Select Sires Blog

Industry Updates and News from Select Sires

February 1, 2012

7HO11169 PETRONE...According to Rick

Looking for an outcross sire from a deep pedigree with high genomics predictions? Some people think that this type of bull doesn't exist. I say look no further than 7H11169 Welcome Super PETRONE-ET. PETRONE is currently the No. 7 TPI young sire. Already heavily used as a mating sire for Select Sires, PETRONE really does offer the total package. His pedigree of Super x VG-85 Baxter x VG-85 Buckeye x EX-90 Teamster x VG-87 Aaron makes Petrone one of the more interesting outcross sires in the breed today.

The anchor of this cow family is Welcome Aaron Penel. You will find this brood cow extraordinaire in two other outstanding super samplers as well, 7H11036 Welcome PEOTI-ET and 7H11156 Ransom-Rail Sz PECK-ET as futher evidence of the future greatness expected from this exciting cow family.

Rick VerBeek, Dairy Sire Analyst

January 10, 2012

7HO10849 SHAMROCK...According to Rick

Looking for another reason to use 7H10849 Ladys-Manor PL Shamrock? Shown with this blog are pictures of 3 of his 4 full sisters. Shandra is classified GP-83 and is the dam of 7H11547 Ladys-Manor Man-O-Shan, a Man-O-Man son that is 2566 TPI℠ (Total Performance Index℠). Sheridan and Shania are both classified VG-85 with VG mammary systems. The fourth full sister, Shakira, is fresh at De-Su and is classified VG-85 with a VG mammary system on her first score. Shakira is the dam of 7H11599 De-Su 1390-ET, a Robust son that is +2501 TPI.

It looks like SHAMROCK and his family will continue to have a positive impact for Select Sires with the NEXT generation!

Ladys-Manor PL Shandra-ET

Ladys-Manor PL Sheriden-ET

Ladys-Manor PL Shania-ET

Rick VerBeek, Dairy Sire Analyst

℠Total Performance Index and TPI are service marks of Holstein Association USA

December 22, 2011

Four Holsteins Recognized as Gold Medal Sires

The Holstein Association has awarded the Gold Medal Sire designation to four Select Sires' bulls. The new recipients of this award are:

The Gold Medal Sire designation was given to these bulls in recognition of the superior type and production of their officially tested and classified offspring. To qualify, bulls must exceed a specified level for TPI℠ (Total Preformance Index℠), must have a minimum reliability of 90% for their PTA Fat and PTA Type genetic evaluations and must be free of any recognized undesirable genetic defect. Only approximately 25 Holstein bulls receive this award each year.

℠Total Performance Index and TPI are service marks of Holstein Association USA

November 29 2011

7HO10176 AL...According to Scott
I have seen three milking daughters by 7HO10176 AL and they were very impressive. AL was our first breed-leading GTPI℠ bull in the industry and it is nice to see high genomic young sires having daughters calving in and looking the part for customer confidence. They were long, speckled, strong loined and the best part: their udders! Too early to tell how they are milking at a high level, but they are very nice, solid young cows.

Scott Culbertson, Holstein Sire Analyst

November 18 2011

"People with Passion Can Change the World" - Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, left a legacy of innovation, exceptional customer service and success. Today, items such as the Mac computer, iPhone® and iPad® are household names in the communication world, and many credit Steve with changing how people around the world communicate.

Yes, Steve was smart, had a vision for new technology, was a perfectionist and dedicated to a cause, but at his core he was passionate; not just for his Apple products, but he was passionate about what his products meant to his customers. It's that passion for Apple's customers that has enabled Apple to become a technology giant.

Passion is not talent, it is not knowing it all or being an expert or having the most experience, and it's not a skill that can be learned from a book. Passion is a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something. It is something that you enjoy or love doing very much. Are you passionate about your dairy and your business? I believe you are, and I believe the success of the U.S. dairy industry is due in part to the passion the men and women who operate our farms have. Steve was passionate about his customers, and because of this passion, they have benefited from the technology Apple developed. Select Sires employees are equally passionate!

When I read our brand promise for the first time, Your Success-Our Passion, I immediately thought, "yes!" This is what I have witnessed in more than 30 years with Select Sires, and it describes what I believe sets Select Sires apart from our competitors. Over the years, Select Sires has had many outstanding sires, from 7HO58 Round Oak Rag Apple ELEVATION to 7HO8081 Ensenada Taboo PLANET-ET; offers the most comprehensive portfolio of value-added services in the industry; provides service second to none; is a leader in research and provides the highest quality semen available; and has managed the financial resources that you have entrusted to us with respect. Our employees are driven by a belief, a purpose, a cause. They are not here just for a paycheck or to meet some supervisor's established sales quota. They work tirelessly because they are passionate-to care, to learn, to provide knowledge and to improve our customer-owner's herd, such as your own. I know that every day our employees go out with a passion for your success.

Select Sires is focused on providing you, our customer, the best in semen, products and service so you can be successful. It's our passion!

Norm Vincel, general manager, Select Sire Power Inc.

October 2011

International Holstein Show Results from World Dairy Expo Select Sires' Holstein lineup shined at the International Holstein Show and International Junior Holstein Show held at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., in early October.

In the International Holstein Show, 18 Select-sired offspring placed among the top five of their classes. The highlight of the show for Select Sires was the 7HO7004 Erbacres DAMION daughter, Silvermaple Damion Camomile who was named intermediate champion and reserve grand champion. The first place junior 3-year-old is owned by Stanhope Dairy Farm LLC, Ben and Suzanne Cuthbert and Wedgewood Holsteins of Victoria, B.C. Reserve junior champion honors were awarded to the first place fall heifer calf, Delcreek Fatal Attraction, a 7HO8743 Scientific SS DUSK daughter. She is owned by J. Butler, F. and D. Borba and Durrer Dairy of Chebanse, Ill.

Silvermaple Damion Camomile (VG-88-VG-MS),
first junior 3-year-old, intermediate and reserve grand
champion, International holstein Show, World Dairy Expo, 2011,
Stanhope, Silvermaple and Wedgewood Farms, Victoria, B.C.

Delcreek Fatal Attraction, first fall calf
and reserve junior champion, International Holstein
Show, World Dairy Expo, 2011, Jeff Butler, Frank and
Diane Borba and Durrer Dairy, Chebanse, Ill.
Jason Goff, Hobbs, NM

In the spring heifer calf class, the first place finish went to a 7HO08221 Golden-Oaks St ALEXANDER-ET daughter, Donelea Alex Ballerina, Marthaven Holsteins, Howard W. Doner and Hans Ochs of Courtice, Ont. Winning the summer yearling heifer class was 7HO10506 Maple-Downs-I G W ATWOOD daughter, Kingsway Atwood Delicate. She is owned by Ehrhardt Farms Inc. and Gene Iager of Baldwin, Md. The first place fall yearling in milk was Garay Alexander Destiny-ET, a 7HO8221 Golden-Oaks St ALEXANDER-ET daughter. Destiny is owned by Mike II and Julie Duckett and F. and J. Phillipson of Rudolph, Wis.

Donelea Alex Ballerina, first spring calf
International Holstein Show, World Dairy Expo, 2011,
Marthaven Holsteins, Howard W. Doner and Hans Ochs,
Courtice, Ont.

Kingsway Atwood Delicate, first summer
yearling, International Holstein Show, World Dairy
Expo, 2011, Ehrhardt Farms Inc. and Gene Iager,
Fulton, Md.

Garay Alexander Destiny-ET, first fall
yearling, International Holstein Show, World Dairy
Expo, 2011, Mike II and Julie Duckett and F. and J.
Phillipson, Rudolph, Wis.

Other top-five finishers throughout the heifer and cow classes were sired by 7HO5157 Regancrest Elton DURHAM, 7HO6758 Regancrest-Mr Drham SAM, 7HO7004 DAMION, 7HO7359 Jenny-LOU Marshall P149, 7HO7872 KHW Kite ADVENT-RED-ET, 7HO8175 Windy-Knoll-View PRONTO, 7HO08190 Gen-Mark Stmatic SANCHEZ, 7HO8743 DUSK and 7HO9893 Maple-Downs- I GW ATLANTIC.

In the International Junior Holstein Show, the intermediate champion and reserve intermediate champion were both Select-sired. 7HO8190 SANCHEZ daughter, Siemers Sz Hia-Mae, was awarded the first place milking fall yearling and then named the intermediate champion. She is owned by Jacob Dueppengiesser of Perry, N.Y. The reserve intermediate champion was the first place junior 2-year-old, Fischerdale Damion Reality. The 7HO7004 DAMION daughter is owned by Elizabeth Sarbacker of Verona, Wis.

ADVENT-RED Dominates at the Grand Internal Red and White Show 7HO7872 KHW Kite ADVENT-RED-ET was named Premier Sire for the third consecutive year at the 2011 Grand International Red and White Show held at World Dairy Expo, Madison, Wis.

Not only was ADVENT-RED named Premier Sire of the show, but 18 daughters placed among the top five of their class, including numerous champions.

Another first place finisher was Morsan Debonair Fiona-Red, a 7HO9552 Scientific DEBONAIR-RED-ETS daughter. The first place senior 2-year-old is owned by Morsan Farms of Ponoka, Alta.

Other top-five results throughout the open show came from daughters of 7HO6682 Enhills Mar MARMAX, ADVENT-RED, 7HO9236 MD-Valleyvue CAMDEN-RED, DEBONAIR-RED, 7HO10000 Big APPLE-RED and 7HO10039 MD-Valleyvue Gold CHRIS.

High-Component Breeds Have Show Ring Success at World Dairy Expo Jersey sires 236JE3 ISDK Q IMPULS and 7JE867 Griffins GOVERNOR-ET both had daughters rise to the top three of their classes. IMPULS daughter September Star Impuls (E-91%), exhibited by Buster Goff, Hobbs, N.M., stood at the head of the senior 3-year-old class and was named intermediate champion.

GOVERNOR daughter, Sunset Canyon Governor Fp Belle, was named the junior champion of the junior show. The summer yearling heifer is owned by Valery Silva, Beaver, Ore.

In the Brown Swiss show, 7BS766 Blessing Banker AGENDA ET sired the reserve junior champion, Just So Agenda Chorus. She was the first place fall yearling heifer and is owned by Otis Johnson, Evansville, Wis. AGENDA also sired the fall heifer calf class winner, Covells Agenda T Show Me-ET, owned by Emmy Covell and Dave Lebowitz Knoxville, Md.

Guernsey sire 7GU402 Edgewater Meadows YOGIBEAR-ET had two first place daughters. R-Way YB Tootsie, won the spring heifer calf class, she is owned by Amber Dietz of Southington, Ohio. The winng fall yearling heifer was Luckyvale Yogi Kiara, owned by Kristen Gallagher, Sangerfield, N.Y. Kiara was also named junior champion female of the Junior show.

Also winning in the Guernsey show was an 7GU398 Sniders Ronalds ALSTAR daughter, Hartdale Alstar Festival (VG-86-VG-86-MS). The first place fall yearling in milk is owned by Lauren Robison, Mulberry Grove, Ill.

In the Milking Shorthorn ring, Super Sampler™ and Showcase Selections™ sire 7MS349 Mysha-Wo Robin NITRO EXP had a daughter with a first place finish. Eichlers Rn Blessing Breakfast placed first in the winter heifer calf class. She is owned by Mike and Jill Eichler, Oak Park, Minn.

Just So Agenda Chorus
Otis Johnson, Evansville, Wis.

Hartdale Alstar Festival (VG-86-VG-86-MS)
Lauren Robinson, Mulberry Grove, Ill.

October 13, 2011

Jerseys Observed in Oregon...According to Herby
I recently had the opportunity to visit the great state of Oregon and tour many excellent herds. The most outstanding group of young cows on all the farms by far were the 7JE1000 TBONE daughters. They exhibited excellent dairyness, super udders and outstanding feet and legs. They were truly the customer satisfaction kind!

Everyone still loves their 7JE590 ACTION daughters, and his sons are starting to gain a lot of followers. The dairymen were commenting and bragging about how much they liked their 7JE859 RILEY, 7JE860 ECLIPES-P and 7JE865 KYROS calves and were eager to show off these well-balanced, aggressive calves.

Another favorite in the calf pens were the young genomic star 7JE1038 VALENTINO calves. These calves are tall, strong and wide throughout. Everyone is mentioning them from Oregon to Canada!

I also saw the dam of 7JE1087 BUNGEE fresh again and my, my, she might be one of the best standing at Sunset Canyon today! In addition I saw several of his calves at Desert Park Jerseys, and they were aggressive and strong with a very nice leg.

Herby Lutz, Dairy Sire Analyst

September 28, 2011

7HO10849 SHAMROCK...According to Rick
SHAMROCK and others...A recent trip through Maryland took me to Ladys-Manor Farm to check out some early SHAMROCK calves, second crop daughters of 7HO8221 ALEXANDER and 7HO8190 SANCHEZ, and of course the next generation of bull mothers. The first cow of the day was an ALEXANDER sister to SHAMROCK. Recently scored Very Good (85) at six weeks fresh she was similar to the ALEXANDER daughters I have been seeing recently. She has excellent feet and legs, terrific udder and a correct rump packaged in black-hided medium size frames that I think breeders are going to love! This SHAMROCK sister will be a high priority contract cow for Select Sires.

Speaking of SHAMROCK, some of the earliest SHAMROCK heifers were ready for viewing too. These SHAMROCK calves were the result of a contract mating for Select. Their dam is an Excellent Goldwyn from the the breeds newest Excellent (95) point cow, MS Durchan Lady Allana. The next dam is the Excellent (95) 7HO5157 DURHAM daughter, Durchan! Needless to say these calves have some great maternal influence, and while still a bit too young to know exactly how good they will be, I was impressed with their dairy head and necks, great rib structure and overall balance. The excitement over nice aggressive calves (born easily) and great semen fertility (SCR +3.1) should result in SHAMROCK continuing to be a popular choice amongst our Super Samplers.

The finishing touches of this visit were made by two fresh SANCHEZ daughters of the Lady Allana cow mentioned above. Recently scored Very Good (87) and Very Good (85), these beautiful framed two year olds exhibit the dairy strength and rib structure that has made SANCHEZ a household name for breeders looking for high type. Overall it was a great trip highlighted by exciting second crop daughters of SANCHEZ and ALEXANDER, and early first crop calves of SHAMROCK!

Rick VerBeek, Dairy Sire Analyst

September 27, 2011

7AY84 BURDETTE...According to Adam
"Where BURDETTE fits into a breeding program is simple...He improves what matters and does it consistently! Use him to improve rump shape, udder composition and feet and legs. Crossing BURDETTE with daughters of high-indexing sires and/or SRB lines is suggested. BURDETTE will return or improve the needed type and udder health without compromising the herd's merit. In reverse fashion, BURDETTE should be considered for use in herds needing to improve profitability without compromising type. Following the most recent official proof, BURDETTE daughter data continues to trend in the positive direction for milk, fat, protein, productive life and daughter pregnancy rate, establishing BURDETTE among the top NM$ sires active today. With increasing concerns of cows getting too large, few BURDETTE daughters have been considered extremely tall or big. Dairymen often state that the cows are perfectly sized and have extremely desirable feet and legs, and they enjoy the cows' fast milking speed and soft udders. They are simply the kind you like to milk, with critical commercial function in show type fashion. The fact that daughters continue to be crowd pleasers at competitive shows while still proving they can also milk and make money where it counts is what brings the most pride to the Select Sires federation as well as his breeder, Palmyra Farm. Both attributes are achievable. BURDETTE is proof, and in doing so, he is changing the standards of future Ayrshire breeding programs."

Read more on BURDETTE in the September/October 2011 issue of the Ayrshire Digest.

7AY84 BURDETTE daughter - Ronn-Ayr Burdette Gentle(VG-86), Owner: P & A Ayrshires and Nickel-Plate Ayrshires, Dyersville, IA

Adam Oswalt, Ayrshire Sire Analyst

September 22,2011

Eastern Fall National Holstein Show, Harrisburg, PA
Select Sires showed its dominance yesterday at the Eastern Fall National Holstein Show in Harrisburg, PA. The Junior Champion and Reserve Junior Champion were both sired by 7H bulls. 7HO8190 SANCHEZ sired the winning Intermediate Calf, M-Signature Sanchez Siri, owned by Bailee, Calla, Mason, and Matthew Mazzaro of Williamsfield, OH. Siri was later named the Junior Champion!

7HO8190 SANCHEZ daughter - M-Signature Sanchez Siri, Owner: Bailee, Calla, Mason, and Matthew Mazzaro, Williamsfield, OH

7H10506 GW ATWOOD sired the winning Summer Yearling and Reserve Junior Champion, Kingsway Atwood Delicate, owned by Iager/Ehrhardt of Fulton, MD. After all the classes were finished Select Sires bulls produced four class winners and sired five of the top 10 Junior calves, seven of the top 10 Intermediate calves, and five of the top 10 Summer Yearlings.

September 15, 2011

2011 National Sales Conference
"Select Sires is committed to providing our sales and service professionals with advanced training opportunities to further their skills to better serve our dairy and beef customer-members in the future. With this goal in mind, last week Select Sires hosted more than 350 people in central Ohio for the Select Sires National Sales Conference. The conference offered advanced education in customer service, cattle handling, presentation skills, genetic and reproductive knowledge. David Thorbahn, president and CEO of Select Sires, kicked off the conference by reviewing the record sales growth Select Sires has achieved and issued a rousing challenge to continue the pace of growth in the future.

Several renowned speakers were on hand to present at the conference, including Shep Hyken, Jon Petz and Dr. Tom Field. Peter Larson, Jersey Breeding Manager of Viking Genetics, Denmark, shared information about the Danish Jersey sire program, which offers several elite Danish Jersey through Select Sires to U.S. Jersey breeders. Paul Kelly from Dairymaster-Ireland also attended the conference to participate in presentations on the Select Detect system, the world's most advanced activity monitoring system which is offered by Select Sires. Dr. Ray Nebel and King Smith, who head up the Select Sires technical services programs, introduced the latest addition to the Select Detect system, apps which are available for smart phones and tablets that can provide high and low activity lists, and expected heats from off-farm locations for herd-owners, herdsman or technicians."

Lyle Kruse, vice president U.S. Market Development

September 14, 2011

7HO10721 BOOKEM...According to Scott
I have had the opportunity, this summer, to see literally hundreds of calves from a lot of Select high-genomic bulls. The best calves I have seen all summer are from 7HO10721 BOOKEM. They have been simply outstanding. They are long-necked, long-bodied and wide through the rear end. They are aggressive calves and farmers love them. I know we have newer and higher genomic bulls, but if you're a farmer or sales representative that wants to use or promote a great outcross Super Sampler that is still over +2400 GTPI, use BOOKEM, you'll love the results.

Scott Culbertson, Holstein Sire Analyst

August 2011

7HO8165 MILLION...According to Jeff
In my recent travels, I have seen several second crop 7HO8165 England-Ammon MILLION-ET daughters and they have been extremely consistent. MILLION is making them just as his linear graph indicates. They are above average for stature and possess great dairy strength throughout. The MILLION daughters travel on an ideal set of feet and legs and have snuggly attached udders that are carried well above the hock. They had near-perfect teat size and placement with superb udder quality and capacity for high milk production. One farm I visited was already milking five MILLION daughters and have thirty more due before September 1st! Because of the consistent results of the first group to calve in, the owners are really excited for the next thirty. 7HO8165 MILLION is going to make a lot of happy dairy producers around the world!

7HO8165 MILLION daughter - Holland Million 1794-Grade, Owner: Bill Holland, Apple River, IL

Jeff Brown, Dairy Progeny Specialist

July 2011

7HO9165 BRAXTON...According to Jeff
During the first week of June I had the opportunity to view 20 BRAXTON daughters in Illinois and Wisconsin. All I can say is...IMPRESSIVE! This bull is going to do a lot of things right. His daughters are long dairy cows with extreme width throughout. In my time, I have not seen a bull consistently put a deep open rib on daughters like BRAXTON. They all had great feet and legs along with excellent mobility. He puts on solid fore udders with great udder quality and wide, capacious, rear udders with a deep cleft. Are they big? Yes, but they are balanced framed cows which I believe will allow them to last in commercial dairy settings. Probably the most impressive thing was on paper, as these girls are flat out milk cows, too! I visited two dairies that had five or more BRAXTON daughters. Both dairies told me that BRAXTON did not fit their present breeding scheme, but after calving these daughters in, they were so impressed by their type and production, that both are back to using him again!

BRAXTON has the potential to make the great ones and he should be a fabulous cross on Goldwyn daughters and granddaughters!

7HO9165 BRAXTON daughter - Luck-E Braxton Pacific (VG-86), Owner: Laverne Lepak, Custer, WI

Jeff Brown, Dairy Progeny Specialist

June 2011

7HO7536 COLDSPRING...According to Lon
At the 2011 Select Mating Service™ (SMS™) Conference, hosted by COBA Southwest, attendees viewed firsthand the results of excellent sire selection and corrective mating in large herds. The word "impressive" would be the consistent response from the over 110 consultants from 14 different countries who had the opportunity to walk behind more than 3,000 sire identified cows. On display were a wide range of progeny from bulls with second crop data, new graduates and sires-in-waiting. The bull I want to tell you about has sold right at 500,000 units of semen to date. He sires more strength than stature. He is one of 11 active bulls greater than 2.0 SCR at 99% reliability. He also is one of only two active sires greater than 2.0 SCR and less than 6% CE, both at 99% reliability. He is an older bull and he does not rank in the top 100 TPISM, but 7HO7536 COLDSPRING is for real and what you see and get is no projection-it is supported by over 8,000 daughters! In New Mexico and Texas we saw not a group of ten or 20 outstanding daughters of COLDSPRING but 200 or more! They were clones of each other and carried the traits that dairy producers desire which correlate to longer-lived cows. We saw not just good udders but great udders and his overall linear data fit him perfectly. They are very mobile and have a nice balance of strength and width throughout. His PTAT today needs to be about a point higher based on what we saw. They develop into milk cows with few, if any, faults. They work well in any type of hotel and especially in facilities that need the cows to take care of themselves. For customers who appreciate a sire that transmits a consistent pattern, COLDSPRING is one of the best there is.

Lon Peters, Vice President Dairy Sire Product Services and International

May 2011

7HO8081 PLANET...According to Jeff
Over the past three months I have had the chance to view over 30 second crop 7HO8081 PLANET daughters and the results are outstanding! This bull is making the kind of daughters many breeders and dairymen are hoping for and more. From my point of view he stamps a consistent pattern and the mammary systems are most impressive. They have high, wide capacious rear udders with a deep cleft. The fore udders are snug and blend smoothly into the body wall with a lot of veination. The daughters are moderate sized with great dairy strength. PLANET has taken a lot of criticism about his Feet and Legs Composite, however I am very comfortable saying the feet and legs are very sound. Do some of the daughters have set to the leg? Yes, but they track squarely when viewed from the rear and they have great flex in their hock. I believe flexibility in the hock is a necessity in the breed today as cows are getting too straight in their legs and stiff in their movement. In my eyes, PLANET is a better foot and leg bull than his composite says. I recently evaluated about 15 PLANET two-year-olds at De-Su Holsteins in Iowa. Part of that viewing was to watch the pen of cows go to the parlor and the PLANET daughters' locomotion was very free moving. From California to Iowa to Michigan, breeders are very pleased and are using him as heavily now as they were before.

Jeff Brown, Dairy Progeny Specialist