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Alta: the Fertility Leader
Balzac, Alberta, Canada (August 19, 2008) – Imagine a proof round harvest rich with new, quality graduates - unprecedented in its quantity - and yet it being the secondary story on the day. That’s the scenario unfolding for Alta with the August 2008 sire summaries, as results of USDA’s new Sire Conception Rate (SCR) evaluation take center stage. Never before have there been so many new exciting bulls to introduce and yet the real story is about the company’s dominating performance and leadership position on sire fertility.
It is fertility by design – it didn’t just happen. “We have focused our business on offering a maximum fertility product, and today we are seeing the result of the effort”, explains Cees Hartmans, CEO of Alta. 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.
To be frank, it isn’t just a victory. The results are dramatic. With 77% of its Holstein sires evaluated above average on the SCR score, it represents an astounding 15 to 50% lead for Alta over key competitors. What is the value of such a number? “Its value is really to point out our leadership by an industry measure that evaluates all by the same standard”, offers Kevin Muxlow, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, the Americas. “It shows that under the same microscope with the same set of eyes, Alta is best.”
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The new bulls? There are an astounding 19 of them, the vast majority Advantage® tested. There are 8 new additions that gain immediate inclusion on the revered ConceptPlus high fertility list. There are 8 more that qualify as HealthPlus sires most likely to deliver trouble-free cows, and yet another 8 that are CheeseMakers. Such a bountiful harvest of new sires is not likely to ever happen again. Alta clients are the winners. The graduating class effectively forces an upgrading of Alta’s marketing list and results in substantially better choices for any genetic and fertility need. More information on the individual sires can be found by taking the tour at Alta’s online Holstein Catalogue. |
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Subtly, the effects of Alta’s Advantage® testing become more and more profound. Via ConceptPlus data gathered from partner herds it provides a competitive advantage in identifying fertility leaders. Through DNA testing of daughters and other benefits attached to testing sires in large-scale, progressive herds, increased proof stability was predicted and is being delivered. Four second crop graduates provide a glimpse at what Advantage® testing delivers instilling no small measure of extra confidence.
Good news dominates the proof round, with many sires making gains on TPI and NM$. To be sure Alta’s lineup has never been so strong. Most gratifying, no matter what the need a high fertility option exists at Alta.
Posted Aug 20th
