The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

The farmer-owner board of directors, sire committees and sire department at Select Sires Inc. recognize the immense value of healthier, longer-living cows. Whether producers need to lower their herd turnover rate to account for reduced heifer inventories or are working to enhance sustainability initiatives, selecting genetics that excel for health and wellness traits will strengthen the dairy’s bottom line. Breeders can rely on the Select Sires, Accelerated Genetics and GenerVations sire lineups to provide elite, high-fertility genetics from the industry’s most coveted pedigrees. Ten Holsteins, two Jerseys, one Ayrshire and one Brown Swiss graduated to daughter-proven status and were added to these genetic lineups following the August sire summaries.

Holstein Highlights

  • Herd Health Profit Dollars™ (HHP$™) is designed to achieve greater herd longevity. The new class of graduates includes nine sires above +800 HHP$, with 250HO14702 EXODUS (+903), 7HO14545 JAMARCO (+903), 7HO14692 HIDEYHO (+884) and 7HO14705 FINISHLINE (+871) leading the list. FINISHLINE (+1,066 DWP$®), JAMARCO (+997) and 14HO14690 HIGHLITE (+981) rank among the industry’s best for Zoetis’ Dairy Wellness Profit Index®, another tool for herds focused on health and wellness.
  • Mastitis is the most common clinical disease reported in dairy cows and cited as the third most prevalent reason for culling in commercial dairy herds. Select Sires developed the innovative Mastitis ResistantPRO™ designation to help lower mastitis cases. FINISHLINE, HIGHLITE and EXODUS are among more than 30 proven sires that qualify for the designation.
  • Five of the new graduates rank within the industry’s top-50 sires for GTPI® with JAMARCO making his debut in the top-25 at +2878. Other GTPI leaders include FINISHLINE (+2856), 7HO14804 BARCLAY (+2854), HIDEYHO (+2844) and 7HO14859 MAXIMUS (+2838).
  • 7HO14694 BANJO-P debuts as the No. 2 Polled sire in the breed (+2824 GTPI). He has a unique pedigree and transmits solid milk production (+1,073 PTAM), health (+819 HHP$) and Sire Conception Rate (+1.3 SCR). As an added bonus, he’s A2A2 Beta Casein and BB Kappa Casein.
  • For production power and high Combined Fat and Protein (CFP), farmers should look to JAMARCO (+1,792 PTAM, +191 CFP) and BARCLAY (+1,322 PTAM, +149 CFP).
  • 14HO14629 SERTOLI earns his FertilityPRO® designation with a +2.2 SCR. He’s a 7HO13757 FESTIVUS son from three Very Good dams. SERTOLI is also BB Kappa Casein.
  • Showcase™ favorite 7HO14734 HANDSOME enters the proven ranks as a breed leader for Type (+3.15 PTAT) and production (+1,220 PTAM). He is known for siring width and capacity with nearly flawless rump structure.

Jersey Highlights

  • 7JE1758 JX THRASHER {6} is designated as a FeedPRO® and GrazingPRO® sire. He transmits big-time production (+1,542 PTAM) with high components (+116 CFP) and awesome Daughter Pregnancy Rate (+2.7 DPR). Field reports say his daughters are strong with wide rumps and great fitness traits.
  • 14JE1762 CASTRO graduates to the proven lineup as the No. 1 Craze son in the world! He is a balanced production sire with leading GJPI™ (+126) and JUI™ (+12.4).
  • Both Jersey graduates are available with gender SELECTED™ semen and are A2A2 Beta Casein and BB Kappa Casein.

Ayrshire Highlight

  • 14AY126 ROANOKE is a 7AY87 POWER son from the famed Palmyra Berkely P Ruth-ET (EX-94-2E-ELITE) family. He is 88.73% Ayrshire and offers outstanding components (+0.07% Protein, +0.15% Fat) with positive Productive Life (+0.1 PL) and Livability (+0.1 LIV).

Brown Swiss Highlight

  • 14BS890 ANGELO hails from the proven family of Brookings Atlanta. This FertilityPRO sire boasts a balance of components (+66 CFP), fitness (+1.7 PL, +0.2 LIV) and Type (+0.5 PTAT).

For more information about individual sires, please visit www.selectsires.com and use the new Advanced Sire Search to locate and sort sires that match your genetic goals. To access sires from the palm of your hand, download Select Sires Mobile from your app store today!

Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is the largest global A.I. cooperative and is comprised of six farmer-owned and -controlled local organizations in the United States. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen, as well as excellence in service and programs to supply dairy and beef producers with the world’s best genetics.