind that information retrieved by CowManager can be shared with the people essential to the operation. With the help of MultiView, employees and advisors can see the information most important to their role. For example, the nutritionist can review the nutrition information, veterinarians can access reproduction information, and the A.I. technician can view which cows are in heat for timely insemination.

CowManager is a unique system, as it can provide farms with the most important information about their herds. It is a matter of a daily check of your reports.

For more information about Fertility Insights and other CowManager modules, scan the QR code to the left. u

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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Minster, Ohio 45865 Permit No. 2

SELECTIONS MISSION

11740 US 42 NORTH • PLAIN CITY • OHIO • 43064-0143

To enhance the productivity and profitability of dairy and beef producers, Select Sires is committed to be the premier provider of highly fertile, superior genetics accompanied by effective reproductive- and herdmanagement products and services.

For more information, visit www.selectsires.com or call (614) 873-4683.

Product of the USA.

gender SELECTED, Herd Health Profit Dollars, HHP$, GForce and ProfitSOURCE are trademarks of Select Sires Inc. Calf Wellness Index and CW$ are trademarks of Zoetis Inc., its affiliates and/or its licensors. HerdFlex is a trademark of J.R. Simplot Company. ® NxGEN, ProfitMAX, Your Success Our Passion., Select Mating Service, SMS, Select Reproductive Solutions, SRS, Build a Better Heifer and First Day Formula are registered trademarks of Select Sires Inc. CowManager is a registered trademark of Agis Automatisering.

Dairy Wellness Profit Index, DWP$ and CLARIFIDE are registered trademarks of Zoetis Inc., its affiliates and/or its licensors. Total Performance Index (TPI) is a registered trademark of Holstein Association USA. Simplot and SimVitro are registered trademarks of the J.R. Simplot Company. All rights reserved. Limitations and Conditions of Sale: gender SELECTED semen shall be used only for the single insemination of one female bovine during natural ovulation with the intent to produce single offspring unless specifically approved on an individual customer basis by Sexing Technologies in writing. As a condition of purchasing gender SELECTED semen, the purchaser agrees that gender SELECTED semen will not be reverse sorted or re-sorted unless specifically permitted, in advance, on a case-by-case basis by Select Sires in writing. Select Sires intends to monitor the use of the gender SELECTED semen and vigorously enforce these restrictions on use. Please see http://www.selectsires.com/designations/genderselected.html for additional details. Buyer assumes all responsibility for use, storage and handling of herd management products. All claims, representations, and warranties, expressed or implied, are made only by the company responsible for manufacturing and not by Select Sires Inc., its member cooperatives, its agents or employees.

7 = Select Sires, 14 = Accelerated Genetics, 250 = GenerVations TM