Select Sires' SMS Genetic Consultants Meet in Michigan



Select Sires logoSelect Mating Service™ (SMS™) genetic consultants from Select Sires' member organizations, international guests and other Select Sires staff met at the 39th annual SMS Evaluator's Conference, hosted by NorthStar Cooperative in Michigan, May 4-7.

While at the conference, genetic consultants participated in a day of continuing education. The group discussed the latest Program for Genetic Advancement™ (PGA™) developments, discussed on-farm observations and were updated about the strengths of the Select Sires lineup and exciting sires waiting for their first daughter proofs. They learned about enhancements to the SMS program, innovative technologies and recent trends.

Select Sires professional Select Mating Service genetic consultants and staff attended the 2014 SMS Evaluator's Conference, hosted by NorthStar Cooperative in Michigan.

Now in its 41st year, SMS added more new animals (2 million) to the program than in any year in its history. SMS consultants continue to help dairy producers control genetic recessives, haplotypes, inbreeding levels and provide a means to create custom selection indexes based on customer goals. The conference allows genetic consultants to view hundreds of Select-sired daughters and see the pattern each sire transmits to his daughters.

Over the course of three days, consultants viewed progeny of Select Sires' current lineup and potential graduates in Michigan. Select Sires thanks the following herds for their hospitality: Bebow Dairy Farms Inc., St Louis, Mich.; Autumn Vista Dairy, McBain, Mich.; End-Road Farm, Falmouth, Mich.; Hidden Hills Dairy LLC, McBain, Mich.; Meekhof Dairy Farm, McBain, Mich.; Benthem Brothers Dairy, McBain, Mich.; Swiss Lane Dairy, Alto, Mich.; Lew-Max Holsteins, Belding, Mich.; Trierweiler Dairy Farm, Portland, Mich.; Green Meadow Farms, Inc., Elsie, Mich.; Long-Haven Farms, Inc., Clayton, Mich.; The Preston Farm, Quincy, Mich. and Westvale-View Dairy and Moo-Ville Creamery, Nashville, Mich.

"This year's conference provided attendees with an excellent opportunity to see progeny of several recent proven graduates and sires that are candidates for active service in the next two sire summaries," stated Lon Peters, vice president of dairy sire product services for Select Sires. "The 14 herds we toured and the Select-sired daughters we saw demonstrated the value-added advantage of Select Sires' genetics and services. Highly productive cows with near-perfect udders and feet and legs was the consistent message from these visits. The tour served as a testimonial to what SMS and Select Sires genetics can do for our customer-owners."

Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is North America's largest A.I. organization and is comprised of nine farmer-owned and -controlled cooperatives. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying dairy and beef producers with North America's best genetics at a reasonable price.
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5.19.2014