ConceptPlus: the only Alta bulls to settle cows?

Producers having used ConceptPlus bulls know that this sub-set of Alta products outperform other products in the lineup for sire fertility – in fact, the ConceptPlus designation confers roughly an additional 3% advantage in sire fertility relative to other industry bulls. So does this mean that other Alta sires are not good for sire fertility? Of course not! Looking at a third party sire fertility evaluation system also based on pregnancy checks – that of AgriTech Analytics – you can see that there are many proven Alta sires that have not made it to the Alta’s elite ConceptPlus category, but that rate well above a lot of industry peers!

Gaining the coveted ConceptPlus designation is based upon superior fertility performance relative to other Alta bulls with; typically, about a third of the actively marketed sires achieving ConceptPlus status. Many remaining bulls still easily outperform the industry average. Therefore, these bulls also create extra value in your herd by delivering greater numbers of pregnancies relative to other industry bulls.

So how can we say that many Alta bulls that are not ConceptPlus still outperform the industry average? It’s because Alta has invested in infrastructure – systems – through technology and people and this is resulting exclusive products, programs and services some of which may seem trivial but when they create value at your dairy and add to your bottom line. Alta cares about reproductive performance and recognizes how dramatically success in this area can impact the profitability of your dairy!

Although it is just one way we have invested in change is the ¼ cc semen straw, or as we have branded it, the Advance semen straw is a very good example. Over the last few years we have introduced US customers to the Advance straw in the knowledge that it will deliver superior fertility performance. In fact, the Advance straw is now the preferred product package in the Alta Advantage® test environment. These progressive herds embrace new products, programs and services that add to the bottom line. They know and have seen in practice, as has been widely published in scientific journals, that the Advance straw maintains sperm health better when used in conventional AI programs relative to the standard package in use: the ½ cc straw. And while some argued this research was conducted outside of the US, a 2005 published study in Theriogenology by M.T. Kaproth et al, based on a 16 month trial in four large commercial heifer herds, indicated a 1.5% higher conception rate with ¼ cc straws compared to ½ cc straws (68.74% vs. 67.21% on 11,215 services). Although the study was about thaw methods, they drew the following conclusions: “Thaw method had no significant impact on conception probability (P = 0.658), but straw package size significantly affected conception probability.”

It is encouraging that a growing number of progressive dairies are now asking specifically for Advance straws – they have already drawn the same conclusions from personal experience. Year to date, Alta sales in the US now significantly favors the Advance package type (about 60%) and in some areas of the country customers will no longer accept ½ cc straws. They know that it is indeed true that each sperm counts and they know that every single percentage point in fertility improvement adds significantly to their bottom line.

Many other internal changes have been implemented over the last few years and together they, along with the introduction of the Advance semen straw, have impacted overall fertility in a dramatically positive way. No wonder than there are numerous examples of superior fertility performance with Alta bulls, even if they are not considered ConceptPlus sires. And imagine then, the results being achieved with bulls designated to be ConceptPlus bulls!

Posted Aug 22nd

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