SELECTIONS - Winter 2006
SMS Improves Dairy's Bottom Line
Any dairy producer considering using Select Sires genetics or Select Mating Service (SMS) in the herd need take just one look at the smiles on Jack and Roni Brogley’s faces to know the program is effective. The Brogleys’ Platte-Vu Holstein herd at Platteville, Wis., was liquidated late this fall with 142 lots averaging a whopping $4,194. Those cows’ high type and style brought bids that rewarded the couple for years of dairy improvement, and they give credit to Select Sires and SMS for their successes.
Jack Brogley’s operation has climbed the ranks with help from Select Mating Service™ (SMS™) herd evaluators and matings for 15 years. Prior to that, he was using semen from several bull studs, but admits his herd was“not going anywhere” and just weren’t the type of cattle he wanted to be known for. A visit from friend and SMS evaluator Tom Pearson changed all that.
"Tom started talking to me about the program and we decided to give it a try. According to the sale, it was definitely the right way to go," Jack Brogley says.
SMS Help
Select Mating Service is the most widely accepted mating service in the world. Since 1973, SMS has provided dairy producers with a labor-saving and user-friendly approach to mating programs. Professional SMS evaluators like Tom Pearson work with herd managers to understand breeding objectives, evaluate each animal individually, and use research and computerized analysis to develop matings. Most recent statistics show SMS evaluators made more than 3.7 million mating recommendations in 2004 as a value-added service for thousands of herd owners across the country.
At the time of the sale, the Platte-Vu herd had a BAA of 109.4% and rolling herd average of 21,700 pounds of milk. The auction featured 25 Excellents, milking records to 42,900 pounds and dam records over 47,000 pounds of milk.
Hidden Treasure
Sale manager Tom Morris called the herd one of Wisconsin’s hidden Holstein treasures and praised the depth of pedigrees stacked generation after generation
with high-scoring and high-producing cows.
The sale bill included five head backed by at least eight consecutive Excellent dams, 14 head with at least six consecutive Excellents behind them, and an exciting 13 cows with an Excellent (97) dam in their maternal pedigree.
"Jack and Roni and their family have worked extremely hard over the years developing their impressive farming operation and outstanding herd. The herd facts are powerful to say the least and are seldom available in a single herd dispersal," Morris said.
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Platte-Vu Holsteins is owned and operated by Jack and Roni Brogley along with help from their children Josh, Jackie and Sonya.
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Buyers came from 17 states to offer bids on cows sure to spread impeccable type and production across the country.
The top seller was Platte-Vu Durham Iroc (EX-92-EEEEE),a 6-year-old with 7HO5157 Regancrest Elton DURHAM-ET*CV and 7HO4164 Second-Look JOLT bloodlines named first-place senior 3-year-old cow and best udder of class in
Wisconsin’s District 3 show in 2003. This cow brought $13,700.
Three-year-old Platte-Vu High Mandy (VG-85),a 7HO3257 HIGHLIGHT Mr Mark Cinder-ET*CV daughter out of an Excellent (90) JOLT dam, brought $10,300. This cow is backed by seven generations of Excellent dams and
carries a 20,835 milk record at 3-06.
Her maternal half-sister, Platte-Vu Durham Dreamy-ET (VG-88) was also a high seller at $10,000.
JOLT daughter Farquhar Mayers Jolt Vanity (EX-92-EEEEE-2E) brought $9,400.
Improvement
"Before we got into SMS, our herd wasn’t much to look at," Jack Brogley admits. "There were no set patterns. You’d have a decent heifer and then a couple
uglier than sin. But in the barn on sale day, they all looked good."
Brogley knew years ago he needed to improve udders and feet and legs and, just a few generations into his SMS involvement, could see major improvements.
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Platte-Vu Eland Infinity (VG-85), bred to 7HO5841 Sikkema-Star-W HI METRO-ET*CV, brought a $7,500 bid during Platte-Vu’s herd dispersal sale Nov. 5.
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"Tom Pearson is a cow man. He realizes what it takes to make good cows and sees hundreds of cows from all over,” Brogley said. “That’s good knowledge and
experience for me to get from him. Sure we could all mate cows, but he’s objective and has seen more daughters and cows and knows the genetics better than I do," he said.
The Brogleys worked alongside Pearson to mate elite cows with complete type and production packages.
Better Results
Jack Brogley said his favorite bulls are DURHAM, for his dairyness, great udders and feet and legs; and JOLT, for his big, strong daughters. The dairyman always considers the matings Pearson suggests.
Through his years as a SMS cooperator, Brogley has developed a single philosophy that he feels supports his herd quality: “Don’t be afraid to use better bulls. It’s worth it to pay $5-$10 more per unit upfront for better quality and production down the road.”
Brogley offers one more piece of advice for dairymen: “Let Select Sires help you out. That’s what they do with programs like SMS.”
As for the complete herd dispersal, Jack Brogley said it seemed to be the right
time to sell and rebuild a smaller herd from the ground up.
He’s already staging his comeback, buying open heifers with plans to be milking a new herd at Platte-Vu in February 2006.
"No doubt about it, I’ll be using SMS in my new herd," Brogley said.
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Platte-Vu Holsteins is owned and operated by Jack and Roni Brogley along with help from their children Josh, Jackie and Sonya.
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™Select Mating Service and SMS are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.
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