Select Mating Service:
A Genetic Business Plan for Your Dairy Operation
Developing a herd of cows with the type and production you demand - that’s the goal of the world’s most trusted mating program, Select Mating Service™ (SMS™). SMS is a genetic business plan for your dairy operation. Professional SMS evaluators use research, computerized analysis, cow knowledge and good relationships with dairy producers to build better cows throughout the world, one mating at a time. They work hard to save you time, protect your investment and meet your standards.
Multiple Programs Available:
Cow-Based Linear Evaluation
Each cow is evaluated using 17 primary traits that are all 10 percent or more in heritability. Evaluating the total cow is important due to many correlations between traits.
Pedigree Mating (SMS II™)
Pedigree information is used for inbreeding and recessive management on heifers or cows. SMS even allows you to utilize the type of information of the dam, if evaluated, to better predict the parent average type of the offspring.
Walk-Through Genetic Evaluation
A professional evaluator will visit your dairy to view your herd, discuss genetics and make sire recommendations to develop your genetic business plan.
Sure Success With SMS
Holland Oman 1175-Grade
Bill Holand, Apple River, IL |
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Bish Blitz Misty (VG-86)
Roy Buessing, Axtell, KS |
Fer-Farm Best Nutrita (VG-85-VG-MS), Az.
Agr. Ferronato Batista e Fabio S.S.,
Monticiari, Italy |
Highly Trained Professional Evaluators
One of the most critical aspects of any successful business plan is the training of the staff expected to carry out the plan. Your dairy operation depends on hard-working, trained personnel, and so does your genetic business plan. Select’s professional SMS evaluators combine good old fashioned cow sense with the most advanced computerized analysis to work with you to achieve your goals.
Select’s professional evaluators attend regular training and see milking daughters from across the country to help guide you with physical results. They work hard to establish a breeding program that will accelerate herd improvement to meet your breeding program goals and take pride in producing the results you demand.
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Each year, Select’s professional evaluators meet at the Evaluators’ Conference to discuss new technologies and recent trends and view progeny of Select’s current lineup and potential graduates, all with the customer in mind. |
Managing Inbreeding with SMS
There’s no doubt about it, inbreeding reduces the productivity and profitability of a herd. If you’re concerned about inbreeding, don’t sell yourself short by using just any mating program. SMS allows in-depth pedigree information to be used to help manage inbreeding levels and prevent the losses they cause.
1 Percent Increase in Inbreeding Costs: |
75 pounds milk per lactation |
2.5 pounds fat per lactation |
2.5 pounds protein per lactation |
13.1 days of productive life |
$24.11 in lifetime net income |
The Type You Demand
Type not only shows on the shavings, it also shows in the lifespan of your cows. Positive type traits correlate to the longer life of a cow and an improved bottom line. Select’s professional SMS evaluators strive to advance the type of your herd, putting more money in your pocket.
According to the herd-life research conducted by Holstein Association U.S.A. Inc., every +1.0 STA increase in Foot and Leg Composite results in an increased nine days of productive life. Udder Composite proves even more influential as every +1.0 STA increase yields 18 additional days of productive life. The following table summarizes how these type improvements can improve your bottom line:
Improving Type Increases the Bottom Line.
Type Improvement |
Resulting PL Increase |
Dollar Increase Per Cow Per Year1 |
Dollar Increase Per Year in a
500-cow Herd
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1 STA Increase in FLC |
9 days |
$76.52 |
$38,260 |
1 STA Increase in UDC |
18 days |
$53.04 |
$76,520 |
1 Average milk production per cow in 2006 was 19,951, according to Progressive Dairyman’s 2006 U.S. Dairy Statistics, which translates to 65.4 pounds per cow, per day, based on a 305-day record; all-milk price average in 2006 was $12.90 cwt or $0.13 per pound, according to USDA.
Customer Satisfaction with SMS
Mitch Breunig, breeder of 7HO7359 LOU
Mystic Valley Dairy
Sauk City, WI
“Our evaluator, Kevin Jorgensen, comes and evaluates the cows that have calved since the last time he was here. We sit down and pick out the group of bulls we want to use and then let the mating program use them the best way. Part of the success of SMS is having a good person doing a good job. The evaluator needs to understand your goals and help you get there. I have seen an improvement in type and I think SMS really helps you develop consistency and uniformity within your cows.”
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Jenny-Lou Amateur 856 (VG-87)
Mystic Valley Dairy LLC, Sauk City, WI |
Rod Habel
Lolynd Farms, New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada
“With the SMS program, we enjoy the flexibility it provides. In seven years, we have seen a great improvement in our herd’s type and production. Select Sires Canada evaluator Hugh Van Hout and their technician, Paul Eby, make it easy to select the sires for our herd. We have noticed a real increase in the average score of our 2-year-olds and the cows just seem to last longer. We use a fairly large selection of sires, but the program allows us to maintain the uniformity that we look for. SMS has allowed us to improve our herd and in my opinion, is a way for any dairy producer to improve his herd.”
Don and Tammy Fahey
Edgar, WI
“The biggest advantage of SMS is that it saves us time and work. The A.I. technician can just come in and look at the mating sheet and we don’t have to know all the bloodlines. We always enjoy having our evaluator, Don Mullen, come out, too. He’s a nice guy to work with and is really knowledgeable. SMS really gives the farmer a bit of an advantage. When we started the dairy about 11 years ago, the herd we purchased was a bunch of cows thrown together. We’ve produced quite a few good daughters by using SMS and we’ve really turned the herd around. We’re 100 percent registered now.”
Jake Dehoog
Parma, ID
“I’ll pick a few bulls out that I think might work and then I’ll ask our evaluator, Pete Matousek, if they’ll be a good fit. It’s a mutual thing working between the two of us. I trust Pete’s opinion extensively. I wouldn’t want to make any moves on my cows without talking with him first. The biggest advantage of SMS is preventing inbreeding. Look at 7HO1897 BLACKSTAR. He’s got a tremendous amount of sons there and if you don’t pay attention, you could run into inbreeding. It’s just not a good situation. SMS allows us to use the sires we want, even sons of sires, and know we won’t run into inbreeding problems. SMS is well worth it. It takes time, but you do see the gradual improvement of cows from generation to generation. My dad started breeding with Select Sires in 1968 and we’ve never changed. We’ve been extremely happy and pleased with Select Sires.”
™Select Mating Service, SMS and SMS II are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.
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