Company News

With 2019 predicted to be a pivotal year of change for the UK, the 29th Semex conference “Agents of Change” will focus on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for the UK dairy industry. To be held between the 13th and 15th January 2019 at the Radisson Blu hotel in the heart of Glasgow’s city centre the conference will be addressed by leading figures from across the UK and the global dairy industry. Heading up the speaker line-up with an international perspective will be Sue McCloskey, one of the owners of Fair Oaks Farms, described as the US’s largest agritourism attraction, and founder of the Fairlife milk brand whose distribution partner is Coca-Cola. On the political front, Minette Batters, President of the NFU, will give a UK political perspective of the industry. Ash Amirahmadi, in his new role as Managing Director of Arla Foods in the UK, will give an update on what the future looks like for one of the UK’s and Europe’s biggest milk buyers. Discussing the implications of the impact on Brexit on the normal pattern of dairy trade will be Jukka Likitalo, Secretary General of Eucolait, the European Association of Dairy Trade, which represents the interests of European exporters, importers and wholesalers of dairy products. Michael Dennison, Sales Manager for Semex UK says, “We have a top line up of speakers who are all instrumental in managing change within the agricultural industry”. Other speakers include: Dr. Giovanni Gnemmi, owner of Bovinevet, who is a veterinary surgeon and consultant to very large herds in Europe, Russia, USA, Japan, Latin America, China, and the Middle East; Will Evans, farmer turned social media guru and agricultural communicator who is changing the way the UK look at farming through the Rock&Roll Farming podcast; Charlie Perotti, genetic and management consultant currently managing over 30,000 cows in China. Chris Walkland, journalist, commentator and market analyst who will give either the good or the bad news on ... Read More...

Two industry leaders, genetic solutions company Semex and beef supply chain specialists The Buitelaar Group, announce a joint initiative to promote the merits of breeding healthier calves and keeping them as healthy as possible once born.

As part of this Buitelaar will pay farmers a £10 premium over the market rate for Black and White bull calves from Semex’s unique and award-winning* Immunity+ sire range. This is because Immunity+ sires have been ranked and selected on their health genes, which they pass down to their offspring. Because Immunity+ has a heritability of 30% the calves also have better health genes than non-Immunity+ calves, and thus a stronger immune response to disease challenge. The end results are lower disease levels and higher animal welfare; an associated reduction in drug use - including antibiotics; better growth and feed conversion rates.

Trials on cows have shown that disease in Immunity+ sired cows is reduced by as much as 20%, depending on which disease is assessed. It is hoped that the initiative with Buitelaar will help assess the effect Immunity+ has on calf health, growth rates, and feed conversion compared to non Immunity+ sired calves.

“At Buitelaar we focus on improving animal welfare at all stages of our supply chain, for the good of the animal, the farmer, and the consumer by striving to reduce antibiotic use. We used to think that started as soon as the calf was born, but now, with Immunity+ genetics, we realise it could actually start with the choice of semen before a cow is even inseminated,” says Adam Buitelaar, Managing Director. “It is only right that we incentivise the use of Immunity+ genetics, because every part of the supply chain, and the consumer, should be able to benefit.”

Semex will also help Buitelaar locate suitable dairy bull calves and will help communicate best practice calf rearing techniques, back to farmers so that they make the best of their genetic investment. They will also help Buitelaar ... Read More...

Come along to the Scottish show of the year, the Royal Highland Show, 21-24 June 2018, at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston. Visit us at our NEW location on Avenue O. The Royal Highland Show is famous for its extravaganza of events, food stalls and of course, hospitality from Semex. We have our experts on hand to discuss solutions for you over a cool refreshment. We look forward to welcoming you to stand no 556, on Avenue: O.
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We are pleased to announce that we are investing in the future of young dairy farmers by renewing our principal sponsorship with Holstein Young Breeders (HYB). With a belief that people are the cornerstone of success, Semex is fuelled by a passion for those working within the industry and, by supporting aspiring young breeders through HYB, the business is helping to create growth and opportunity for British dairying.
As Principal Sponsor, Semex will be supporting all the major HYB events, including National Competitions Day, the Weekend Rally and the All Breeds All Britain Calf Show, as well as a plethora of prestigious HYB Awards such as the Littlestar and President’s Medal Awards. The support of Semex will also be instrumental in funding international trips for young breeders including, in particular, a visit to the Royal Winter Fair each year in Toronto.
As part of the sponsorship package Semex will have the opportunity to sit on the judging panels for national awards and competitions, host workshops and seminars and be at the forefront of the organisation’s ethos to engage, innovate, educate and equip the next generation of dairy farmers – many of who have the potential to progress onto international cattle breeding platforms - for a prosperous future.
Michael Dennison, UK National Sales Manager for Semex said, “We are delighted to support HYB. The members are the future of our ever-changing industry and at Semex we recognise the talent and dedication of HYB members and will as always support them to push forward in their lives and ultimately help shape the industry over time.”
Holstein Young Breeders, the next generation of Holstein UK, is widely considered to be one of the most forward-thinking youth organisations in British agriculture. HYB boasts approximately 1,400 members up to 26 years of age, forming 24 regional Clubs throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. HYB provides members with ... Read More...

Semex has strengthened the number of Immunity+ sires available to UK dairy farmers with another four entering the fold recently, bringing the number of these unique award winning, health-boosting sires to 69, with the selection offering breeding solutions for all systems. With their release coinciding with the April Proof Run, their introduction expands the choice further because three of the new sires possess the A2A2 gene, and two of which are available as Sexed.

With the focus on herd health and reduced antibiotic usage on farm increasing, Immunity+’s proven ability to deliver disease reducing benefits that significantly improve animal health and welfare has seen an increased demand on these sires, says the company.

The four latest introductions are:

Stantons USEFUL YODER x CAMARO x MOGUL
Westoast ARDOR DRAFTPICK x MVP x EPIC
Stantons ALLIGATOR KINGBOY x MCCUTCHEN x OBSERVER
Sandy-Valley SEAWARD HANG-TIME x JABIR x NUMERO UNO

These sires have a blend of different pedigrees and complement Immunity+ daughters currently on the ground in the UK.

Stantons USEFUL, (£663 PLI), traces back to Larcrest Cosmopolitan and scores +2.35 on the new UKTM (+2.24 US PTAT). Moderate on stature and wide chested, as expected, he transmits high daughter fertility (+10.1) and long lifespan (+0.5). With moderate milk, positive deviations for fat and protein, and being an A2A2 carrier he’s a bull that easily fits into any breeding program. He’s also suitable for robotic milking systems. USEFUL is also available Sexed.

Westcoast ARDOR (£678 PLI), is out of Gold-N-Oaks MVP Aria2185, who already has several sons at Semex, including the hugely popular Westcoast ALCOVE. He scores +1.70 on the new UKTM (+1.97 US PTAT). As with USEFUL this sire offers moderate stature and chest width and transmits high daughter ... Read More...

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The latest proof run with a revised Type Merit (TM) calculation sees continued domination by Semex of the genomic sire rankings, with one in five of the top 50 ranked on TM having been bred or acquired by the company, including the top two bulls, and four of the top ten.

Stantons Applicable is way out in front of its rivals in first place on the TM listings, with a score of +3.35, which results from a truly class-leading combination of an exceptional mammary score of +3.84 and a feet and legs score of +2.13. On top of those traits his daughters will have a very desirable combination of good chest width, wide rumps and excellent mobility.

Following him is Westcoast Lighthouse in second place, with a TM of +3.27, with a mammary and a legs and feet rating of +2.98 and +1.91 respectively. He breeds daughters with lower pins and slightly longer teats and, again, his locomotion score shows they move freely.

Also making it into the top 10 on type are two from the Silverridge stable - Allclass and Imax, with both over the +3.0 threshold. Even with the change to the TM formula Allclass is still an impressive +3.10 and Imax’s score has improved to +3.07. Imax daughters are moderate in stature with great chest width and lower rump angle and he is expected to be extremely popular in a wide range of dairying systems.

Since the last proof run several new Immunity+ genomic sires have been introduced by the company, including Claynook C-Suite, Claynook Dealmaker and Sandy-Valley Piston. C-Suite has a PLI of £622, combining high milk with very good fat and protein %; low SCC and good daughter fertility. Piston is also high PLI at £670 and will breed well-balanced daughters with a lot of milk and positive fat and protein %. Dealmaker also excels for udders and daughters will also have balanced frames with a slight slope to the rump.

Immunity+ sires have been identified and selected as possessing more inherently “healthy genes” than other ... Read More...

Prepare to “Countdown to a New Dawn” at the 2018 Semex Dairy Conference   At the end of March 2019 the UK will formally exit the EU, although the extent of the transition period is still subject to political uncertainty. Regardless of that, though, farming is facing significant change, with dairying set to go through its biggest period of change since deregulation!   What might the future of the industry be, therefore? Where lie the opportunities and threats? How can we ensure we thrive and prosper? How are processors and other farmers positioning themselves or responding to the new challenges ahead? So many questions!   As befits the industry’s leading dairy conference, and one that has been at the forefront of change for over a quarter of a century, some of the pointers – if not all the answers! – will be aired at the 28th Semex Dairy conference. It adopts the theme “Countdown to a New Dawn” as its conference theme.   The top line-up of internationally renowned speakers and business leaders include: · TOM TYNAN Member of Cabinet of Commissioner Hogan’s Office, European Commission; · DOMINIC BROWN Business Unit Director Dairy, Kantar Worldpanel; · DR JUDITH BRYANS Chief Executive, Dairy UK; · DR JUDE CAPPER Livestock Sustainability Consultant; · ROB HUTCHISON Agriculture Director at Müller UK & Ireland Group; · GAIL SOUTAR NFU Chief Advisor on Brexit and international trade; · ROBIN SUNDARAM Milk Buyer & Sustainable Sourcing Lead, Nestlé; · PROFESSOR PATRICK WALL Professor of Public Health, UCD; · HEFIN RICHARDS Independent Ruminant Nutritionist; · SIMON BUGLER Gold Cup Winner, Dairy Farmer from Dorset; · DR DAVID BLACK Managing Director Paragon Veterinary Group; · PAUL KRUEGER Vice President, USA Sales & Global Marketing, Semex; · BRAD SAYLES Vice President, ... Read More...

The Robertson Partnership, owners of Brinkmarsh Holsteins from Falfield, Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire are the lucky winners of the Semex Immunity+ competition drawn at UK Dairy Day. They effectively win a year’s supply of Immunity+™ semen plus 100 straws of British Blue beef semen, worth over £6,000! The partnership consists of Philip & Ann, their son Graham and his wife Sarah Robertson, and they milk 250 high yielding pedigree Holsteins averaging 12,500kgs at 3.80% fat and 3.30% protein, selling their milk to Cadbury’s. They also manage 750 acres, growing grass, maize and wheat to feed the cows. He entered the competition because of the attraction of using more Immunity+™ sires within the herd, he says. “We are delighted to win,” said Graham. “First of all we thought it was a wind-up when we heard. It was fantastic news and not only made my day but my year! “For us herd health is our top priority, followed by type. We used Semex sires before Immunity+™ technology was launched, and fortunately some of the bulls we used were identified later as High Immune Responder Immunity+™ sires. As a result, we have the cows milking within the herd now and have seen an improvement in health. Going forward we are prioritising Immunity+™ sires and their benefits, as well as using with Robot-ready sires and also selecting milking speed, lower stature, type and longer teat length. To help Mr Robertson make the best use of his straws his local rep Mark Pickford will run Semex’ Optimate™ breeding manager programme to ensure the best selection of sires and to minimise the effects of inbreeding. Mark Pickford from Semex commented "Immunity+™ is growing in popularity at an exponential rate across the Semex customer because it is delivering real tangible results and benefits. The competition was enormously popular and I am delighted that my customer has won it. I look forward to helping him make the best use of it all!"
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