Company News

One of the biggest upfront expenses dairy producers face is rearing heifer calves to maturity.

In Australia, on average, it costs a producer $1500 to rear a heifer from birth until she is two years of age, when she historically calves and joins the milking herd. The longer she then remains a viable part of the milking herd, gives her logically longer to repay the initial investment.

With the industry having a naturally sharp focus on opening dairy prices in recent weeks, longevity undoubtedly has a subtle but vital role to play to play in the bigger picture of bottom line costs.

Research recently revealed that Canada leads the world for offering traits that support longevity, ahead of the US, Germany, the Netherlands and France respectively.

Canada�s Dairy Network�s (CDN) Brian Van Doormaal confirmed that Canada had deliberately responded to the global longevity challenge.

�In the minds of many people, especially producers, longevity is understandably the most important trait associated with dairy production,� Brian said.

He said longevity was a reflection of a successful combination of many traits and from a genetic perspective the ideal was to breed dairy cows that had the genetic potential to withstand voluntary culling.

�And, given that voluntary culling does occur in all dairy herds, which prevents cows from staying in the herd as long as they are physically able to, perhaps the best measure of longevity in a population is the average age of cows that die of natural causes such as old age,� Brian said.

Using the measure of old age, the average Holstein cow in Canada has the potential to live to 9.1 years of age, with 6.8 years of productive life (just shy of six productive lactations).

�The length of time that a cow remains in the herd reflects her ability ... Read More...

Regancrest-Mr Samuelo (Durham x Emory) Regancrest-MR Samuelo (HOSamuelo) arrived in Australia backed by iron-clad second-crop success and high reliability. The Durham x Emory son is described as a true all-round sire which improves yields, type and functional traits. With high fat and protein percentages for a higher milk price and extra income Samuelo is hole-proof - suitable for almost any cow and easy to use across the herd. He is also described as the best Durham son to improve type and components and he comes with the Repromax guarantee (see below). Born December 9, 1999 to Sher-est Emory Swanny EX-90, Mr Samuelo now has 1482 daughters in 1066 herds and he is backed by six generations of Excellent dams. Emory Swanny, produced (in three lactations) 41,604 litres, 1797kgs of fat (4.3%) and 1448kgs of protein (3.5%). Behind Swanny is an EX-91 Prelude x EX-90 Southwind x EX-91 Chief Mark x EX-91 Elevation Tony and an EX Marquis King. Semex’s Vaughn Johnston saw a number of Mr Samuelo daughters during a recent farmer tour in Canada, giving an Australian stamp of approval to this international glamour sire. “There is no doubt in my mind that Mr Samuelo fits into second-crop success now,” Vaughn said. “He offers many benefits and breeding options with his well-balanced proof and a pedigree to match, which is what today's dairy producers are looking for.” Mr Samuelo also features high fat and protein percentages that make him an easy choice to preference across any cow or herd. He is also a Repromax (high fertility) sire. “We were able to see a large number of second-crop daughters throughout Quebec and Ontario,” Vaughn said. “His consistency was one of his best points, siring the type of cow that you can see maturing into large-framed dairy cows that are going to last the distance with scores of 109 for herd life. “Mr Samuelo daughters had good overall size and scale to them with plenty of width throughout. His rump structure is most definitely ... Read More...

Sicy Knowledge
(Braedale Freelance x Shoremar James)

Once daughter photographs of the freshly proven sire Sicy Knowledge hit the streets interest in this Braedale Freelance son is expected to explode.

Knowledge entered Australia after receiving his first proof in April. His arrival was preceded by emails from excited Canadian Semex sire analysts as they summarised their latest daughter tours.

Their message was consistent � Knowledge is delivering and big things are expected from this sire with the valuable outcross pedigree.

Knowledge is a Braedale Freelance son from a VG88 Shoremar James dam, Ferre James Kelly. James Kelly won a Holstein Canada production award in her second lactation after producing (in 305 days) 14769Kg milk. She is, in turn, from a VG87 Storm x VG87 Mandel x EX90 Blackstar x EX92 Chief Mark x EX92 Bell.

In April Knowledge (who was proven in the CIAQ area) had 71 daughters in his production proof and 50 daughters for type. He is more than +1000 for milk with significantly high deviations for fat and protein. He scored 66% GP and better (in his April proof ) and at May 20 he was running at 69%.

European experts are also talking up Knowledge�s presence with Semex Holland�s, Harry Schuiling, summerising a recent daughter tour in Canada. They saw 11 first lactation daughters who had been milking for an average of 170 days.

�The key word in this daughter group was uniformity,� Harry said. �These nice medium- sized cows had adequate rib structure and spectacular mammary systems.

�Knowledge offspring are easy to recognise with their excellent front-ends and nice depth through the heart section. Their loins are, without exception, strong and their rumps were close to ideal.

�It�s also easy to see Knowledge is a breed-leading mammary ... Read More...

Mark E. Carson BSc. (Agr). MSc., Gencor Herd Reproduction Analyst

Often when a herd is having reproductive problems focus is given to what is currently happening to the cows in the herd.  Sometimes, however, looking back on our historical data we can find the root causes of many fertility issues.

The transition period, for example, is the most critical time in a cow’s lactation.  It’s during this time that cows are at a higher risk of developing disease; and, disease during the transition time can lead to reduced production and fertility throughout the entire lactation.

During a herd visit last winter, we visited a dairy with excellent disease recording and calving information.  Unfortunately, though, this herd was battling reduced conception, especially at first service.  Luckily, part of their disease recording protocol included documenting all diseases that occurred to their transition cows.  To detect problems in the herd, an accurate starting point needs to be determined.  Having recorded all disease information using a herd management program such as Dairy Comp 305, an owner, herdsman or herd advisor can more efficiently pinpoint reproduction problems and their causes. 

With this information available, we began to see that a significant percentage of the cows experiencing conception problems were the same cows that had problems at calving.  We identified that a group of cows that had Metritis during the summer months were now the same group of cows battling conception.

Metritis is a costly disease, reducing cow’s production and conception rates.  Research published by Overton and Fetrow (2008) showed that cows with Metritis were on average open for 33 days longer than cows that did not have the disease.  A 2006 University of Florida study ... Read More...

Semex’s iconic Maughlin Storm continues to make headlines more than 13 years after his initial proof as his 800th daughter scored EX this week.  Keriday Storm Sasha, like the 799 Storm daughters before her, has shown exceptional development, durability and strength netting her a score of EX-91-CAN in her fourth lactation. 

An original Semex Master Series™ sire, this most recent accomplishment sets Storm well above all other sires in Canada, as the sire with the most EX daughters ever.  By comparison, his sire Madawaska Aerostar has 53 EX daughters from 22,856 classified and his grandsire, the breed patriarch Hanoverhill Starbuck, has 418 EX daughters from his 37,960 classified. 

Storm’s statistics speak for themselves with 800 EX daughters of his 42,899 daughters classified, giving him an incredible 69% Good Plus or better ranking still today.  Among these daughters are some of the most tremendous and high impact cows of our time.  These cows have been and still are bull mothers, record milk producers, index toppers, brood cows, barn favorites and show winners.  Real cows working around the world.

As a sire of sons, Storm has proven himself again and again, siring nine Semex sires including modern day Master Series™ sires 0200HO07030 Ladino Park Talent *RC, 0200HO03067 Pursuit September Storm *RC, 0200HO04624 Brigeen Givenchy and former #1 LPI sire Hartline Titanic among many others.  On the bottom side of the pedigree, Storm’s genetics may make an even greater impact, being the maternal grandsire for 21 Semex sires, with superstar Braedale Goldwyn and his brothers included in the rankings. 

As the careers of many of these sires are just beginning at Semex, Storm’s genetics and the value that he brings to dairymen worldwide is certain to continue for many ... Read More...

As a Semex Master Series™ sire 0200HO04779 R-E-W Buckeye has proven himself time and again.  With his second crop behind him, backing up his proof, we know that Buckeye has stood the test of time, exceeded breeders’ expectations and is poised to make an impact on dairies seeking bulls with durability, reliability, efficiency and profitability assured in their proof.  Buckeye daughters are the real cows on real dairies that dairymen love to work with.  Sylvain Landry’s Lansi Farms in Saint-Albert, Quebec has 958 head with his 370 cows milked by six robotic milkers.  Sylvain’s Buckeyes are low-maintenance cows that work hard and breed back easily, contributing positively to the herd’s bottom line.  Experience has shown Sylvain that that his Buckeye daughters are positive contributors that increase his profitability.     "We have 83 registered Buckeyes,” says Sylvain Landry Lansi Farms owner.  “Right from birth, we were immediately impressed by Buckeye’s calving ease.  These calves weren’t very big, but they showed lots of vigor and will to live.  We’re now milking 22 Buckeyes.  They are very consistent and we love working with these young animals. They are very lively and are aggressive eaters who have adapted very well to our environment.  On average, they go to the robotic milker 2.6 times a day.” “They walk on excellent feet and legs with good heel depth,” Sylvain continues.  “Their rear udders are high, wide and well-attached, with a nice texture, a strong ligament with teats that the robot easily finds.  Not only do they produce well, but they also reproduce easily.  Seven out of 10 became pregnant within 69 days or less.” “In a large herd like ours, a cow that we forget about is a good sign!  This means she is trouble-free, breeds back quickly, produces quality milk and gets back into lactation easily. This is a challenge, but it seems simple for our Buckeye ... Read More...

Semex regrets to announce that popular Red & White sire, 0200HO03067 Pursuit September Storm *RC recently passed away.



As one of several Maughlin Storm sons proven at Semex, September Storm *RC was unique not only in his *RC status, but also because he was a son of the popular Shower family.  His dam was a VG-85-2YR-CAN 4* Astre from the EX-CAN 13* Glen Drummond Shower herself.  This pedigree made him the outcross sire many Red & White breeders had been looking for worldwide, making him popular before he even received an official proof in October 2002. 



September Storm *RC quickly gained popularity in the Red & White show circles and sale rings.  His daughters dominated heifer and milking classes, earning several Premier Sire banners including the coveted Premier Sire Award at World Dairy Expo in 2007 and 2008.  Sale topping daughters by September Storm *RC have made their mark as well, reaching record breaking prices, with Fradon SS Jordan being at the top of the list at $150,000 in 2007.



Most recently September Storm also sired several Black & White show winners including the 2008 Res. All-Canadian Jr. 2 Yr Old, ABF September Cheese VG-89-3YR-CAN, the 2008 Kingsmill Futurity Champion at World Dairy Expo, Miss Macland Sept Juliet EX-91-USA and the 2009 Grand Champion of the European Holstein Show, Planillo September Sara EX-92-ESP, showing his appeal to all bloodlines. 



“Not very often do you have a Red Carrier sire that could compete with the best Black & Whites, so September Storm became popular very fast with Red & White breeders,” says Pierre Laliberte, Semex Alliance Senior Vice President, Genetics and Research.  “His largest contribution to the Red & Whites may be that he was used by many Black & White breeders.  He will spread the red gene ... Read More...

Aaron Henderson, US Jersey Specialist

In the USA and around the world low milk prices, plummeting equity and lingering high feed costs have left many dairy operators taking a hard look at all costs associated with their businesses, knowing that to be profitable today you have to be more than just efficient.

Cows once worth $2500 US or more are now being sold across the country for $1000 US or less, and springers are now valued at half of what they were once selling for… many times bringing less than $1200 US.

Tough conversations are happening in offices and around dinner tables every day in an effort to increase profitability, whether they’re milking 50 or 5,000 cows.

One of those conversations is whether or not it is worthwhile to pay a premium price for sorted semen, and the added value of producing your own replacements.

Each dairy’s situation is a slightlydifferent, but for Aardema Dairies in southern Idaho, the extra dollars spent is one cost they’re not willing to sacrifice.

The Aardema family along with their General Manager Jeff Wendler, and herd managers John Andersen and Jordan Leak continue to sort through
pedigrees and proofs to find bulls to meet their criteria to use in their herds to make top genetic heifer replacements.

This sifting and winnowing process includes using Semex’s SEMEXX™, gender selected semen.

Click here for the entire story.
... Read More...

Mike West, Semex Alliance Product Support Specialist & Sire Analyst



Approximately seven years ago the AI industry as a whole purchased many sons sired by the popular Marathon BW Marshall. In October of 2005, Semex graduated several BW Marshall sons, but just one rose to the top of the TPI listing. 0200HO04779 R-E-W Buckeye has maintained his top TPI rankings, making him one of Semex’s most successful sires and another example of Semex’s strong USA proving program.



Today he’s reached another milestone being named a Second Crop success. Buckeye himself was one of the earlier BW Marshall sons to be proven at Semex, and quickly drew international attention as not only a mating sire, but sire of sons. Out of a VG-86-2YRUSA

GMD DOM 2* Rudolph dam, and then a 67,000 kg EX-94-2E-USA Luke, his family’s production capacity has transmitted through the generations. His emergence as a superstar on the international scene was due to his success on the TPI rankings and pedigree appeal with six more generations of VG or EX after the Luke, but also because of the tremendous promise dairymen saw in their Buckeye daughters.



Click here for the whole story.

... Read More...

Brenda Lee-Turner, Semex Alliance Marketing Communications Specialist With temperatures topping +90˚F/32˚C in many parts of the North America, dairymen are struggling to get their cows bred back on time.  Heat and its partner in crime, humidity, wreak havoc on dairies, pushing milk production and pregnancy rates down and herd health problems up.  Incidences of stress on cows can occur at temperatures as low as 72˚F/22˚C when combined with higher humidity, dramatically reducing profitability on the dairy.    Looking for solutions to keep the window of breeding opportunity open a little longer and combat these issues, Semex has designed its Repromix™ product to help get those problem, repeat breeders back into calf, reducing days open and into their next lactation and the milking line. The theory behind Semex’s Repromix product is related to a phenomenon called capacitation.  Capacitation is a series of changes all sperm from mammals must undergo while in the female reproductive tract in order to fertilize an egg.  This process includes the modification of proteins on the outside of the sperm cell by the cow’s reproductive tract.  Without this process, sperm cannot fertilize an egg.  As timing with all reproduction is key, the time needed for the capacitation process to occur varies from species to species and in our case, bull to bull.  “Based on our theory, bulls can have different capacitation profiles,” says Tom Kroetsch, Semex Alliance Director Production & Quality Control.  “But (all sires) will still have very good fertility when used in normal fertility cows in most herds with good reproductive management.”  In general the timeline for capacitation in bull semen is generally 4 to 12 hours, but as shown in Figure 1 there appear to be early, average and late capacitating bulls.  “Semex’s Repromix combines the semen from three bulls with complementary capacitation ... Read More...