Select Sires

IGENITY™ Testing Service (Part One)
Transcript of Select Sires' Reproductive Moment Program
on DairyLine Radio Which Aired July 14, 2005
With Chuck Sattler,
Vice President of Progeny Testing,
Select Sires Inc.

Chuck, this week we are introducing IGENITY testing services. What, exactly, is this?

Igenity testing services are DNA tests that look at differences in an animal’s DNA to get an indication of its genetic ability, or perhaps opportunities to manage the animal differently or just simply identify the animal based on differences in DNA. Merial and Select Sires are joining together to market these DNA tests to dairy producers, as well as to provide the opportunities for Select Sires to use these tests in selecting and marketing our A.I. bulls. We also plan to work together in research projects to identify new DNA tools that we can use in our selection program, as well as make them available to dairy producers. The agreement between the two companies is really a three-pronged approach, working together to bring this new technology to dairy producers and allowing it to be used to help improve our cattle.

This is really giving producers just one more resource isn’t it?

Yes, that’s exactly right, it's an exciting new technology that we are just getting started at figuring out how to use to make our cattle better, and there is lots of research going on in this area. USDA is putting a lot of dollars into all kinds of animals, as well as plants, learning how to use the DNA technology, and getting to the point where we feel it's really going to start paying off just around the corner. One of the really exciting projects going on now is the sequencing of the bovine genome, and they are just in the final stages of wrapping up that project. We believe that will bring about a lot of new development, and will allow us the opportunity to take advantage of new tools at lower prices and really provide the opportunity for this to have an impact in the commercial area.

What can a dairy producer do today to get involved in this?

Today there is a handful of tools available that are useful to dairy producers. Current tests being offered are IGENITY ComponentMAKER™ and the IGENITY OptiYIELD™ test, which identifies some genetic differences in cattle that are related to production potential. There is also the IGENITY L™ test that looks at differences in the Lepton gene, and that’s related to fat deposition in dairy cattle. That likely means it can be used to help for cows that get bred back a little faster after calving, and stay a little healthier through that transition period because they maintain a little more body condition. And we also offer the testing for the red gene so we can identify those animals that are black and white but can’t transmit the red color. Those are the tools that are available today, and the portfolio that we’ll likely add to here fairly quickly and regularly as we go forward with our joint effort.

Thanks, Chuck. We’ll talk more next week. That’s Chuck Sattler, Vice President of Progeny Testing at Select Sires.

™IGENITY ComponentMAKER, IGENITY OptiYIELD and IGENITY L are trademarks of Merial, Duluth, GA.

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