WINDBROOK: Outcross With Substance, Style, Strength & Profitability pg. 3 NEW SIRE USED ON CHAMPIONS: SEMEX’S Pine-Tree Sid pg. 4-5
Putting Semex’s Tools To Work pg. 6-7 7 habits Of Highly Effective Reproductive Management Programs pg. 8-9
Raise Your Heifers Right pg. 12-13
STANTONS ACHIEVER: Your Semen Tank’s Duct Tape pg. 14-15
ai24™: STRAIGHT FROM HEATIME®’S DEVELOPERS pg. 16-17 PROFITABILITY: AT THE CROSSROADS pg. 18
WINDBROOK: Outcross With Substance, Style, Strength & Profitability
Page 4-5
NEW SIRE USED ON CHAMPIONS: Semex’s Pine-Tree Sid
Page 6-7
Putting Semex’s Tools TO WORK
Page 8-9
7 habits Of Highly Effective Reproductive Management Programs
Page 12-13 Raise Your Heifers RIGHT
Page 14-15 STANTONS ACHIEVER: Your Semen Tank’s Duct Tape
Page 16-17
ai24™: Straight From Heatime®’s Developers & Manufacturers
Page 18
PROFITABILITY: At The Crossroads
Balance is a magazine designed to promote dairy genetics, technology and management. The magazine is published by the Semex Alliance. The Semex Alliance is focused on global leadership in the genetics marketplace. Semex Alliance Canadian Partnerships:
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Semex Solutions
Page 3
Semex has actively sought sires that will offer more to a broader range of customers,” says Brad Sayles, Vice President, Global Marketing. “We’re appealing to more and more dairymen worldwide through a product offering that continues to become more diverse. Dairymen are looking for their genetic suppliers to offer more than just the very top of the lists. They’re looking for sires that are outcross sires, highly reliable sires and sires that can get to work today on their bottom line.”
dominate the rankings; and high reliability sires such as Buckeye are now beginning to graduate their first sons in the USA Premier™ young sire proving program. Additionally, Semex’s solutions continue to offer dairymen more in each of the areas contributing to profitability: herd health, reproduction and type. Nowhere is it easier to find those bulls that meet your needs than from within Semex’s suite of solutions including: Repromax™, Health$mart™, Designer Series™ and Genomax™. New to Semex customers is the Semex Customer Value Guide (CVG™). The CVG™ offers dairymen the opportunity to create their own breeding guide, customized to their individual breeding goals
This is evident in Semex’s 2010 On the cover: 2010 Photo Contest Winner graduates. “Heifer Eclipse”. Submitted by Julia Rees, Once again Lidgetton, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. “Heifer Eclipse” was the winner in the Landin December, scapes with Semex Cows category and was Semex added also chosen as the People’s Choice Winner. unique bloodlines, reliability, cow families, and criteria. strength and the credible The results are powerful, statistics that you’ve come to putting economics to breeding expect from Semex and its choices and making it even lineup. easier for dairymen to choose Offering a broader and more Semex as their genetic complete lineup than ever, supplier. Available worldwide, sons of Mr Sam, Laudan and learn more about the CVG™ FBI are offering new outcross on pages 6-7 or ask your opportunities; Goldwyn sons Semex representative for your continue to be among the most own CVG™ demonstration popular available today and today.
Comments or submissions to the editor should be forwarded to Brenda Lee-Turner, Semex Alliance, 130 Stone Road West, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 3Z2. tel: 519-821-5060, fax: 519-821-7225; email: bturner@semex.com SEMEXX™, Genomax™, Genomaxx™, Repromax™, ProMate™, ReproMix™ , Semex Premier™, Health$mart™, ai24™ , Designer Series™, .25Plus™ and CVG™ are registered trademarks of the Semex Alliance.
Gillette Windbrook
An Outcross With Substance, Style, Strength & Profitability Mike West, Semex Alliance Sire Analyst & Product Support Specialist
Genetics is a very specific science allowing us to take two great bloodlines, and mate them with the goal of producing something extraordinary. While it doesn’t always work out the way we plan, a success story benefits everyone. In December 2010, Semex graduated one of its most interesting sires in recent years, a bull that is a combination of two great cow families. Semex’s 0200HO03501 Gillette Windbrook arrives just when the industry is looking for the diversified bloodlines his pedigree offers. Windbrook is certainly something unique being sired by Semex’s Gillette Brilea FBI. FBI is an Mtoto son that left a positive impact everywhere he was used.
When you walk into a barn the Windbrook daughters immediately stand out at you, with his pedigree’s breeding patterns stamped on each daughter. Daughter after daughter, in herd after herd, the Windbrooks all show tremendous rear udder width, an extremely strong crease, a deep foot and a strong foot angle. Their extra substance, strong loins, ideal rump angle and rump width make these cows score well and impress their owners. Looking into their milk records and projections, however, Windbrook proves he’s about much more than type traits, transmitting great solids, strong production and profitability.
When it comes to Windbrook’s strengths, what he does, he does very, very well. He will undoubtedly sire high scoring and exceptional daughters. Many, “At 10 years however, are wondering of age, FBI is if this exceptional type still as sound as sire will leave show he ever was,” winners; Windbrook is says Semex Sire an ideal cross for the From left to right: ACMELEA WINDBROOK QUEEN VG-85-2YR-CAN, Analyst Julien large majority of today’s ELLIOTTDALE WINDBROOK GILLIE VG-85-2YR-CAN, Chabot who show pedigrees and DUALANE WINDBROOK CIERRA VG-85-2YR-CAN Photos by Patty Jones purchased both definitely has the ability FBI and his son Windbrook. to sire some great show winners. If used on the stylish “FBI daughters were known for their solid frames, square cow with fine blending of parts, it could be a winning rumps and excellent foot structure. Today, this is exactly combination. how you would describe FBI himself.” Windbrook’s maternal family tree is a branch of the Gypsy Grand family that has never been hotter. His dam is the former #1 LPI cow, Gillette Blitz 2nd Wind VG-883YR-CAN 16*. This Blitz daughter is also the dam of the December 2010 #4 and #10 GLPI cows, making her exceptional in her own right. She produced just over 39,000 lbs in 365 days and with 15 of her daughters scoring Very Good she is already a 16* brood cow. “Windbrook is a great combination of the right bloodlines and will be very valuable as a unique FBI son,” says Chabot. “For anyone that Julien Chabot, Semex Alliance Sire Analyst ever saw Windbrook’s dam, 2nd Wind, they quickly see her in Windbrook’s daughters but these daughters have the added substance and length from FBI.”
Windbrook has already been used on many of the top cows in the country, as a sire of sons and for matings in international embryo sales. His pedigree and proven performance make it an easy decision for breeders and buyers to use this bull. As a high ranking new release in the December proofs, watch for this bull to be one of the most exciting sires of his generation.
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Dianna Malcolm, Semex Pty Ltd
New sire being used on champions:
Pine-Tree Sid Dianna Malcolm
One cow shown at the World Dairy Expo (WDE) in the United States and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RWF) in Canada proved you do not have to be a champion to inspire champions. Both the WDE Premier Breeder (Pierre Boulet, of Pierstein Holsteins) and WDE and RWF Premier Exhibitor (Simon Lalande, of Ferme Blondin Holsteins) are now using new Semex sire, 0200HO02137 Pine-Tree Sid, on their best cows after seeing one of his daughters, Micheret Alexandria Sid, finish fifth in a massive class of 36 head in the Sr 2 Yr Old Class at WDE. At WDE Alexandra was Best Udder and 1st Bred & Owned in her class. A little over a month later at the RWF, Alexandra bested her WDE performance, placing 1st in class and repeated as Best Udder and 1st Bred & Owned. Alexandra was an attraction in this year’s Semex Walk of Fame daughter displays at both shows. Although not an objective of the display, Alexandra was joined by daughters of 0200HO05024 Dudoc Mr Burns *RC and 0200HO03280 Gillette Final Cut at the RWF in the Semex Walk of Fame and in the show ring. These daughters demonstrated that high type, Designer Series™ sires are competitive on an international scale, placing well at one of the world’s premier dairy shows.
MICHERET ALEXANDRA SID VG-88-2YR-CAN Nominated All-American & All-Canadian Sr 2 Yr Old 2010 Ferme Micheret, St. Zephirin, PQ, Canada
balanced, offering health traits, high fertility, show type and even a promising new release sire… a remarkable accomplishment for any daughter display.” Centre d’insémination artificielle du Québec (CIAQ) Progeny Analyst, Carl Saucier, said the focus on the firstcalver by Sid was intense. “She was the star of our Walk Of Fames, for sure,” Carl said. “I don’t know how many times we could have sold her during those weeks at the shows.”
“Our goal is to always showcase daughters that breeders and dairymen want to see for their own breeding programs.”
“Our goal is to always showcase daughters that breeders and dairymen want to see for their own breeding programs,” says Brad Sayles, Semex Alliance Vice President, Global Marketing. “Our Canadian partners, international guests and large and small dairymen were all impressed with this display (at the RWF). This group of sires is extremely well-
“It is very rare that you see a daughter from a first-crop bull with that show type calibre. The first cow to have that was Howes BC Sassy EX-2E-CAN 7* (AllCanadian & All-American Sr 3 Yr Old, 4 Yr Old and 5 Yr Old). Without any doubt Semex will now sell everything Sid can produce for a long time.” Carl said Alexandra came from a Master Breeder herd, owned by brothers Mathieu and Martial Lemire, from St-Zephirin, Québec. The pair, who also focus on Red & White Holsteins, are using 20-25% Semex young sires within their breeding program. They showed Alexandra at their local show in Victoriaville, Québec in early August where she stood third and Best Udder of the class (to the same class winner and this year’s Reserve Intermediate Champion at WDE, Bonaccueil Camee Final Cut, from Comestar Holsteins). “Comestar Holsteins’ owner Marc Comtois was already using Sid on his herd in Victoriaville, but right after that show he must have ordered 50 doses of the bull,” Carl said. “The WDE Intermediate Champion (Idee Goldwyn
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CIAQ Progeny Analyst Carl Saucier & Micheret Alexandra Sid at the 2010 Walk of Fame Display at World Dairy Expo
Lynley) and Frosty (WDE Supreme Champion) have both been bred to Sid. Frosty’s co-owner Mike Duckett was doing IVF work with 11 cows recently – seven were being done to Sid. Most of the show cows will be done to him soon!” Carl said Sid, who has already been designated a Semex Designer Series™, Repromax™ and Health$mart™ sire, was a special type improver. He is also appealing because he is an outcross sire, being a Mr Sam son from a VG-88-5YR-USA DOM Finley out of an EX-92-3E-USA GMD DOM Rudolph who is proceeded by an EX-90-5YR-USA GMD DOM Elton. “He is one of those bulls that will sire daughters that could make an impact in the show ring some day, as well as producing powerful, balanced dairy barn cows,” Carl said. “He is an outcross sire that lots of breeders are looking for today with all that Goldwyn blood everywhere.” “My day-to-day work as progeny analyst had given me the opportunity to see over 60 of them since early spring, as we pictured close to a dozen in the last few weeks. You don’t have to see that many to figure out how special and consistent that bull is in his pattern. They have got that rare balance of strength and dairyness to them, as they shows lots of power, depth and spring of fore and rear rib and lots of width all way through.” “To complete the package, Sid is also an udder specialist, with very attractive udder veination, very well-attached udders as much in the fore udder with width and height of rear udders. They have also got nice quality of feet and leg, but some could use a little more depth of heel in some cases. They have really got that nice show style. They are balanced, tall and with an uphill run in many cases with great width to their rump.” Carl said for the best results use Sid over refined dams with lower pin settings. “Probably the best, most logical mating would be using Sid on the Goldwyns, September Storm *RC, Buckeyes, Ashlars, Boltons, Toystorys, Lous, Shottles, Leader and even the Lheros, Outside, Lyster bloodlines as well.”
Top: Micheret Alexandra Sid at the Royal Winter Fair Bottom: Micheret Alexandra Sid at World Dairy Expo Photo by Carl Saucier
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Putting Semex’s To Greg Dietrich, Semex ProMate™ Coordinator
Looking at all of the tools dairymen have when making their breeding decisions, it is easy to see how overwhelming this process can be. Semex has designed a suite of solutions that help dairymen make profitable, logical breeding decisions. Advertisements put out the most current information on the bulls, utilizing genetic evaluations, daughter photos and breeding comments. When you look at the Crackholm Fever web page above, what do you see? There’s lots to look at, but you can see that he is a Goldwyn son, has been designated by Holstein Canada as being a superior type sire, is +2.77 PTAT and also that he has nice, fancy daughter pictures. If that is all that gets noticed, then some of the most important information used to make breeding decisions is missed! Fever also has been designated with three of Semex’s breeding solutions: Repromax™, Health$mart™ and Designer Series™. These icons immediately tell the reader key things about this bull – knowing how to put them to use makes matings easier and more profitable. One of the solutions identified on Fever’s webpage, Repromax™, is Semex’s symbol for high fertility. Semex scientists have gathered SCR (Sire Conception Rate), ATA (Agri-Tech Analysis) and Non-Return data to develop the world’s first international fertility evaluation. Known as Repromax™ sires, these sires are Semex’s highest-ranked fertility sires. Repromax™ sires are highly reliable bulls proven to be high fertility sires, with no genetic sacrifices. These bulls improve the fertility performance of cows and increase your profitability, representing the best of the best, with no genetic sacrifices. Measuring conception on farm is generally focused on one or more of the following three measures: pregnancy rate; number of days open; or number of inseminations per conception. The common denominator in each of these measures is that the dairyman needs to reduce the number of days the cow is open to increase his overall profitability. How much does a day open cost you? In 2006, the University of Florida calculated that the average cost for an open cow to be between $3.20 and $5.40 per day. If the average cost of a day open is $4.50 for every 20 days open you are going to lose $90/cow. You can see on the chart at right how this can significantly add up.
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REDUCED PROFITABILITY FROM 20 EXTRA DAYS OPEN
Cows
$(US)
50
$4,500
100
$9,000
200
$18,000
300
$27,000
500
$45,000
1000
$90,000
2000 $180,000 On top of that, these difficult calvings may increase the average days open by 20 days. This issue adds to the pre-existing problem of open cows on the dairy. Figure 1 produced by Canadian Dairy Network (CDN) in 2009 shows that approximately one-third of Holstein cows in Canada are culled from a herd due to reproductive reasons. Figure 1: Culling Trend by Disposal Reason Category - Holstein 2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
35%
30%
30% 25%
Percentage
As our economy, world and industry become more global, it is more important than ever to understand the value that semen companies and bull evaluations can add to your dairy operation.
Semex understands that there are ‘hidden’ costs associated with dairying. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that a difficult calving costs the dairy an extra $70 dollars in labor and vet costs alone. A difficult calving also results in a greater probability of the cow dying, or at the very least may reduce her 305-day milk production by 661 lbs of milk.
18%
20% 15% 9%
20%
12%
9%
10% 5% 0%
2% Natural
Production
Somatic Cell/Mastitis
Type
Reproduction Milking Disease Speed/Temp.
Disposal Reason Category
Semex’s Health$mart™ category takes these factors into account. The Health$mart™ sires are identified as those that sire the most valuable and profitable cows on the dairy. These sires excel for qualities that dairies can easily quantify in their ledgers including: Daughter Fertility, Milking Speed, SCS, Productive Life and Daughter Calving Ease. Semex Health$mart™ sires are identified using the following formula: • 60% Health & Fertility (Productive Life [PL], Somatic Cell Score [SCS], Calving Ease [CE], Milking Speed, Daughter Pregnancy Rate [DPR]) • 20% Production (Fat & Protein Yields/Deviations) • 20% Type (PTAT, UDC & FLC) Following the December 2010 proofs, Semex has 30 Health$mart™ bulls in their main list. They average almost 600 lbs of milk with strong components of 34 and 24 lbs of fat and protein (0.05 and 0.02% respectfully). They also have a strong type breakdown, averaging +1.79 PTAT, below breed average calving ease at 7 and low somatic cell of 2.84. They are going to add to herd longevity with the PL being +2.4 and a with slight positive for DPR they are not going to take away from reproduction. Additionally, 63% of these bulls are high fertility Repromax™ sires.
ols To Work Semex’s Client Value Guide™ (CVG™) is a new tool that allows you to create your own breeding index by answering eight simple questions. These questions help to create your personalized herd index, based on your breeding goals and needs. CVG Breeding Recommendations:
This herd index then ranks Semex sires based on your breeding goals and includes/excludes sires such as Semex Genomax™ sires based on your personal preferences. Additionally, the CVG™, using the average trait information of the bulls you have chosen, will create an economic profile to help you identify the dollar value these bulls will bring to your herd. On the right are a couple of the reports that are available from the CVG™. The index that was created was split equally on health, production and type. Genomax™ sires are excluded, the market condition emphasized components and no premium was placed on SCS. There are 10 bulls on this report from six different sires with six different maternal grandsires. The bulls average 509 lbs of Milk with strong components (35 lbs F, +0.06% F and 20 lbs P, +0.02% P), high type at +2.36 PTAT with an impressive +2.01 UDC and +1.43 FLC. Additionally, strong health traits of +2.6 PL, positive DPR and low 2.79 SCS make this group valuable. These traits are all key in reducing expenses and increasing profitability on the dairy. This report shows the economic value of the recommended sires. The daughters by this bull group will earn approximately $523 US/daughter in additional revenue over three lactations compared to daughters from a bull with an average of zero for all traits (values calculated in Canada in 2009). Each trait is also standardized, allowing them to be plotted on the same chart. This section does a great job of plotting the value of the bull (or group of bulls), based on the criteria set for your herd in your original eight answers. Putting more emphasis on production or on health will result in these values increasing.
CVG Economic Impact of Mating Suggestions
CVG Economic Impact/PTA Point:
The CVG™ is the most recent solution offered by your Semex representative. Ask about this tool today and begin increasing your profitability as soon as possible! 7
7 habits of highly effective reproductive management programs Reprinted with permission from Dairy Herd Management
Reproductive efficiency drive profitability on dairy farms by maintaining cows in the herd at optimal production levels, notes Paul Fricke, University of Wisconsin dairy cattle reproductive specialist. Therefore, achieving excellent reproductive performance is a critical goal. Although numerous management and physiologic factors come into play when it comes to reproductive performance, Fricke recommends that you concentrate on these seven key factors. You’ll be glad you did.
1. Inseminate cows at the correct time. Timing of AI, relative to detection of estrous behavior or synchronized ovulations, can affect subsequent fertility. For farms that AI some or all of their cows to a detected estrus, a single mid-morning AI for all cows and heifers detected in estrus the night before or the same morning should result in near maximal conception rates and is an effective alternative to using the a.m./p.m. rule to manage AI breeding programs. For farms using timed AI, Ovsynch 56 is the best recommendation for an optimized protocol based on research data, as well as the physiology of timing in relation to ovulation, contends Fricke. 2. Improve AI efficiency. This refers to factors affecting pregnancy rates due to AI technique. Research has consistently shown that the people responsible for conducting AI on a farm can have a profound effect on fertility. In research trials, fertility of cows inseminated by professional AI technicians almost always exceeds that of herd employees, Fricke explains. Invest in the training of farm employees and/or the services of professional AI technicians when AI technique is the suspected cause of a low conception risk on a farm. 3. Inseminate cows quickly after the end of the voluntary waiting period. First post-partum AI service represents a unique opportunity for reproductive management of lactating dairy cows because all cows in the herd have a known pregnancy status at this time (not pregnant). This allows the use of hormonal synchronization systems that use prostaglandins without the risk of aborting a previously established pregnancy.
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4. Maintain high compliance to protocols.
6. Promptly re-inseminate non-pregnant cows.
To achieve success with timed AI protocols, each farm has to develop a system to administer the correct injections to the correct group of cows on the correct days. Then, personnel must also subsequently AI the correct group of cows. The inability to comply with protocols is a widespread cause of poor reproductive performance, and needs to be addressed when these protocols are put in place to manage reproduction, Fricke notes.
Although relying on synchronization of ovulation and timed AI for improving first AI services reduces the impact of poor estrous detection, the improved AI submission rate to first timed AI often is followed by a time-lag exceeding 60 days before cows that failed to conceive are detected and re-inseminated. Although new strategies are under development, administering GnRH to all cows 32 days after a previous timed AI and conducting nonpregnancy diagnosis at day 39 so that non-pregnant cows can continue the protocol is advised, recommends Fricke.
5. Identify non-pregnant cows after AI (but not too early). Although it has long been accepted that pregnancy status should be verified as soon as possible after AI, the accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis outcomes determined early after AI is complicated by subsequent pregnancy loss. Therefore, it is recommended that rectal palpation should not be done before approximately 35 days following AI, says Fricke. Ultrasound should not be done before about 28 to 30 days after AI.
7. Adopt and adapt to new technologies. Many technologies are now becoming available to help manage reproduction in large dairy herds. Some of these new tools will be incorporated in the dairy management systems, but others will not. Each dairy manager must evaluate the potential that these new technologies have to offer, concludes Fricke. Source: University of Wisconsin
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From left
ACMELEA WINDBROOK QUEEN VG-85-2YR-CAN, ELLIOTTDALE WINDBROOK GILLIE VG-85-2YR-CAN, DUA HARTVELD WINDBROOK JEWEL GP-83-2YR-CAN (photo reversed), ROOYALDA
0 2 0 0 H O
GILLETTE WINDB
E X-93
F B I x VG - 8 8 1 6 * B l i t z x VG - 8 6 2 3 * S t orm
to right:
ALANE WINDBROOK CIERRA VG-85-2YR-CAN, EARLEN WINDBROOK LISA VG-85-2YR-CAN (photo reversed), ALE WINBROOK WAYNLYN GP-84-2YR-CAN (photo reversed) Photos by Patty Jones
O 0 3 5 0 1
LLETTE BROOK
3- CAN
orm x B r a e d a l e G y p s y Gr a nd VG - 8 8 3 7 *
Raise Your Heifers Right Mark Carson, MSc. BSc. (Agr)., Gencor Reproductive Specialist
Successful heifer raising is the first step to a healthy and productive first lactation. Getting your heifers to calve by 24 months and be productive as soon as they hit the milking line begins the day she is born. Every step in your heifer rearing process from newborn, to weaning and on to breeding directly impacts the time it will take for her to join the milking herd and generate profits. Age at first calving, heifer pregnancy rate and first lactation stillbirth rate are key monitors that can be used to measure the success of heifer raising programs. Calving out heifers at 24 months of age has major economic and production benefits for your herd. These economic benefits come from decreasing raising costs. These costs are estimated at $2.00 to $3.00 per animal per day past 24 months, and lowering the necessary inventory of replacement heifers that the herd must carry. For example, a herd calves out 50 heifers a year, at an average age of 27 months. Assuming it costs $2.50 per day to raise a heifer, this herd can save up to $11,250 per year, if it resumed age at first calving down to 24 months. There are also some production benefits from calving heifers out at 24 months. CanWest DHI records show that the heifers that calve out at 24 months of age make 3,300 lbs more milk in their lifetimes than those who calve at 28 months. At $12/cwt, its approximately $400 of revenue lost, by calving the heifer out 4 months later.
Although pregnancy rate is becoming the common measurement for assessing the performance of the lactating herd, it is still under-utilized when it comes to heifer reproduction. A quick survey of 10 progressive dairy herds show the average pregnancy rate in heifers to be just 26%, showing there is lots of room for improvement. For heifers, this pregnancy rate goal should be much higher. When you consider that heifers have much better fertility and express heats better then lactating counterparts a pregnancy rate of 36% or higher is achievable. To get above 36% pregnancy rate from your heifers, you must look at maximizing your conception and insemination rates. Over the past decade, many tools have been developed to assist dairymen in overcoming some of these heat detection shortfalls. Electronic activity monitoring accuracy and cost effectiveness has improved over the past decade, making it an attractive option for heifers.
Every step in your heifer rearing process from newborn, to weaning and on to breeding directly impacts the time it will take for her to join the milking herd and generate profits.
Reaching a 24 month calving age means the first breeding must occur at 13 months. A herd with an average heifer conception rate of 60% with good heat detection should start their breeding program at 13 months to ensure the majority of their heifers are pregnant by 15 months, and after carrying the calf for nine months calve at 24 months. In order to have your heifers in top shape for breeding at 13 months, the first 12 months of her life are key. A heifer’s nutrition and health from the day of birth until she reaches the breeding group determines her breeding eligibility and her effectiveness in the breeding program. A general rule of thumb is that a heifer should be at 60% of her mature body weight when first breeding occurs. The recommended weight for a breeding age Holstein heifer is approximately 860 lbs; the recommended height is 50 inches. Subpar nutrition and disease in the first few months of life will greatly affect whether these growth targets are met. Monitoring is a critical and overlooked part of a heifer breeding program. In order to manage and focus our resources on the right parts of the breeding program, we need to monitor our results. Traditional measurements of heifer reproductive performance such as conception rate, 12
do not tell the whole story. As an industry, we need to start using pregnancy rate more effectively when talking about heifer reproduction.
With heifers being a low maintenance animal, heats are often missed simply because no one is around to see them. Many producers are now using electronic activity monitoring systems such as Semex’s ai24™ program using Heatime® to bridge some of the heat detection gaps that commonly develop.
With the Heatime® system, collars are placed on the heifers approximately 30 days prior to the start of the breeding period, and removed once the heifer is confirmed pregnant. By watching heifers on a 24-hour basis with activity monitoring, fewer animals slip between the cracks and more get bred on a timely basis. An activity monitoring system can quickly pay for itself if it can help lower the age at first calving to the optimal 24 months. Calving management of heifers is also another over looked, yet critical part to getting productive first lactation cows into the pipeline. Stillbirths and hard calvings in first lactation cows can reach above 10% if not managed correctly. These numbers needs to be monitored and reviewed regularly. The goal should be to keep stillbirth and hard pulls below 5%. To reduce stillbirths and increase calving ease, monitor body condition scores of your heifers, pick sires for calving ease and look at your overall calving management. Herd sires are too commonly used on heifers, as they’re seen as a low input to get heifers pregnant. Although it can appear to be an attractive financial option, there are many costs and risks associated with using a herd sire. Not only do herd sires increase the risk of hard calvings and stillbirths, they also remove the opportunity to optimize sire selection, and may lead to higher inbreeding and less productive cows.
Estimated Savings Calving Heifers at 24 months vs 28 months # Heifers Raised/Year 1
Extra Cost to Raise to 28 Mo $225
25
$5,625
50
$11,250
100
$22,500
150
$33,750
200
$45,000
250
$56,250
500
$112,500
1000
$225,000
Estimated Lost Milk Production Revenue Calving Heifers at 24 months vs 28 months # Heifers Raised 1
$ Lost $400
25
$10,000
50
$20,000
100
$40,000
150
$60,000
200
$80,000
250
$100,000
500
$200,000
1000
$400,000
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MAJESTIC-VIEW ACHIEVER 6709 GP-81-2YR-USA Majestic-View Farm, Lancaster, WI, USA Photo: Nick Sarbacker
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Semex’s Stantons Achiever:
Your Semen Tank’s Duct Tape! Cameron Davis, East Coast Premier™ Consultant
Semex’s 0200HO02167 Stantons Achiever can easily be called the duct tape in your semen tank! Many would ask ‘Why would Semex ever compare a bull to duct tape?’ The answer is easy… Just as his name ‘achiever’ is defined, Stantons Achiever has accomplished something very successfully. This Shottle son has successfully shown that he can and does repair all the major issues most dairymen face in their breeding programs. He increases milk production, corrects low butterfat, lowers SCS and increases productive life and overall conformation, a true ‘Achiever’! Looking into this US proven Health$mart™ and Repromax™ sire’s pedigree, you realize the reason why he is the ultimate Achiever may be rooted in his own roots, being backed by eight generations of VG or EX dams. These dams all excelled with high production and high components and were sired by some of the most influential bulls of their eras. His dam is the VG-85-2YRCAN 22* Stantons Sherice, a Convincer with 1 Superior Lactation award to date, over 30,395 lbs of 4.2F and 3.2P in 305d and 15 VG progeny. Next dam is VG86-3YR-CAN 37* Sher-Est Rudolph Stress, a Superior Production award winner and dam of 19 VG daughters. Laced with impact sires, Achiever’s sire stack dictates longevity and profitability… Shottle x Convincer x Rudolph x Chief Mark x Mars Tony x Ivanhoe.
GENESEE ACHIEVER 5305 GP-82-2YR-USA Mulligans Farm, Avon, NY, USA
Together, West Coast Premier™ Consultant Michelle Pedretti, Midwest Premier™ Consultant Nick Sarbacker and I have inspected over 25 daughters. Our results are consistent. We find Achiever daughters to be tall, longframed cows with great depth and openness to their ribs. Achiever’s daughters exhibit dairy strength from end to end, track out on great depth of heel with a slight set to their legs. They are extremely youthful in their udders, being tightly attached and held well above the hocks with a very strong median suspensory ligament. Recently Semex pictured two Achiever daughters at the 1200 cow Mulligan Farms in Avon, NY, including Genesee Achiever 5305 GP-82-2YR-USA pictured above. The Mulligans used Achiever as a Premier™ young sire. In their recent SET (Sire Evaluation for Type – a classification done at the request of an AI organization) of 25 young sire daughters, their two Achievers were the highest scoring cows at 83 and 82 points. Milking three times per day, these Achievers are fresh over 150 days and are giving over 100 lbs of 4.0% fat milk. Additionally, these daughters are all deep-bodied, having an open rib with a clean flat bone. The Mulligans are so satisfied with their Achievers that they have included Achiever in their Semex Promate™ mating program. Midwest Premier™ Consultant Nick Sarbacker sees the same things in his territory. Majestic-View Dairy in Lancaster, Wisconsin is owned and operated by the Abing family. The Abings are very pleased with the Stantons Achiever daughter that was recently pictured in their herd. Majestic-View Achiever 6709 scored GP-81-
MAJESTIC-VIEW ACHIEVER 6709 GP-81-2YR-USA Majestic-View Farm, Lancaster, WI, USA
2YR-USA with an 81-point udder and 82-point score in her feet & legs. She has been a problem-free cow in their herd through her first lactation, having a 305-day mature equivalent 30,620 pounds of milk with 4.3% 1317 pounds of fat and 3.4% 1041 pounds of protein. Even better she bred back shortly after their voluntary waiting period and will be due with her second calf in March of 2011. To date, Achiever has 31 daughters classified and his new daughters are exactly on par with his first proof information. These new evaluations increase his reliability and will put all skeptics’ questions to rest. Dairymen worldwide can confidently use Achiever because he truly is a bull that has proven he can and does work everywhere. 15
Up Close With SCR™ SCR™ Engineering Ltd, the developer and manufacturer of ai24™’s Heatime® product was established in 1976. SCR™ is a privately held company with over 175 employees with corporate offices and production facilities located in Netanya, Israel. SCR™ is the world’s largest manufacturer of electronic milk measurement devices and leads the industry in the field of electronic collar tags. Their product development strategy is based on the following four principles: •S calable solutions: solutions can operate as either standalone modules or combined together with other modules to form a full herd management system. • User-friendliness and operational simplicity. • High reliability with minimal maintenance. • High accuracy. Recently we sat down with SCR™’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Doron Bar.
What your role at SCR™? Your background? My title at SCR™ is Chief Scientist. My main responsibility is to be the link between the cow, the farmer, the technology and the software. My background is that of a farmer and a veterinary surgeon. I graduated in 1983 from the University of Bern, Switzerland, and received my doctorate in veterinary medicine from the same university in 1986. I was a practicing bovine veterinarian for 20 years on large farms in the Jordan Valley of Israel and served for more than 10 years as a national and international consultant on production medicine and finally did my PhD at Cornell University (“The cost of mastitis in dairy cows”), graduating in 2007. I still maintain active research with Cornell University to this day.
Cow activity is monitored by a sophisticated electronic tag, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once downloaded from the transponder the data is further analyzed relative to short and long term activity trends of the cow to eliminate false positives and clearly identify a heat. This secondary analysis is one of the many features that separates ai24™’s Heatime® from our competitors. Other differences include our in-house developed motion sensor, the sophisticated data filtering and analysis inside the tag, the low power consumption of the tag, and the inference free communication between tag and base station just to name a few. Heatime® not only relieves the farmer from the burden of heat detection but is also used to pinpoint insemination timing so that conception rates are optimized.
Why was Heatime® developed? When?
What is Heatime®? Generally speaking, Heatime® is an electronic heat detection system operating on the basis of cow activity monitoring. 16
Heatime® was developed in the late 1990’s as a result of SCR’s strategic decision to develop computerized herd management solutions to complement its unique pulsation and electronic FreeFlow™ milk meter product lines. In 1998 the first version was developed, but it took about six more years of continuous testing and improvement of hardware and software until the current 85%-90% true heat detection accuracy was reached.
How was it tested? Testing was (and is) a continuous process encompassing trials in academic research institutions and commercial farms worldwide.
How long has it been in use? Until 2004 only several tens of thousands of units were sold annually. As accuracy improved we began seeing a gradual increase in demand. Currently we sell several hundreds of thousands of tags annually and to date, one million tags have been deployed in over 7,500 farms worldwide. Heatime® systems have been deployed in every country where high-production dairy farms exist, regardless of the type of system used: pasture based or confined space- it just does what it’s supposed to do. We have systems in New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, South Africa, all of Western Europe, Scandinavia, UK, Ireland, former Soviet Republic countries, Canada, Mexico, South America and the US.
How accurate is the heat detection? We feel that a farmer can expect 85% to 90% heat detection rate, although we have heard reports of even better results from customers. It is to note that this number is the true heat detection rate. This is the number of heats detected by the system out of the true cycling cows. Translated to the commonly used indicator for heat detection rate in the US which is actually the “21 days submission risk,” this would be usually about 70-75% because some cows do not cycle, some have a long cycle (natural or because of embryonic death) and some have silent heats (natural, social or as a result of bad housing or disease).
President Abraham Lincoln said, “You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.” With over 7,500 farms and 1,000,000 tags in the field I think we have enough proof that the technology works.
What kind of farms are successful with Heatime®? Heatime® can benefit almost any farm, regardless of size or operating system. Farms that historically have a good reproduction program will see their program continue to show good results, but with less time spent on visual observation and about 80% fewer shots if they relied on a synch program. Farms that historically have had poor reproduction programs will most likely see a marked improvement in their results with less labor and less shots.
What’s the future for Heatime®? The future for Heatime® is very exciting. On the one hand the activity monitoring tag will be fitted with additional monitoring devices. We already have several hundred thousands activity and rumination monitoring tags deployed in commercial farms. This feature opens a new dimension in managing cow health, welfare and nutrition.
“With over 7,500 farms and 1,000,000 tags in the field I think we have proof enough that the technology works.”
What results have been seen on farm? Analyses done, for example by the largest French breeding cooperative and the Danish cattle breeding association on hundreds of dairy farms, consistently display an average reduction of 10 days open per cow. When translated into monetary and economic values, the system cost is returned in about a year!
Does it really work? The best judges of Heatime® technology are dairy farmers. When we launched Heatime® in the UK in 2007 farmers did not trust that Heatime® could deliver on our promises. Through 2010 we’ve gained a 10% market share of UK farms and 25% of the UK national herd. To date we have had a satisfaction level of 99.7%! I take that to mean that the system does work.
Also, we’re working on many other cutting edge technological breakthroughs in the area of cow sensors that understandably I can’t reveal here. But, we understand that technology in only part of the deal… User friendliness and usefulness of technology is the real thing.
We’re looking to provide farmers with tools to make the work with the Heatime® more efficient. For example, we want to more easily identify cows in need of attention and we’ve developed a mobile tag reader, the DataWand™, which been recently launched in the US. The DataWand™ is loaded with cows in heat (or cows to be PD) lists and identifies cows appearing on the lists once their tags are scanned with various audiovisual alerts. The DataWand™ is extremely useful in locating cows on large farms. At SCR™ we’re never satisfied. We know we can, and have to constantly improve our products and the way farmers are using them in order to keep our current advantage a continuous one, and to ensure the farmer can make the biggest, easiest return. We have developed in-house technologies and ideas that might be copied by others years later… But by that time we promise to again be a few steps ahead! Since February 2009, ai24™ and Heatime® have been available through a partnership between Micro (based out of Amarillo, Texas) and Semex. Micro and Semex are partnering to provide dairy management solutions to increase profits. Heatime® and DataWand™ are property of SCR™.
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Mike North, Sr. Risk Mgm’t. Advisor, First Capitol Ag
profitability: at the crossroads
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2010 was certainly one for the books. Never before have we seen markets set up in the way they have in the last two quarters. Prices of corn and soybean meal began a run in early July that has been unceasing in its desire to go away. Simultaneously, milk markets were ascending higher in the current markets, but failing to provide any similar opportunities in the coming calendar year.
This became a perfect storm for dairymen planning for the coming year. What to do? When to do it? Perhaps you have already addressed milk revenues and feed input costs. Perhaps you are still waiting? Regardless, it is important to review where we are at as we go forward. When reviewing current profitability (illustrated in the chart below as a function of current milk revenues over current feed costs) to history, it is important to note our position relative to history.
In 15 years, we have completed five cycle lows, spaced generally about every three years. 2012 would be the forecast for our next cycle low. During three of those low periods, prices went below a level of $7/cwt. The average stay below that threshold was 12 months. During that time, a mid-term recovery generally added approximately $1.50/cwt which was again lost before the true recovery began. We are currently experiencing profitability above the $7/cwt level, but barely. When measuring this same margin using futures prices in Q1 of 2011, we slip below the $7 level to $6.80/cwt. If futures prices prove to be an accurate representation, we are headed below a threshold that often takes a year to get back above. We are indeed excited about dairy product exports and the prospects for growth in this sector in 2011. We are happy about what consumer demand has done in the closing weeks of 2010. We, like you, hope for better things to come. However, if corn prices rise or milk prices fall (for whatever reason), the situation changes and profitability at the farm becomes comparable to 2000, 2003 or 2009. Please be prepared for whatever might happen in the coming months. It is advisable to consider protection against such events by using a mixture of futures, options, milk plant sales, feed vendor contracts, etc. While it is right to hope for greater profitability, it is not enough. Take action accordingly so that times do not have to get worse before they get better.
0200HO02167
STANTONS ACHIEVER Shottle x Convincer x Rudolph
VG-86-CAN
“The Achiever daughters are tall, long-framed cows with great depth and openness to their ribs. His daughters exhibit dairy strength from end to end, track out on great depth of heel with a slight set to their legs. They are extremely youthful in their udders, being tightly attached and held well above the hocks with a very strong median suspensory ligament. These daughters are deep bodied, having an open rib with a clean flat bone.” Cameron Davis, Semex East Coast Premier Consultant
STANTONS ACHIEVER GLORIE GP-83-2YR-CAN Stanton Bros Limited, Ilderton, Ontario
MAJESTIC-VIEW ACHIEVER 6709 GP-81-2YR-USA Majestic-View Farm, Lancaster, WI, USA
Reg.: HOCANM7832142 Born: 2006 Jan 06 aAa: 321456 DMS: 234 Breeder: STANTON BROS. LIMITED, ILDERTON, ON, CANADA
STANTONS ACHIEVER 4341 GP-83 2YR-CAN Stanton Bros Limited, Ilderton, Ontario
Achiever increases milk production, corrects low fat, lowers somatic cell counts and increases productive life and overall conformation!
Stantons Achiever is Semex’s...
#1 Shottle son for TPI, Fat, NM$, Fat % and Productive Life!
USDA-G & HA-G/12-10
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Proven Heat Detection
Reliable & Accurate
With Results You Can Count On 24 Hours A Day, 7 Days A Week, 365 Days A Year
Proven Accurate • 99% Tag Read Rate • 85-90% True Heat Detection Rate • Monitors cows and heifers every minute of every day - no guesswork • Proven on herds of 50, 500 and 5000 cows • Data back-up available on PC and Stand Alone - never lose data
Case Kasbergen, Manager, Rancho Teresita Dairy, Tulare, California with wife Allison.
“The percentage of cows pregnant at vet check before Heatime® was 70%, now they average 83% and the highest (check) has been 91%,” says Case. Simple to operate, the Kasbergens found Heatime® extremely easy to use and implement. “If you know how to use a computer, this is very simple, with simple commands,” says Case. Rancho Teresita Dairy • Cornell Kasbergen & Families 3 500 Cows • Tulare, California • ai24™ customer since June 2009
Micro and Semex are partnering to provide dairy management solutions to increase your profits!
Call 1-877-545-ai24 or visit www.semex.com