Navigationg the Dairy Sire Search

As a senior business analyst, Brian Coyne collaborates with Select Sires’ information systems department to implement new technology and maximize the profitability of customer-owners. Previously a genetic consultant with East Central/Select Sires, Coyne’s foundation in the dairy genetics industry provides valuable insight in developing and maintaining Select Sires’ online dairy sire search feature.

Getting Started

For best results and successful navigability, users should launch the sire search using Google Chrome as their web browser. The Dairy Sire Search (DSS) can be accessed at www.selectsires.com and is located in the lower left corner of the website’s home page. If you’re accessing the search for the first time, you will receive a “Tour DSS” pop-up and have the opportunity to watch various video clips to guide you through the search options.

In this tutorial, we will review four valuable capabilities of the Dairy Sire Search: 1. Breed, Brand, Product Status & Type 2. Special Designations 3. High Interest 4. Export Bull Data

General Tips

As you make selections, the preview of bulls populated in the lower portion of the screen display will change. Note that the column order of traits is customizable and you can choose which traits you want to see and in the order you prefer. To change the order, simply click the trait and drag; to add new traits, locate it in the tab titled “Traits” under the Select Sires logo, click the box of the desired trait to blue and it will be added as the first column. You can also filter the criteria by using the click and drag sliders or by typing parameters into the white boxes below each trait.

Set Custom Parameters

The first opportunity for customization is the “Breed, Brand, Product Status & Type” drop down, located in the left column of the search screen.

In this section, you can select your desired breed, stud, young sires and/or daughter-proven sires, limited availability sexed and sexed 4M products.

Below the “Breed, Brand, Product Status & Type” drop down, there is a “Special Designations” drop down. This is specific to Select Sires and associated product lines and will only populate sires that qualify for the chosen designations.

In the “High Interest” drop down menu, you can filter available sires to include or exclude Polled results, Red genetics and Beta-Casein options.

Once you’ve set your search criteria, you can export your list to an Excel file for saving and printing.

To export, first select individual bulls by clicking the box to the left of each sire’s NAAB code, or select all bulls listed by clicking the box to the left of the column titled “NAAB.”

Click the “Export” button located near the bottom of the screen. In the subsequent pop-up, you will have an opportunity to select traits for export. Input a file name and click “Export” again. Your file will automatically download.