Happy 1st Anniversary FutureStar!

News

They are more than just young sires. They are our future stars – selected using criteria that stacks the odds in their favor. The Alta FutureStar program is unique and it is another example of the extent to which the Advantage™ testing program is creating new and valuable products for the progressive dairy market. And despite that it must still be perceived as a pretty new program, even at the 1st anniversary mark it is clear that FutureStar is a haven for true future stars.

How are they Selected Again?

About three years after the original decision to select and sample a bull through the Advantage™ program, he has the chance to join a select group among the FutureStar program. At that point, in addition to increased reliability of indexes for traditional traits of interest, more is known about their management trait profile than when they were tested. Indeed, at this point, when sires are just about 1 year away from gaining the information from their progeny group, it is at least a bit easier to identify the ones most likely to win the race. The arrival of second crop daughters on their sires is part of the reason why. In addition it is early information being returned by the progeny group itself on calving traits and semen fertility that differentiates them from other young sire “marketing” program representatives.

The FutureStar program has some very clear rules for engagement and they are strictly adhered to:

1. Sires added to the FutureStar program have already distinguished themselves as ConceptPlus sires on the basis of information they have returned through Advantage™ testing. If a FutureStar should lose his ConceptPlus status, he ceases to qualify for the FutureStar program too.
2. The minimum AltaValue index score to qualify for FutureStar is +$200.
3. Sires within the FutureStar lineup must maintain a minimum Health index rating of +1.00 – the same level needed among proven sires to qualify for the HealthPlus designation
4. With progeny on the ground, Calving Ease information exists for FutureStar bulls. While preference is given to Calving Ease bulls - those bulls rated 8% or lower on their Calving Ease score – it is not an absolute. At any given time several bulls rated at 9% might also be included among the FutureStar group. One sire with a rating of 10% difficult was included previously, but it is not likely to happen again.

Present Stars

It is not too soon to say that the FutureStar selection program works. After all, two big name stars can already claim to have been among the inaugural FutureStar lineup. And of the 5 FutureStars that currently have milking daughters, three of them have joined the marketing list. That’s a 60% success rate, albeit on a very small sample size.

AltaJAYZ daughter: Advantage™ tested!

No doubt the most famous alumnus of the FutureStar program is AltaJAYZ. Among the very first group offered in February 2007 there are clients today that already have a large group of his calves on the ground to remind them of the logic that including FutureStar bulls make as part of an overall genetic plan. AltaJAYZ’ January 2008 AltaValue rating of $265 is within $4 of the prediction advertised last February. AltaMYSTIQUE was part of that original group too and rated even higher than AltaJAYZ at that time, his current $277 is also within $5 of what was projected then. No doubt, over the next few proof rounds there are bound to be more success stories.

Is FutureStar for you?

Have you considered using FutureStar bulls? The answer to that question will say something about your tolerance of risk. The program will deliver significantly elevated graduation rates compared to just using young sires at random. Still, probably about 50% of the FutureStar bulls will never join a marketing list after progeny test results arrive. And while that might be considered a high “failure” rate, a 50% graduation rate in AI terms is unheard of. Furthermore those bulls that do not go on to have great careers as proven sires will at least generate more pregnancies and of course, not graduating doesn’t make them bad bulls.

The recommended usage of FutureStar is as part of an overall comprehensive genetic plan along-side highly reliable second crop success sires and more recent graduates with impressive proof numbers. This portfolio approach to genetic selection does a nice job of cutting across sire generations so that a variety of bloodlines can be used while balancing value and against accuracy of proof information. And because the focus within FutureStar leans heavily to the combination of Fertility and Health - traits we’ve only been actively selecting for over the last few years - the FutureStar program is a good source for major improvement in these areas.