Select Sires

Select Sires Names Lyle Kruse Vice President of U.S. Market Development

PLAIN CITY, Ohio, July 25, 2008 — Select Sires has named Lyle Kruse as vice president of U.S. market development. In this role, he will be working with Select’s 10 member-cooperatives to design growth and development strategies for all marketing and sales activities. Currently residing in St. Cloud, Minn., Kruse will relocate to the company’s headquarters in Plain City, Ohio, and will assume his new duties on August 1.

Kruse has served as the manager of Minnesota/Select Sires, St. Cloud, Minn., since 1986. “He developed the member cooperative from a fledgling company into Minnesota’s A.I. market leader,” said David Thorbahn, general manager for Select Sires. “He brings years of experience and large-herd management skills to continue the excellent domestic growth of Select Sires.” Chris Sigurdson, Sioux Center, Iowa, will replace Kruse as general manager of Minnesota/Select Sires. Sigurdson was one of Minnesota/Select Sires’ first interns and was most recently director of sales and marketing for Trans Ova Genetics.

Kruse earned a bachelor’s degree in dairy production from South Dakota State University in 1978. He grew up on 5-L’s Dairy Farm, Revillo, South Dakota, and began his career in the dairy industry as a field representative for Swiss Valley Farms Inc., Davenport, Iowa. Kruse joined the Select Sires family in 1981 as a sales representative in South Dakota, North Dakota and Southwestern Minnesota. In 1983, he became marketing supervisor, and, in 1986, was named general manager of Minnesota/Select Sires.

Kruse is highly proficient in DairyCOMP 305 and Select RePRO Analysis™. He has attended Select Reproductive Solutions™ training seminars for the past seven years and has earned the title SRS Specialist™. He was instrumental in developing herd-reproductive analysis consultations within the Minnesota/Select Sires cooperative. Kruse attended the Young Dairy Leaders Institute in 1999 and 2000 and served as judge for the 2007 National North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge.

Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is North America’s largest A.I. organization and is comprised of 10 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.

^TMSelect RePRO Analysis, Select Reproductive Solutions and SRS Specialist are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.

Select Sires Inc., 11740 U.S. 42 North, Plain City, Ohio 43064 / Phone: (614) 873-4683 Fax: (614) 873-5751