Select Sires

SELECTIONS - Summer 2003
Consistent Results You Can Trust

By David Thorbahn, general manager and executive vice president

In today’s turbulent times, I often hear, "I need a product that works as promised!" Select Sires is cutting no corners to ensure that we deliver upon that promise. Many young-sire programs claim they have an advantage of size, while others claim that all young sire programs are the same.

However, the facts tell you a different story. Recently you may have read of the amazingly consistent results of the Select Sires sire program. For the May sire summary, Select sires contributed 49 percent of the genes for the first five generations of active-A.I. sires in the Holstein breed and 51 percent of the genes of the first five generations of Jerseys. What is the secret to our advantage?

The advantage of consistent results is anchored in the industry’s most respected young sire program, the Program for Genetic Advancement. The PGA advantage comes from the details behind the program:

Focus on accuracy of identification
Operate a truly balanced national program
Invest in the best people and herd owners to implement the program
Listen to our customer/owners

Focus on Accuracy

Accurate identification is crucial to second-crop success. I’m sure you’ve heard the comment, "garbage in, garbage out," which clearly identifies why larger is not always better. The industry has seen several top TPI sires with more than 100 daughters in the initial proof that have not stood the test of time. One reason may be the quality of the identification. Here is what Select Sires does to ensure the value of your purchase.

PGA recruits the finest herds for management and identification in America.
PGA has more registered herds on our program than any other American progeny-testing program.
PGA herds are visited annually to ensure that proper identification is in place.
PGA specialists are employed persons with responsibilities to ensure accuracy.

Operate A Truly National Program

Select Sires provides a truly national program by ensuring that no area of the country receives more than 25 percent of the PGA semen distributed. This ensures a truly national sample and reduces regional bias. Some perceived "national" programs have more than 60 percent of their progeny-test semen delivered to one area of the country, which can introduce bias from that region, magnify regional differences, and reduce quality of calving-ease data, production proofs and type information. Thus there is a clear advantage for you that our national approach provides, incorporating a balance of sizes of operations, environments and management conditions.

Invest In the Best People to Implement the Program

Select Sires has invested in specialists who visit PGA herds annually to ensure the program is implemented successfully. Many competitors have eliminated this step entirely or reduced the emphasis of management, making it clearly a sales program. While our approach may be more expensive, accurate proofs surely are worth the investment.

Listen to Our Customer/Owners

Select Sires still utilizes surveys from delegate meetings and direction from sire committees made up of outstanding breeders to ensure we are meeting your demands. The committees require that our focus provides superior genetics for all producers, regardless of tastes or preferences. The committees have instructed Select to not compromise outstanding udders, feet and legs, and calving ease.

Please examine the results and the advantage will be clear to you. The results are long-term, consistent and reliable. Just look at the last two years of superiority in Holsteins - Select leads the industry for top 50 TPI sires higher than 97 percent for type and production. Our advantage is not a once-in-a-while occurrence, it’s consistent.

If you are looking for stability in these turbulent times, rely on Select Sires for all your genetic and reproductive needs. We are committed to deliver the promise of genetic superiority and consistent results, time after time.

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