Alta Claims Gold Medal in Holstein Sire Fertility

Balzac, Alberta, Canada (August 19, 2008) - Alta has set the equivalent of an Olympic record today with the USDA release of the new Sire Conception Rate (SCR) evaluation. The SCR evaluation is a more accurate measure of an individual bull’s ability to get cows pregnant. An SCR of +1 or -1 means a bull will produce conception rates that are 1% higher or lower, respectively, than an average fertility bull.

Over 75% of all Alta sires and 97% of actively marketed sires post conception rates that are higher than the industry average. The Alta bull line-up leads the nearest competitor by 15% (see attached graphic).

“Generating pregnancies is a huge profit driver on progressive dairies. It is key to making genetic improvement and achieving the goal of a breeding program,” says Cees Hartmans, CEO of Alta Genetics. “We have focused our business on offering a maximum fertility product, and today we are seeing the result of the effort.”

Starting in 2001, Alta introduced an “every sperm cell counts” philosophy across the company to improve semen fertility. The initiative included operational improvements to bull housing and collection and production processes, the industry leading ConceptPlus sire fertility evaluation created with the Alta Advantage® program, installing sire fertility as a marketing criteria to activate a bull, introduction of the Advance (1/4 cc.) semen straw, and extensive training programs for technicians and dairy staff through the AltaPreg program.

The SCR evaluation marks a significant improvement in how the industry will evaluate sire fertility. The evaluation is based on known breeding outcomes, includes results on cows receiving multiple services, and accounts for differences in how AI companies produce and market semen. As a result, the accuracy of the evaluation compared to non-return rate predecessors, like ERCR, has improved by 20%.

“Alta is setting the standard for bovine semen production systems and sire fertility evaluation,” says Einko Topper, Global Director of Production and Quality Control. “The ConceptPlus evaluation has been based on palpated pregnancy exams since the beginning, and it remains the gold standard today. It is all about accuracy, precision and an integral system of continuous improvement in determining the right product specifications for our clients.” The ConceptPlus program collects data direct from Alta Advantage® dairies, benefits from larger contemporary groups, is more accurate and includes the most recent fertility performance data available.

Alta Genetics is the largest privately held AI company in the world, operating sampling programs in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, and Brazil and actively marketing products in 84 countries. Alta offers superior genetic products and reproduction and dairy management services around the world. The company mission is to create value, build trust and deliver results for progressive dairy producers globally.

Contact: Paul Meyer - Marketing Manager - (403) 226-4228

Alta Leads AI Industry in Sire Fertility

Sire Conception Rate (SCR):
The USDA’s August release of Sire Conception Rate (SCR) is a researched effort to report the fertility performance on individual bulls marketed by AI companies. It will replace the Estimated Relative Conception Rate (ERCR) model for evaluation. Table 1 compares SCR and ERCR to show the main differences that matter to dairy producers:

In short, the AI industry is catching up to how progressive dairy producers actually determine sire fertility on their own farms – actual pregnancy exams! For Alta, this is nothing new, as we have been evaluating sire fertility in the ConceptPlus program exclusively on the basis of vet-check exams. This method of evaluation started with the inception of the Alta Advantage® program in 2001.

Posted Aug 19th

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