MNSS Spring 2023 Selections

A NO-CEILING APPROACH TO GENETIC PROGRESS

To create a viable and sustainable future, dairy producers are routinely confronted with the questions of where and how to invest or reinvest in their business. A popular strategy might be genetic acceleration. We know that genetic improvement isn’t immediate and there are generational intervals to consider. With that in mind, many producers wonder about the true impact of genetic acceleration on dairy profitability. I recently had an opportunity to find out for myself when I met with Kraig and Rachelle Krienke, owners of Prairie Dairy. The purpose and goal of our meeting was to construct a genetic plan which provides the greatest future performance potential for their herd.

At Prairie Dairy, there’s no ceiling to stop genetic progress or development. According to Kraig and Rachelle Krienke, utilizing tools like genomic testing, inventory calculators and elite genetics from NxGEN® sires have been and will be critical to their genetic advancement.

“Our Select Sires team provides us with the tools and data analysis that drives genetic progress and maintains our momentum for improvement,” said Kraig. With the help of Shane Boettcher, key client specialist for Minnesota Select Sires, the herd is emphasizing Cheese Merit (CM$) and health traits in their genetic strategy. “We’ve never had a higher bulk tank average of combined fat and protein. It’s been running at 8.2 pounds of solids for quite some time and that’s dollars in your pocket,” said Rachelle.

For the Krienke family, genetic success is measured by the bulk tank. Creating cows that are healthy, productive, long-lasting, and don’t experience lameness or other health events will transmit the most genetic value in the future. Leveraging genetics to create more of these efficient, high-performing and trouble-free cows is a critical goal for Prairie Dairy.

“We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the Minnesota/Select Sires team. It’s not just one person showing up, it’s the whole team – all invested in our success,” said Kraig.

Shane Boettcher, key client specialist

l-r: Shane Boettcher, McKinzie Neitzke, Blake Krienke, Rachelle Krienke, Kraig Krienke and Mark Bates

PRAIRIE DAIRY, continued

Confirming genetic performance value

To do this project justice, we must first determine if better genetics equals better performance. If this is not true, then why waste time devising a plan to increase the herd’s genetic levels without a reward? So, I performed a genetic audit using genomic and performance data from the Krienke herd. What I found is exactly what I’ve found in countless other herds – better genetics translate to better performance. You can see from the graph below that a quartile analysis comparison for CM$ in first lactation cows shows that cows with higher genomic CM$ values exhibit better overall performance for milk production and reproduction, while also experiencing less health related events.

In addition, the next image shows a clear-cut accuracy advantage of genomic values over Parent Average values. This comes as no surprise to me. In herds that have genomic information, I see this overwhelming advantage time after time.

Creating a plan

Now that we’ve established an unquestionable relationship between genetics and performance, we can focus on building the best herd, genetically. For any producers interested in genetic improvement, first ask yourself, “Am I willing to explore alternative genetic strategies and consider doing something different?” If you answered “yes,” then keep reading.

You must consider and even believe there is a wide range of genetic diversity in your herd and almost every herd for that matter. Here’s a perfect example of this at Prairie Dairy. The distribution of CM$ values is wide with the average being +527 genomic CM$.

The quartiles shown above represent the herd’s genomic test information for PTA Milk. The table is then populated with the actual performance data for the corresponding genomic group. We can clearly see that genomic testing more accurately identifies an animal’s future performance since the highest genomic tested cows are exhibiting the highest performance levels for the traits observed.

The image above shows the genetic average outcome if you’re giving every animal the opportunity to produce a replacement female. This would be a typical outcome from a primarily conventional semen usage strategy. The resulting females average +726 CM$ when using service sires which average +924 CM$. This is a nice boost but is there additional opportunity?

+924 CM$ is the average of the sires used in the last 120 days

The above two scenarios are my definition of genetic acceleration and resulted in nice gains to the genetic profile of the replacement herd. To achieve this, the herd changed the maternal genetic portfolio and established parameters to select which cows would provide the genetics to the future replacement population. You might be thinking, “Can I still produce enough heifers?” and “Will this incur more costs for my herd?” Using Select Sires’ proprietary inventory calculators, I can accurately answer those questions and any concerns that you might have. In my experience, I’ve been able to devise strategies using gender SELECTED™, conventional and beef semen to fit any genetic investment budget. Additional genetic acceleration opportunities still exist beyond the above demonstrations with the incorporation of the super-elite NxGEN genetics.

Implementing a customized strategy

As I worked through this project with the Krienkes, we collectively concluded that a real opportunity existed to create better cows for the next generation. Using their genomic data and their existing performance data, the picture became clear to prioritize genetic acceleration with a strategy focused on creating the best future replacement herd from the best of their current herd and genetically elite service sires, while simultaneously producing the appropriate number of replacement heifers for their growing operation.

I am truly blessed to work with the entire Krienke family, and many other producers like them. I sincerely believe that investing in genetics will become increasingly important to each dairy’s sustainable business future. My responsibility is to show producers how to best position their business for future success. u

NATIONAL DAIRY CHALLENGE

Congratulations to the University of Minnesota’s National Dairy Challenge team! They competed in Saratoga Springs, New York on March 30-April 1, 2023. Minnesota/Select Sires Co-op, Inc. is proud to sponsor and present plaques to these recipients each year.

As a farmer-owned cooperative, Minnesota/Select Sires Co-op, Inc. supports efforts to build a legacy for the future of agriculture in the local communities of Minnesota and North Dakota. We stand proudly in our commitment and involvement in the areas of agriculture education and promotion, youth development and leadership, and local associations.

We strive to support many of the local events that educate and promote all facets of agriculture and partner with local organizations that dedicate their time and efforts to the future of the industry. Each year our farmer-owner board of directors approves our budget for this significant contribution back to our members and the dairy and beef industries. u

Don’t let summer heat burn up your milk check.

BOVINE ACCELLYTE II

With summer heat approaching, maintaining health and production is vital to being profitable. BOVINE ACCELLYTE II is a specialized electrolyte for periods of stress, rehydration and pre-hydration during events such as temperature extremes, calving, vaccinations, feed changes and illness.

Be prepared to beat the heat, contact your local Minnesota/Select Sires representative today!

Leif Annexstad, genetic and reproductive advisor, Minnesota/Select Sires Co-op, Inc., pictured with team members Zach Schilter, Jay Dicke, Awna Hirsch, Ashley Hagenow and coach, Marcia Endres.

S ELECTIONS

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FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER

I recently attended Select Sires’ annual meeting and it was a great event to reconnect and collaborate with many team members. Our farmer-owned cooperative has much to be proud of as an important part of what has become a top-performing global organization.

What can sometimes be overlooked is all the collaborative work that is happening to support our member-ownercustomers’ needs from their cooperative. We become laser focused on the performance of our local cooperative, customer service and cooperative principles. For me, the Select Sires annual meeting is a good reminder of the rest of the story. At the meeting, we hear from the leaders of each department at Select Sires Inc. and important reports regarding financials, sales and marketing – all of which confirmed that 2022 was a very good year overall.

Through these reports, I’m also reminded of the impressive teams that work behind the scenes. At the end of the day, without the right genetic package and healthy productive sires, we don’t have a business. It takes a tremendous team to care for these sires and provide them with an environment to perform their best. From semen collection to a dedicated laboratory team, everyone is making sure that the highest quality semen

is being delivered to our customers. From there, relentless dedication goes into packing, storing and distributing product all over the world. All of this is accomplished by great people with a true passion.

Farmer leadership

As a member cooperative of the Select Sires federation, your ownership affords representatives from our local board the opportunity to serve on the federation’s board representing the interests of the member-ownercustomers alongside the five other U.S. member cooperatives. Those elected directors meet as a group and serve on various committees.

At the same time, the general managers of the six U.S. cooperatives work collaboratively and with various leaders at Select Sires Inc. to best serve our people and our customers. Some of the items we discuss include sorted semen production, talent development, new product opportunities and various other challenges facing our workforce and our industry.

This unique business structure is designed to bring many voices together in collaboration. Admittedly, it is one that is hard to fully understand until you’re part of it. I’ve always felt the “secret sauce” to Select Sires’ success lies in this approach. We have member involvement and direction, collaborative work and the opportunity for passionate people in our home territories to support our member-owner-customers.

Thank you for being part of this company and contributing to our cooperative success. u

Cooperatively, Chris Sigurdson