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More than 75 Select Reproductive Solutions® (SRS®) specialists from each of Select Sires’ nine member organizations, Select Sires GenerVations and World Wide Sires, as well as Select Sires staff and guests, gathered for Select’s annual SRS Conference held June 4 through June 7 in Battle Creek, Mich. The four-day conference was hosted by NorthStar Cooperative and incorporated both classroom-style learning opportunities and on-farm training.

“Largely due to the addition of field staff from Accelerated Genetics, the 2018 conference boasted the largest attendance in the last 15 years,” says Dr. Ray Nebel, vice president of technical service programs for Select Sires. “The speakers were outstanding industry leaders and spoke on topics ranging from dairying in the future and feed efficiency to robotic solutions.”

This annual conference encourages collaboration, brainstorming and skill development across the Select Sires federation, strengthening the services provided to customer-owners. Attendees engaged with industry experts, including: Dr. Jack Britt, Dr. Michael VandeHaar, Dr. Nancy Charlton, Dr. Dan Weigel and Dr. Matt Utt. Curtis Horsens of Horsens Homestead Dairy in Cecil, Wis. gave an outstanding presentation on the genetic and reproductive management program implemented in their herd. A highlight among the discussions was the latest developments regarding CowManager® and its success in herds nationwide.

Specialists visited three impressive dairies, Cary Dairy, Hollo Farms, and Preston Dairy, and performed evaluations in teams of four, similar in concept to the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. Fifteen four-member teams participated in the contest. The PCDART winning team leader was Adam Hahlen of COBA/Select Sires and the DairyComp winning team leader was Greg Collins of All West/Select Sires.

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.