MERGER BENEFITS MEMBERSHIP By David Thorbahn, General Manager Select Sires, Inc. Backed with a strong heritage of genetic excellence, Select Sires has enjoyed a "Proud Past." And, as you have no doubt picked up in print recently, the cooperative is going through some exciting changes that will insure a "Bright Future" for you, our customer-patrons. June 2000 marks another tremendous milestone in the successful history of Select Sires. On behalf of the entire Select Sires federation, I am proud and privileged to announce to you that the members of Sire Power, Inc. have requested membership in the Select Sires federation by merging with Virginia-North Carolina/Select Sires. Sire Power has had a long and successful career as a cooperative, developing some of the industry’s great bulls. The greatest bull the industry has ever known, Elevation, was co-sampled with Sire Power in the early days of Select Sires’ history, which has always made both organizations friendly competitors. The addition of Sire Power to the Select Sires federation will take us one step closer to meeting and achieving our mission of providing the highest quality proven semen at the lowest possible price. WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? The advantages to the Sire Power and Select Sires customers are first and foremost a wider selection of the industry’s greatest bulls from one source. Secondly, it will increase the size of Select’s sampling program by 40%, which will allow us to increase the diversity of our selection. Thirdly, it will allow us to reduce duplication of effort by both organizations, lower costs and increase returns to our patrons. Sire Power has been one of the most successful A.I. companies in U.S. history. It is one of only four remaining U.S.-owned A.I. companies. It has produced such great bulls as Jet Stream, Chairman, Ned Boy, Mountain, Patron, and Farmer, all graduates of their young sire program. Under the leadership of DuWayne Kutz, Lloyd Ebersole and its Board of Directors, Sire Power has prospered over the last 20 years at a time when the number of A.I. industry players has been reduced four-fold. The merger of Sire Power and Select Sires certainly brings unmatched genetic superiority and selection to our customers. It also makes us the most price competitive organization, as you will note by the price of our very best bulls. Additionally, it will make the Select federation sire proving program the largest in the United States, sampling 360 bulls each year. In the Holstein breed, this will allow the Select Sires federation to continue to use its balanced approach of breeding for outstanding type and extreme production to have an even greater influence around the world. It will also allow Select Sires to design its breeding scheme to target both the fluid and the cheese markets by breeding differentially for each market. Thus, we will be able to breed bulls that fit in the high fluid and high solids markets as well as extreme cheese yield bulls of moderate milk volume with high percents and pound yields. However, we will not move away from the outstanding type and longevity that Select Sires is noted for in breeding great cattle. The list of great sires such as Fond Matt, Elevation, Wayne, Glendell, Mars Tony, Bell, Chairman, Rotate, Elton, Blackstar, Mark, Emory, Patron, Berretta, Barber and Pender will grow at an even faster rate. of both organizations in their decision to further Select Sires’ leadership position, not only in the U.S. but around the globe. Copyright 1996-2000 Select Sires Inc. Last updated 29-Jun-2000. Web Site Design by Point & Click Software, Inc.