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California A.I. Company Provides Management and Products
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California Dairy Magazine / January 2005 For the past 50 years customer service has been the backbone of the company that is known today as Alta California. Recently Alta California has taken that concept to a new level as they have integrated a number of dairy reproductive management services for their clients seeking to improve their bottom line. The organization was established in 1954 as Hilmar Sire Service and has evolved and grown over the years to become an independently owned dairy semen distributor for Alta Genetics throughout California and Nevada, with over 30 employees. |
Owner Jerry Martin sums it up pretty well when he states, “Our goals have always been to provide exceptional service and treat each dairy’s needs individually. Our A.I. technicians are highly trained with a solid dairy background ensuring improved reproduction and customer satisfaction.”
Part of Dairy Management Team
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While the service may start with the A.I. technician, that is surely not where it stops. Martin realizes that there are a lot of sales people selling all kinds of products and services to dairy producers. Martin envisions Alta California becoming an integral part of the dairy management team, including veterinarians and nutritionists, that advises and consults with producers. The company has had success in that area and continues to grow from their Hilmar, California headquarters. According to Alta California’s Sales Manager John Azevedo, there are a number of good A.I. companies and a lot of good genetics available for producers to choose from. Alta California is striving to set themselves apart by providing unbiased information to the producer to make the best management decisions for his operation. |
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Azevedo goes on to say, “It’s a wagon wheel approach to reproductive management. If you take one of the spokes out of the wheel, it’s not going to run right.”
The challenge of getting cows pregnant starts months before they calve and focuses specifically on every element of management from the dry cow to freshening, transition, heat detection, insemination and retention, all of which are affected by the feeding, environment and handling of cows. Take away one of the spokes of that wheel and according to Azevedo, the success of the operation is compromised. “And it means dollars the producer never realizes he is losing. But it ends up being big money.”
In addition to marketing semen, Alta California has retained the services of Dr. Arun Phatak, DVM, as a reproductive specialist who can interface well with veterinarians and their dairy clients. Matt Lawrence excels in his capacity as a reproductive consultant and has been a key individual in developing services to train dairy personnel to correctly breed cows, better manage the herd through the use of Dairy Comp 305 and DHI-Plus, as well as provide corrective mating and inbreeding prevention programs. While they have attempted to maximize dairy profitability through improved reproduction and elite genetics, they have not backed away from utilizing the latest innovations in dairy management and bovine reproduction.
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Integration with Cow Comfort Probably the most innovative approach Alta California has taken was to form an alliance with CowKool Systems, an Israeli company that markets oscillating misting fans to improve cow comfort. According to Martin, “We all know that breeding efficiency drops way off in July and August. We’re trying to put the tools in the hands of the producer to improve their bottom line by getting cows pregnant in those months where reproductive efficiency is a real challenge. It’s part of the complete reproductive package that Alta California is striving to provide to producers.” |
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By regulating cow cooling in a very unique approach to what is called “wetted, forced air evaporation” cows can maintain their appetites, milk and component production, and reproductive efficiency similar to cool season results. The heart of the system is the ability of the fans to rotate from feeding to bedding areas as the day progresses. It is computer controlled to match the outside daily temperatures. This command center allows for smart misting and variable timing to happen, as needed. The result is an optimal comfort level to augment overall management of the cows themselves.
To sum it all up is really pretty easy; you take a company that has been built from the ground up on customer service and solving problems associated with getting cows pregnant. You find the right people to represent the company to provide management training and support to producers. Finally you include the right product lines that support the reproductive management needs of your clients.
Alta California realizes the days of the “semen jockey” and “one-hit wonder” are short lived. Developing relationships with producers that are built on performance and trust ultimately benefits the customer while maintaining long-term industry stability.
Posted Jan 27th
