Welcome to The Select Sires Podcast talking Your Success, Our Passion, starting in 3-2-1.
Joel Penhorwood
Thanks for tuning in, I’m Joel Penhorwood. A great discussion happening today on the global reach of Select Sires and joining us on the microphones, Rebekah Mast, genetic director of World Wide Sires, and Joel Mergler, director of global talent development for Select Sires Inc.
Rebekah, Joel, thanks for being here.
Joel Mergler
We're happy to be here.
Rebekah Mast
Thanks for having us.
Joel Penhorwood
They’re world travelers and looking forward to getting their insight on the impact of genetics and cattle around the world.
First though, let’s take a quick moment to highlight the newest addition to the millionaire club at Select Sires. Holstein Sire Analyst Rick Verbeek is joined by Jonathan and Alicia Lamb of Oakfield Corners Dairy to tell us more.
Rick VerBeek
We want to welcome 7HO12111 Mr OCD Epic DRAGONHEART-ET to the exclusive millionaire club in the Holstein breed and at Select Sires. Some people said the genomic era would bring an end to bulls joining this exclusive sales club, but DRAGONHEART has been intent on defying those odds and today is Select’s thirteenth millionaire, joining his maternal grandsire 7HO8081 PLANET to this exclusive club. Congratulations to Jonathan and Alicia Lamb and the entire team at Oakfield Corners on breeding this great individual.
Jonathan Lamb
For us at Oakfield Corners, it’s always an honor when breeders across the world use genetics that originated from our herd. In the era of genomics where no one thought a bull would reach millionaire status again, DRAGONHEART has achieved that coveted status. Really proud of the accomplishments of DRAGONHEART and all the people, all the different steps and the chains that helped him, from not only us as the breeders, but the sire analysts, the people collecting semen and of course the salesmen.
Alicia Lamb
DRAGONHEART comes from a strong maternal line that we continue to enjoy working with daily. They have sound udders and feet and legs, and they have the temperament and production to work well in our commercial facility.
Jonathan Lamb
We’re proud to have bred a bull that is appreciated by dairy farmers worldwide.
Rick VerBeek
Achieving one million units in sales solidifies DRAGONHEART’s status as a true customer satisfaction sire and we look forward to watching him continuing to climb the sales ladder at Select Sires and watching just how high he can climb.
Joel Penhorwood
Thanks Rick. More on DRAGONHEART’s impressive accomplishment online at www.selectsires.com
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Rebekah, Joel, let’s start with getting a bit of your background and international experience to kick off today’s conversation. Rebekah, since you’re joining us from afar, we’ll start with you.
Rebekah Mast
Great. Well, thank you. So as Genetic Director at World Wide Sires, my role is to be the liaison for our international teams and customers back to Select Sires as far as what some of the international needs are for genetics. And I think we'll probably talk about that a little bit later. But then also to communicate back to our teams why U.S. genetics and how genetics can help to advance our customers around the world to higher levels of production, better cattle. And so, I do a lot of training with our teams internationally on our genetic programs, on the quality of genetics that we offer. And then I also support our sire acquisition, if that takes place internationally as well. So, making sure that we've got bull programs that fit with the needs of our international customers. So, kind of a lot of different layers to that, but genetic director kind of sums it up.
Joel Mergler
Well, I've been with Select Sires now for about 41 years. I started as an A.I. technician in Wisconsin, and have had a variety of training and development roles over the years. I've had a great opportunity to work with people all over the world. Now I've kind of kept track of it over the years, and I think it’s 77 countries I've had the blessing to be able to go to and working with training and development and helping people in various markets to be the best they can be and to utilize our genetics to help their future and build a better life.
Joel Penhorwood
When you're looking at the A.I. industry internationally, how does it compare and contrast with that of the United States if we’re using that as a comparison point? How is it unique in different places around the world? And feel free to have a discussion back and forth on this as well.
Joel Mergler
Well, we've seen a real evolution over the years. Countries go through a period of time where perhaps the genetic level hasn't been very advanced. The management level maybe hasn't been advanced. And with training and development and with bringing good genetics in and starting to see results, we see very fast changes within some countries that they catch up closer to where the U.S. is. You know, I think of my first trip to China in 2006 and many places the cows were still being milked by hand. The nutrition wasn't always the best. But, you know, I've been to China about, I think 20 times over the years, and I used to say that every time I went to China, it was a new country because it developed so quickly from what I saw in 2006 to what you'd see today, which is a modern dairy industry utilizing some of the best genetics and management systems. You'll see 10,000 cow herds there today with good production. And so, it's been fun to watch these countries develop very quickly, both using genetics and along with that has to come the ability to manage those better genetics.
Rebekah Mast
Yeah, and one of the things that I found so interesting working internationally now for the last ten years after growing up in the U.S. on a U.S. dairy, is that some of the things that I just take for granted. Having grown up on a dairy as far as how to manage cows and take care of cows, those are, they're not common practice everywhere. The things that I learned just by following my dad around don't get taught in schools in a lot of places around the world. And so that natural animal husbandry kind of practice isn't always super common, and so it's been really neat, as Joel was saying, to see how that has developed through a lot of the different training programs that we've done, and there's some places that we are selling semen today that when I first started, my question to them was, "Can you even access liquid nitrogen? You've heard about artificial insemination, but do you realize you need nitrogen to keep the semen alive until you breed the cow?” And in some cases, they didn't, and so, it's come from some really basic levels of understanding to the point where now they have milking animals on the ground from A.I. and it can really make an impact on the success of their herd.
Joel Mergler
Exactly, and it's just fun to watch, I've always in my career, I've always loved watching things grow and develop. Just like we, those of us that have a background in the dairy business to watch a calf born and to develop into a great cow and to develop that cow and a great herd. It's the same way with helping distributors and customers and countries to develop as well, isn't it, Rebekah? And it's so satisfying to watch, you know, a country like Latvia, how they have taken the ideas that we brought with our training programs and our genetics and how a country like that, how the dairy industry has developed into some really high producing herds that are really well-managed today. And it's just fun to watch that development and be a small part of it.
Rebekah Mast
Yeah, and I think one of the things that the dairy industry has more recently gotten some maybe negative press about would be our carbon footprint. And there's a lot of discussion around how can the industry be more carbon neutral and you hear about that all over the world, but one of the best ways to address that is by having cows with better genetics and managing them better, and so, we can help, our industry here domestically is the best in the world as far as being sustainable. But we also even though as a U.S. producer, I often think, ok, you know, we want to have that export market because that's important for the value of our products, but we cannot supply a perishable product to the entire world. If we're going to do our part in feeding the world, we have to make sure that they can produce those products locally. What we get to do with providing genetics is just so exciting because we can help the rest of the industry in other parts of the world be more sustainable and profitable for the customer as well.
Joel Mergler
Exactly. And, you know, gives us a job with a purpose, you know, to be able to literally change people's lives and their future with our training and with our ideas and with our technology and with our genetics. I mean, and countries are all at all different stages and producers are at all different stages of development with this and it may be a producer in Africa with just one or two cows, but that extra production from better genetics and better management may mean his kids get to go to school. And that's a really satisfying type of purpose that this job creates for us.
Rebekah Mast
I think that some of the countries that I've gotten to travel to haven't always been on the friendliest terms maybe with the U.S. And so, there's times where there's this maybe political tension, but in getting to work with the farmers on the ground, what I really realized is that farmers everywhere are concerned about basically the same things. They're concerned about are they going to get rain? Is it going to be at the right time for their crops to grow? How are they going to provide a better life for their children? How are they going to keep things moving into the next generation? And when you start getting on to that really basic level with fellow farmers, all the other political issues kind of melt away.
Joel Mergler
Exactly. And you know, as we were talking about earlier amongst ourselves, the cow is better than the United Nations at bringing people together, people that have political or religious or cultural differences. It's amazing, and we both have experiences like that of watching people who may not get along that way, but the cow brings them together, and it's just a cool thing to watch.
Joel Penhorwood
The ultimate middle ground.
Joel Mergler
Exactly.
Joel Penhorwood
Is there anything in both of your experiences, in your thoughts, when you look at different countries and what they're breeding for, that might be of interest to talk about and say, “Hey, they're actually breeding for this over there at this time. And here's why.” But all in the end we're still providing them that genetic material to get that done.
Joel Mergler
Yeah, absolutely. And Rebekah can discuss this more too as she works to find indexes and certain bulls that work really well in certain markets, depending on whether it's a grazing market in New Zealand or in Colombia or Argentina or Chile, or whether it's a fluid milk market or a cheese market, you know, customizing our genetic selection to create the right kinds of genetics for that particular herd. You know, are the cows grazing on the side of the mountain where we really have to look at things like feet and legs and mobility that's really important. Are they being milked by robots or are they being milked by hand? And we look at certain traits. One of the stories that I still tell, it’s from my first trip to Africa back in the nineties. And, you know, for a farm kid from Ohio that was his first time in Africa, I realize now how I was pretty naive, but I remember the group I was to present to were talking about exotic breeds of cattle. And so, in my mind, as thinking like a typical American farm kid, when you talk about exotic breeds of cattle, I'm thinking about Bos indicus cows with big horns and humps on their back. But I quickly realized they were talking about Holsteins and Jerseys. They were talking about our European based cattle as exotic and therefore risky for them to use because they knew their local cows could withstand the harsh conditions that they were under in that country, and they knew that they were going to be able to live and get pregnant and produce milk. What I was proposing to them was very scary and very risky. And so, the reason I tell that story is because it totally changed my perspective to learn when I traveled to see the world through the eyes of whoever I was with, not through my lens as an American guy from Ohio, but to see through the eyes of the people I am with. And that shift in perspective has served me very well over the years in learning to be adaptable and understand the needs of certain different people in different markets based on what they need.
Rebekah Mast
Yeah. And I think some of the things I have had to realize and kind of had a humbling step back with is even as much of the genetic progress that we make with some of the indexes, and we're absolutely working towards that to create a more complete operational cow for the different operations, but one of the things that I had never thought of before traveling and some of the countries that are closer to the equator is the importance of having the correct coat color. And my first thought was, well, you want light-colored cattle because they'll reflect the heat. And that's absolutely not true because light cattle get sunburned and you have more risk of cows getting cancer eye, and things like that if they don't have black around their eyes. Cows that are out grazing, if they eat a noxious weed, that can cause issues with extreme sunburn. For whatever reason, black cattle don't have the same challenge with that as white cows. And so, if you think, you know, more recently, in some of the genetic past, we've had quite a few bulls in our program and in the industry that have created white daughters or daughters that have more of a white coat color. And for herds that the cows are primarily inside and protected from the sun, that's no problem, and so you can achieve great milk production and all of that. But if you are in a hot climate where there's a lot of sun exposure and closer to the equator, that black coat color is really important. And those are the types of things that as a sire analyst, or working with the sire development team, we're focused on how do we get the right genetics and how do we keep moving forward and making genetic progress. And then there's something like coat color that can kind of throw us for a loop because it's not part of our genetic equation that we're looking for here in the U.S.
Joel Mergler
Yeah, and yet it is genetics, isn't it?
Rebekah Mast
Absolutely.
Joel Mergler
It is all about genetics, and without that, nothing else is going to be able to express itself. Just along those lines. I remember the first time it struck me that way, Rebekah. I saw a cow in Colombia that had cancer eye in the side of her face that was all white. On her other side, she did have black around her eye and that eye was perfectly normal, and so it really struck me as how important a trait like that is important in that type of environment. And so just understanding that and bringing that information sometimes back to our sire department to understand what the needs are in different markets.
Rebekah Mast
And one of the things I've appreciated so much about our sire department is how much they listen to our international teams as well as the domestic needs, because there is the recognition that we are a global industry and that's so important for us.
Joel Penhorwood
Great way to put that. And travel writer Rick Steves says travel is rich with learning opportunities, and the ultimate souvenir, a broader perspective.
Joel Mergler
Absolutely.
Joel Penhorwood
A great discussion we’ve had so far today, and we’ll continue on with some stories from around the world up next, but first, a word on something else that’s helping farmers around the globe – the CowManager eartag monitoring system.
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Joel Penhorwood
The Select Sires Podcast continues with Rebekah Mast and Joel Mergler. And we’ve been hearing a lot about broader perspectives and broadening perspectives through international work, through international travel, through international experience in general. Is there anything you know as we continue to talk about stories from the road what comes to mind that you want to share with the listeners today?
Joel Mergler
Well, you know, just talking about perspective again, it was my first trip to Africa and we’re riding in a truck, going from Uganda to Kenya and suddenly across the road runs a whole herd of zebras. Now in western Ohio, where I grew up, there's not a lot of zebras unless they're at the zoo. And so, I got pretty excited, and I said, “Zebras, zebras! Did you see that? Those were zebras!” And the driver, who's local says, “Yes, man, we're in Africa, what did you expect?” And I realized again, what was exotic to me was very common to him, and again, it caused me to kind of change my perspective and be adaptable and see the world through the eyes of the local people and likewise, as we were talking about, that’s the beauty of the way we get to travel also, isn't it, Rebekah? We get to not always, we haven't seen the tourist attractions in a lot of these countries, but we get to be with the real people in the countryside eating the same food as they do and living as they live and the real lives of real people. And that's a real blessing that I've been so happy I've had the opportunity to have.
Rebekah Mast
Yeah, I haven't gotten to quite as many countries as Joel. I'm just over 45 now. So, 45 countries, that is I'm not quite 45.
Joel Mergler
Me either.
Rebekah Mast
But it seems being a tall, white, genetically Dutch girl from the Central Valley of California, there's a lot of places in the world that I don't blend in. Being almost six feet tall doesn't allow me to just sort of blend in with the crowd in a lot of places. But what I realized is the importance of listening and observing before I speak and watching what is it that that other people are doing? What are the practices? Joel mentioned eating, and what are the practices with eating? Because there's different cultural ways that you eat that are appropriate or inappropriate, and none of these things are right or wrong. They're just different and different doesn't make something right or wrong. And so, the way that I can appreciate cultures differently because of that. And then something that I would say has really changed is the way that I read the news, because no matter what I see on the global news, there's usually someone in that country who I know personally, and so it's not just people out over there who are disconnected from me, but it's real people with real stories and real hopes and dreams for their families, for themselves. And then no longer is it us and them. But it's this global community that has really, I don't know. We all impact each other's lives, and it makes the world a lot smaller, and it just really changes a lot of perspective on things.
Joel Mergler
And you know, Rebekah, you've had a lot of these same stories and experiences I have with the remarkable ability of people in countries that that have struggled with the wars and politics and earthquakes and things that as typical Americans, it's hard for us to imagine going through and living through to see the remarkable resilience of people. You come back with a different perspective when you come home as well, with a much greater appreciation for the things that we have here that we often take for granted. And so, it's that that is another way that that travel changes your perspective, it is the things that maybe you would take for granted that you realize how blessed you truly are.
Rebekah Mast
My favorite thing to do around the world is to sit with people and share a meal, because that just breaks down so many different barriers of being able to talk with each other. You learn so much about value and culture, and the way that food is even served or presented to you is different in different cultures. And how that all works to make sure that people are fed and enjoy the experience and that hospitality and the pieces of sharing a meal with others. It just it breaks down somebody with barriers. And I would say, even here in the U.S., I've enjoyed that more with trying to meet people from other cultures and share a meal with them and just understand, and then suddenly you're introduced to new flavors, and it's a lot of fun.
Joel Penhorwood
Now, for those unfamiliar or less familiar with the Select Sires international scope, the World Wide Sires work outside of the United States borders. As we start to wrap things up today, what are the main countries you’re dealing with today?
Joel Mergler
Well our largest countries correspond a lot to the largest cow populations in most cases, but not always, but countries like Brazil, China, Argentina, Canada, some of our top selling countries. And so, but we're developing other markets that are growing very fast. You know, we've got markets that you may not even think about, like Saudi Arabia, even though it's maybe 120 or 130 degree weather in the temperature in the summertime and the desert heat, they're highly managed cows that are high production and we do very well in countries like that. And we probably have semen going to countries, genetics going to countries that would surprise you, that they even have cow populations. So, we're right now, we're dealing in over 90 countries around the world.
Joel Penhorwood
Wonderful. Rebekah, anything you'd add to what you're talking to those countries about? We've talked about earlier here in this discussion about the differences in what their genetic focus is. But is there anything as far as programs, anything in the future that you think is coming that dominates discussion when you're talking with the global customer?
Rebekah Mast
Yeah. So, for example, like in our European markets, we would be talking a lot about the genetic tools that we have available at Select Sires and creating genetic strategies for success. A number of our European markets, there's a lot of focus on the same sort of strategies that we're working towards in the U.S. How are you raising the right number of heifers? Are you raising the right type of heifers for your future and really looking very intentionally at that. In other parts of the world, there's a lot more expansion happening. And so, if they're using sexed semen, it's to try to get more heifers because they're trying to get more animals at the high genetic quality and there's less pressure maybe on the amount of land available to them and so that would be something different. And in some countries we're focusing just on, how do we create not necessarily the highest producing cow, but a cow that's going to be really sustainable in that environment. Because some of the places around the world where cows are living are pretty harsh, and we've developed the cattle here in the U.S. to be extreme for production, they can really do well, and yet if they're not in an environment that cares for them appropriately, they can really struggle. And so, getting to the point of making sure that we've got both the management and the genetics kind of working together so that you can get the full genetic expression is a big piece of what I do and what our Global Dairy Solutions team does around the world.
Joel Penhorwood
And the future is bright.
Rebekah Mast
Absolutely.
Joel Mergler
Absolutely.
Joel Penhorwood
Very good. Anything else you’d like to add to this discussion of international reach?
Joel Mergler
I think, you know, again, thinking back over my career, we've never had more exciting genetic tools to make faster progress than we do right now since genomics has come along. As Rebekah was talking about not just creating cows that give more milk, but cows that do it more sustainably, cows that are able to take care of themselves breeding in disease resistance and fertility. I think it's a really exciting time how we can change cow populations very quickly and customize to any given market or any given country or any given producer to help them to be successful in the future.
Rebekah Mast
And what I would say just as an American, as a dairy producer or someone working in the industry, I would encourage you if you ever get the opportunity to travel to expand some of that experience – definitely take it. It's something that will shift perspective and give you an appreciation, both for what we have here in the U.S. and what is being done and available around the world, and guaranteed there might be discomfort in the process of travel, but there won't be long term regret.
Joel Penhorwood
That's Rebekah Mast, genetic director of World Wide Sires, joined alongside Joel Mergler, director of Global Talent Development for Select Sires Inc. for a great discussion today. Thank you both for joining us today.
Joel Mergler
Thank you.
Rebekah Mast
Thanks for having us.
Joel Penhorwood
This is The Select Sires Podcast. Thanks for tuning in.