PLAIN CITY, Ohio, May 10, 2007 — For more than thirty years, Select Sires’ Select Mating Service™ (SMS™) has been building better cows throughout the world. SMS is the most widely accepted mating program in the world with more than 1.3 million new animals mated in 2006 and the total number of matings equaling more than 3.3 million. SMS is a genetic business plan for which professional evaluators use research, computerized analysis, cow knowledge and a good relationship with dairy producers to make the correct selection of sires to meet breeding goals, one corrective mating at a time.

Each year SMS evaluators meet to discuss new technologies and recent trends and view progeny of Select’s current lineup and potential graduates, all with the customer in mind. All West/Select Sires., Turlock, Calif., coordinated this year’s conference in California.

"The 2007 SMS conference was not only the largest attended conference in our history, but also one of the highest quality daughter displays of Select-sired cattle ever," said Lon Peters, vice president dairy sire products and services for Select Sires. "In addition, California dairy families demonstrated to this group what the meaning of hospitality truly is by allowing our visits to their large dairies and sharing springtime sunshine, the smell of fresh cut alfalfa and outstanding progeny of Select Sires genetics. The ability to see daughters of our genetics is extremely valuable in our huge responsibilities of designing ‘Genetic Business Plans’ throughout the world for our dairy producers."

The first day of the conference included educational seminars presented by Select’s sire department and marketing staff. Dr. Gordon Atkins, co-owner of Continental Holstein, Leduc, Alberta, Canada, and member of the Holstein Canada type committee, discussed how to build a functional cow and Dr. Stewart Bauck of Merial introduced new IGENITY® DNA markers for daughter pregnancy. Attendees discussed the Program for Genetic Advancement™ (PGA™), SMS technology updates and upcoming changes in the calculation of genetic evaluations.

The following three days involved sessions focused on discussing specific linear traits as well as unity within traits. During the farm tour, 94 SMS evaluators and Select Sires staff from 11 different countries viewed Select-sired daughters on 17 different California dairies, which included Slo-Train Holsteins, Firebaugh; Mt. Whitney Dairy, Riverdale; Rio Blanco Dairy, Tulare; Curtmaid Holsteins, Tulare; Mayflower Dairy, Tulare; Jer-Z-Boyz, Pixley; Calori-D Holsteins, Denair; Silveira Family Dairy, Hilmar; Alamo Dairy, Crows Landing; Clover Prairie, Hilmar; Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Vierra, Hilmar; Gen-Ace Dairy, Modesto; Prins Dairy, Oakdale; FDB Holsteins, Escalon and Exels Holsteins, Lodi. The group also visited JLG Enterprises Inc., Oakdale, to view a bull parade. In addition, World Wide Sires, Visalia, Calif., hosted the group for dinner.

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 Mating Service, SMS, Program for Genetic Advancement and PGA are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.
®IGENITY is a registered trademark of Merial, Duluth, GA