Fertility Without Compromise
Select Sires' mission is to enhance the productivity and profitability of dairy producers. Perhaps there is no greater aspect of fulfilling that mission than to be the premier provider of highly fertile semen. After all, Select's reproductive specialists often point out that no genetic advancement can occur without first creating a pregnancy. Select Sires is doing everything it can to provide the most fertile semen possible. That includes investing in research, personnel and new technology.
Sire fertility all starts with semen quality, and no one does a better job than Select Sires. With countless years of experience behind Select's highly trained personnel, the effort and intensity placed on Select's semen quality-control program is unmatched in the industry. Select's researchers are always searching for new areas of improvement, and when new methods are discovered, they are then tested in the field.
That leads to Select's research arm, the Program for Fertility Advancement™ (PFA™), which takes laboratory research to the farm. "Under the microscope, we discover things that make semen look better, quality wise. But until we put it in some cows, we don't really know if our ideas from the lab will have a real impact on fertility," said Mel DeJarnette, senior reproductive specialist for Select Sires. The PFA is now more than 140 herds strong and contains more than 150,000 cows. These herds represent a mix of different environments and management styles to validate trials of novel semen processing technologies.
Leading the Industry with New Technology
Select Sires currently uses and continues to develop an exclusive line of revolutionary semen extenders and sperm cryopreservation procedures that lead to significant increases in semen quality. In 2008, Select Sires also implemented the use of a Flow Cytometer, a new device to measure semen viability. "The Flow Cytometer can objectively evaluate thousands of spermatozoa in the time it takes the human eye to classify and count 100 spermatozoa for acrosomal integrity – the objective cell viability parameter that has been used for more than 30 years," DeJarnette said.
Select Sires was also the first A.I. organization to realize the importance of combining the many available sire-fertility evaluation tools with its introduction of Composite Fertility Index™ (CFI™) in 2003. Even after the introduction of Sire Conception Rate (SCR) in August 2008, Select Sires continues to calculate CFI to provide all available sire-fertility information so customer-owners can make informed decisions.
Fertility Without Compromise
All the things Select Sires is doing behind the scenes are certainly paying off. "Select Sires continues to be your best source of combining high fertility and great genetics into one package," said Lyle Kruse, vice president of U.S. market development for Select Sires. "Select currently has the best selection of sires that are positive for SCR and when you combine any selection criteria for production, health and type traits, Select Sires will also provide you the best selection of sires available anywhere."
For Derik DeVries, who milks 2,400 cows in Larue, Ohio, Sire Conception Rate is extremely essential. "It's very important to choose a bull with high fertility," DeVries said. "We used CFI really early and now also strongly consider SCR when selecting bulls." While DeVries acknowledges that pregnancy rate is a combination of sire fertility and breeding skill, he says he can definitely see a difference when using a sire with high fertility.
"If you don't look at SCR, your chance of getting a cow pregnant decreases," he said. With 21 percent annual pregnancy rate and 21-day pregnancy rates that range from 21 to 28 percent, DeVries is achieving the reproductive success that many producers desire. "I understand that SCR is not 100 percent reliable," DeVries said. "A less expensive bull might drift a lot in data because it is probably being used as a clean-up bull." Despite that fact, he also says he can see a correlation in SCR data with actual conception rates experienced within his herd. For instance, 7HO7466 Robthom MOSCOW-ET has an SCR of +3.7 (99% Reliability) and has a 43 percent conception rate on more than 400 breedings in his herd. At +2.2 SCR (99% Reliability), 7HO7839 PLUShanski Forge has a conception rate of 31 percent on more than 700 breedings. "We think Select usually has more choices than some of the competition," DeVries said. "Select has a lot of all-around bulls with high fertility."
With a clear advantage in semen quality, it's no surprise that Select Sires has also gained the reputation of providing the most fertile sexed semen. Brian Musser raises 8,000 heifers for many different customers at Dream Farms, New Berg, Pa., and he has used sexed semen from four different A.I. organizations. "With the amount of breedings I do, it doesn't take long for me to see which bulls are high in fertility and which are not," Musser said. "Select has more bulls that are high. It lives up to the standard – about a 15 percent reduction in conception rate than conventional semen." While there are many factors that contribute to conception rates achieved with sexed semen, there is no doubt that quality control is one major aspect.
Kruse added that while other A.I. organizations claim to put "fertility first" or to be the "No. 1 stud for fertility", the facts say otherwise. "We all have high-fertility sires, but no other A.I. source can offer the choices in high-fertility sires that Select Sires does."
 
Source: 04/09 Holstein Active A.I. Listing - Domestic and Foreign Bulls.
™Program for Fertility Advancement PFA, Composite Fertility Index and CFI are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.
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