INTEGRITY Becomes Fifth Sire in U.S. History to Produce One Million Units of Semen
 |
PLAIN CITY, Ohio, May 23, 2001 — Today Select Sires announced
that 7HO4213 Robthom INTEGRITY-ET*TL has become the fifth U.S.
sire ever to produce more than one million units of semen.
INTEGRITY is the third sire in the Select federation's 35-year
history to achieve this milestone, preceded by 7HO1236 Fisher-Place
MANDINGO-Twin in 1992 and 7HO3703 Paradise-R Cleitus MATHIE*TL in 2000.
|
|
INTEGRITY Produces One Million Units of Semen at Select Sires -
(L-R) Dale Pennington, vice president farm, livestock and plant
management, Clif Marshall, vice president production, Dave Thorbahn,
general manager stand with INTEGRITY.
|
"INTEGRITY, who is still producing large quantities of highly fertile
semen and is designated as a SUPERIOR SETTLERTM, has become a truly
elite sire by reaching this milestone," says Clif Marshall, vice president,
production. "For a bull to produce a million units of semen, he must live
long and be a superior semen producer. Just as important, however, is that
he transmit performance traits that are in demand by dairy producers
throughout the world."
Now an Excellent (95) Gold Medal sire, INTEGRITY joined the Select Sires
Holstein lineup in July 1995 as a graduate of the Program for Genetic
AdvancementTM (PGATM) sire-sampling system. He was an immediate hit with
Select's patrons, siring a rare combination of show-winning type and high
milk production. INTEGRITY has been so popular among dairy producers that
he has ranked either first or second in unit sales each year for Select
since 1995. His heavy use is well-documented by the 23,584 daughters in
his May 2001 sire summary for production.
Born to Perform
Following the July 1989 sire summary, the two highest A.I.-sampled
Holstein sires for Total Performance Index (TPITM) were 7HO980 Walkway
Chief MARK and 7HO1897 To-Mar BLACKSTAR-ET*TL. Sire Analyst Charlie Will
knew these two great sires would be a golden cross and wanted to mate
Robthom Ivory Mark to BLACKSTAR.
"Ivory represented the best of what MARK was transmitting," Will recalls.
"She had tremendous frame, a wide rump, a deep, sweeping, open rib, and
a fabulous udder, and was backed by two generations of Excellent Gold
Medal Dams with 29,000 pounds of milk. Mating Ivory, who was 86 points
as a 2-year-old with 30,000 pounds of milk, to BLACKSTAR produced
INTEGRITY for the PGA."
The now world-renowned Ivory, bred at Robthom Farm by the Robert
Thomson, Jr., family, Springfield, Mo., went on to score Excellent
(94-2E-EX-MS), and achieve Gold Medal Dam and Dam of Merit status.
She has produced two additional records in excess of 30,000
pounds of milk.
Robthom Farm has used INTEGRITY heavily with notable results.
"We've used INTEGRITY across the board and he just doesn't miss
on udders," says Janice Thomson Ling. "Beyond that, we've never had
any INTEGRITY daughters that didn't milk - they all have been
above-average to exceptional milk producers. You can use INTEGRITY
on any type of cow and he'll get the job done."
Ling speaks from personal experience. One of the best INTEGRITY
daughters in the herd is the result of using the bull as a young
sire. This original-crop daughter is scored Excellent and has a
50,000-pound milk record. Other favorite INTEGRITY daughters
include one that is Excellent (93) with 40,000 pounds of milk and
another that is Very Good (86) with 49,000 pounds of milk. There
are several additional INTEGRITY daughters in the herd that are
Excellent with 30,000-pound milk records.
Robthom INTEGRITY has made thousands of Select Sires customers
throughout the United States and abroad quite happy in the milking
parlor and in the show ring.
"Not only is INTEGRITY a 'customer satisfaction' sire for the
commercial dairy producer, but he also has been very successful
in siring high-type daughters around the world," says Will. "He
has sired winners at the major Holstein shows around the globe.
They are class winners as heifers and continue to win as mature
cows. INTEGRITY is the bull that can sire show-winning type and
high milk yield at the same time."
Using INTEGRITY as the Basis for Future Generations
Select Sires sampled several INTEGRITY sons through the PGA and
is marketing one in its active lineup, 7HO5632 Paradise-R Int
TRUMAN-ET*TL, that is from the same cow family that produced MATHIE.
There are an additional 12 INTEGRITY sons in waiting at Select, two
of which have been put on collection after receiving promising
preliminary proofs in May.
Select also is using INTEGRITY on the maternal side for the PGA. The
cooperative has contracted a wide variety of INTEGRITY daughters for
sons sired by 7HO3948 MJR Blackstar EMORY-ET*TL and 7HO5157 Regancrest
Elton DURHAM-ET*TL to continue the exceptional type line.
For more information about Robthom INTEGRITY, his sire summary and
daughter photos, contact your local Select Sires representative or
visit www.selectsires.com. There you will find a virtual directory
of Select's current active-A.I. lineup for all dairy breeds.
Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is a federation
of 10 farmer-owned and controlled cooperatives. It provides highly
fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve
its basic objective of supplying livestock breeders with America's
best genetics at a reasonable price.
TMTPI is a trademark of Holstein Association USA
TMProgram for Genetic Advancement, PGA and and Superior Settler are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.
Copyright 1996-2001 Select Sires Inc. Last updated 25-May-2001.
|
