Select Sires

Select Sires’ Reproductive Specialists Continue Education

PLAIN CITY, Ohio, July 18, 2006 — Select Sires' mission of helping dairy producers achieve genetic success first requires accomplishing reproductive success. In the words of Mel DeJarnette, reproduction specialist for Select Sires, "The genetic value of a calf that is never born is zero." The goal of Select Reproductive Solutions™ (SRS™) is to do just that – get the cow bred. In order to continually elevate the reproductive expertise of every person on the Select Sires service line, Select Sires provides a number of training sessions each year. The most recent was a "Train the Trainer" conference hosted by Minnesota Select Sires in Red Wing, Minn.

"Reproductive efficiency has always been an important aspect of Select Sires. With training that occurred at this year's conference the SRS program will become a cornerstone of services provided, along with the Program for Fertility Advancement™ (PFA™), Select Mating Service™ (SMS™) and Program for Genetic Advancement™ (PGA™), to ensure the profitable future of Select Sires members," says Dr. Ray Nebel, senior reproductive specialist for Select Sires. "This year's conference was an outstanding mixture of classroom presentations from university professors and allied-industry leaders and on-farm training."

More than 30 primary reproductive specialists from across the country – representing all of the Select Sires member cooperatives, Select Sires Canada, World Wide Sires and Select Sires Latin America – attended the three-day conference. The theme of this year’s conference was nutrition as it relates to reproduction. The agenda consisted of industry-renowned experts in their respective fields including Dr. Jim Linn, University of Minnesota professor, on "Body Condition Scoring and Ration Evaluation"; Dwight Kickhafer, Zinpro Corporation, on "Locomotion Scoring and Feed Efficiency Calculator"; Walt Ogburn, Pfizer Inc., on "Fresh Cow Risk Factors"; and Paul Rapnicki, DVM, University of Minnesota clinical professor, on "Using Dairy Comp 305 to Diagnose Nutrition Issues."

Each morning of the conference incorporated classroom training while the afternoons were reserved for herd visits. On the farm, the Reproductive Solutions team was divided into work groups to apply their knowledge, including the topics of body condition, manure and locomotion scoring, as well as feedbunk and shaker box evaluation. The conference concluded with each team developing their recommendations into a presentation to share with the group and dairy management team.

The 30 primary SRS Specialists participating in the symposium are now multiplying the impact by training other personnel in the Select Sires supply line. The majority of Select Sires' sales force is tested and "certified" in their reproductive knowledge biennially. Advanced level exams are administered for certification of SRS Specialists.

Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is North America’s largest A.I. organization and is comprised of 10 farmer-owned and -controlled cooperatives. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying dairy and beef producers with North America’s best genetics at a reasonable price.

™Select Reproductive Solutions, SRS, Select Mating Service, SMS, Program for Fertility Advancement, PFA, Program for Genetic Advancement and PGA are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.

Select Sires Inc., 11740 U.S. 42 North, Plain City, Ohio 43064 / Phone: (614) 873-4683 Fax: (614) 873-5751