Strategy Without Compliance Makes for Empty Efforts

Developing a strategy

Genomic information is the foundation of their genetic strategy. They genomic test and rank all females based on genetic merit. Amber Kirk, account lead for Premier Select Sires, and Greg Collins, North America select dairy solutions data and training support for Select Sires Inc., run the herds’ data through an inventory calculator each month to determine a tailor-made breeding strategy. This strategy aligns with the dairies’ goals and also reflects any shifts or changes in the market. 

Kirk explains, “We routinely work with Holstein USA to identify a handful of animals for their flush program. Greg’s monthly rankings determine the ‘unicorn’ and elite heifers. Unicorns are defined as the top 3% for NM$, TPI^®, and/or DWP$^®. I individually mate these heifers to NxGEN^® sires. The elite heifers are the top 100 ranked females and these are mated to NxGEN sires using Select Mating Service^® (SMS^®). And finally, the remaining heifers are either assigned GForce™ sexed semen or beef semen based on their rankings, with the bottom 10-15% on service to beef. The heifers assigned GForce sexed semen are also mated using SMS.”

The recent beef on dairy boom is a prime example of a need to shift their strategy. While McCarty Family Farms and MVP Dairy weren’t one of the earliest adopters of a beef on dairy program, they have quickly capitalized on the opportunity and are using ProfitSOURCE^® sires to create highly valuable beef on dairy calves. 

Ken McCarty explains that selection for beef sires has evolved over time and will continue to evolve as they learn more about which traits are most important to buyers. “Originally, we were blunt force – just black hide and exceptional calving ease. While avoiding dystocia and prioritizing fertility are fundamental traits, our relationship with our beef on dairy calf buyer has developed. We have really given them the opportunity to influence which ProfitSOURCE sires meet their needs from growth to terminal.”

Outlining implementation

In addition to the tools and consultation provided by Amber Kirk and Greg Collins, the dairies’ have outstanding teams working at each site. With so many advisors and team members involved in decision making and implementation, Kirk hosts monthly check-ins that she calls ‘all hands on deck meetings.’ These meetings are an opportunity to review the current strategy, make necessary changes and have an open dialogue about execution and results. Collins says, “It’s all about communication and understanding the goals of McCarty Family Farms and MVP Dairy. It’s one thing to put a paper out there and say ‘this is the strategy,’ but listening to the teams in the barns and answering questions about implementation leads to better results.” 

McCarty explains, “We can be as complex as we want to be in the meeting room, but when it comes to cow-side intervention and day-to-day management, our plan has to be extremely simple. That’s where the inventory calculators and ranking tools have become absolutely critical. Once the team on the ground has a straightforward plan to operate from, we focus on compliance.

Analyzing compliance

Lyle Kruse, retired vice president of U.S. market development for Select Sires Inc., recalls McCarty being the first dairyman to approach him with ambitions to focus on compliance. McCarty says, “We’ve become pretty obsessive about performance metrics like genetic identification and mating compliance because as facilities, management and nutrition improve, the true bottleneck becomes genetics.” The focus on compliance revealed gaps between the genetic strategy and cow-side management, with the most noticeable discovery of 28% parentage errors when they first started genomic testing. Today, Kirk and the teams pay close attention to compliance on both dairy and beef breedings and monthly compliance reports average 96-99% for mating recommendations. Collins evaluates the empirical data that proves the dairies are implementing the strategy set in place.