Showcase California: More Believers!

Spring 2008 version adds color to Showcase series

As a dairy tour, it has no equal. The size and scale of the Alta Advantage® Showcase series has become a mirror to the dairies that play host to its many guests. And with an entire day dedicated to the ‘brown breed that could’ – Jerseys – in addition to two and a half days of touring Advantage® partner Holstein dairies, Showcase California was decidedly the most impactful expedition to date, along the way creating many more believers.

Ten dairies in total were visited over the three and half days – dairies that are home to well over 20,000 cows in total. And at each stop along the tour, the message reinforced by owners is that investing in genetic improvement makes sense. Make no mistake; these are profit-minded producers who understand that expanding the bottom line is as much about managing return on investment as opposed to simply finding the least cost approach. On these dairies, consistently, and despite the constant growth mode they seem to be in, the focus is on doing things right – including genetics and reproduction.

Participants from 18 Countries
Imagine what it must be like: you are a passenger among one of 7 buses simultaneously pulling onto the host dairy. Together 350 people disembark who all want a chance to speak to the owner. Imagine that they come from all around the world – 18 countries in fact and from 4 continents. They don’t all speak English so translation is required for numerous Spanish, Dutch and German speaking quests. The guests rotate through 6 education stations at each dairy where they learn about the reproductive protocols, the calf care details, the history and stages of growth experienced getting to where the dairy is at today - and perhaps future growth plans are shared as well. There are also more generic education topics related to such things as environmental regulations, milk pricing, RFID technology etc. And at each stop a group of 20-25 cows are assembled – really good cows – from a host of Alta sires, past and present. Pride of ownership shines through at each stop and invariably guests return to their buses extremely impressed – impressed that a dairy of such magnitude could do so many things really well. In short for many, it changes their opinions about large dairies altogether.

Jersey Day
Showcase California was Alta’s first opportunity to shine a spotlight on its partnership with Jerseyland Sires. Three extremely impressive Jersey herds are visited that are all founding members of both the Jerseyland Sire program and of Hilmar Cheese, the world renown processing plant that is the draw for such a concentration of Jersey herds in the area. Jersey enthusiasts are thrilled for such an opportunity but truth be told, the many Holstein owners taking part are equally impressed.

We see top notch dairies that are managed extremely well – in fact, at one of the stops that provide a home to nearly 2,000 milking cows, we hear about an impressively low 20% cull rate. At another we witness among the performance pen cows one that is projected to complete a 30,000 lb record (13,600 kg). These are incredibly efficient animals, durable too and undoubtedly profitable to work with. As for sires, the second crop RASMUS daughters steal the show, but close behind are the powerful second crop ABE daughters. It is a learning day for us all.

Alta’s Advantage® Partners
Showcase California, just like previous Showcase tours, leads guests to the clear and unmistakable conclusion that these dairies are more than clients of Alta – they are partners with Alta. Dairy after dairy we meet owners, savvy dairymen – and dairywomen too – that believe completely in the power of genetic improvement and in using the breed improvement tools like identification, milk recording and classification. And their dairies completely de-bunk the myth that large progressive dairies are typically filled with unattractive, commercial and disposable cows. Time after time we hear about how managing the culling program has lead to the opportunity to grow organically. And visually too as we walk by thousands of cows and as we inspect the assembled group on display at each dairy we see cows that any dairy producer, anywhere, would be proud to call his or her own.

On one dairy there are over 100 employees that provide care for the two dairy installations’ 9,000 milk cows (accounting for nearly 2 million lbs milk per employee). Of course each dairy we visit has numerous employees and so we learn about programs they use to train and retain them. These are 2nd, 3rd and even 4th generation dairies that have always been progressive. Amazingly most of the dairies we visit speak to us about expansion or ownership of dairies at alternate locations – most often outside of the Central Valley where agricultural land prices exceed the $20,000 per acre (nearly $50,000/hectare). Many prefer to use expensive California land for milk cows only, pooling heifers from several dairies in places like Texas where land affordability overcomes the distance issue.

In total we visit seven Advantage® dairies and so we are provided an opportunity to see about 150 daughters from a multitude of Alta sires. Highlights include a couple of very fancy AltaJAYZ daughters. There are individual standouts from AltaBAXTER, AltaARMSTEAD, AltaZORO, AltaJURYMAN, AltaWILDMAN, AltaTESTIFY – too many to mention really – and impressive groups of daughters from bulls like ACTIVIST, AltaROLEX, AltaLUCKY MIKE, AltaADAM, RUDY. And at nearly every stop a fine group of AltaALLY daughters can be found. But truly it isn’t about the bulls. It is instead about partners who believe in genetic improvement and it is a demonstration of genetics they can TRUST.

As guests acknowledge, absorb and appreciate the exceptional quality of the dairies they are visiting, some begin to ponder and discuss the obvious: these dairies have chosen to work with Alta, and moreover their partnership in Advantage® testing speaks volumes about the program then too. Many occupying seats on the bus have grand visions for their own growth plans – after all, a progressive outlook is a pre-requisite for participation on the tour.

And it’s not just a California thing. Advantage® dairies across the country are now home to an average of 850 milk cows, all with large contemporary groups that provide the most robust test environment possible, backed up with DNA testing to ensure accuracy is maximized. That same accuracy extends further to generate industry leading fertility and health trait information that is unique to Alta. Well before the final dairy is visited, guests draw their own conclusions, invariably agreeing that there is no other sampling program in the world that can compare to it. An AI company testing its products in the same environment for which its use is intended, appeals greatly. They get it.

The AltaCal Partnership
They are partners who believe in genetic improvement, but it is also clear the California dairies we visit rely heavily on service providers. Companies selling products without a service component do not fare well. This applies to AI companies too. No wonder then that Alta’s local and exclusive partner – Alta California – is a key player here and continues to post extraordinary growth. They work side by side with producers, managing for reproductive success, and their focus is on creating pregnancies. They create tremendous value for their clients – Alta’s clients too – and the Showcase tour highlights the strength of this partnership with Alta.

Seeing is Believing
Showcase California is an overwhelming success. As guests make their way to the San Francisco airport for their return flights home, many remark about how much they have learned and how valuable an experience it has been. Many take home new ideas to implement on their own dairies, some a new perspective on the value contributed to the bottom line by genetic selection, and all a deeper understanding of Alta’s key differentiating program: Advantage®. They had heard about it, maybe even read about it, but in the end, seeing is believing.

Click here to browse all the tour pictures

Click here for the showcase tour book (PDF)

Posted Mar 20th

<< Back to Top