Alta Chooses ConceptPlus Above the Rest!
Alta was the first AI company to rate bulls exclusively on their true ability to get a cow pregnant, and today Alta is taking another step forward by expanding the ConceptPlus program to include fertility data from more progressive dairies globally. In choosing to invest in its proprietary fertility program, Alta will forego the use of Sire Conception Rate and starting with December 2010 proofs will release fertility evaluations exclusively under the ConceptPlus brand.
Ten years ago Alta took the lead in the industry to develop its own proprietary way of evaluating the performance of semen products on farm. The objective was to "prove fertility" in commercial environments where the semen would predominantly be used – progressive dairies that are aggressive at reproduction. Since then the ConceptPlus evaluation has consistently performed and has been fully embraced by customers. ConceptPlus can now truly be considered 'time-tested.'
What sets ConceptPlus apart from other sire fertililty evaluations?
The two most important components of any evaluation are accuracy and data integrity. These criteria are the foundation of the ConceptPlus evaluation, and continue to help the program earn the status of the most accurate measure of sire fertility in the industry.
1) Accuracy
Like other evaluations, ConceptPlus sire fertility estimations adjust for the herd, year, and month of breeding. However, within Concept Plus evaluations, other important environmental factors that affect fertility are also corrected for. Accounting for these additional effects ensures that ConceptPlus evaluations are the most accurate and complete sire fertility evaluations possible.
2) Data Integrity
Regional initiatives to estimate sire fertility have been hampered by a lack of resources, by underlying political motivations, and by incomplete data. As a result, the information reported does not always reflect the best possible estimations of sire fertility.
Alternatively, performance data used in ConceptPlus evaluations is gathered directly from Alta Advantage® partner dairies and every herd on the program is involved in the evaluation. Moreover, every sire used in these herds is included in the fertility analysis in order to assure the data remains objective. When all is said and done, only those sires with significantly above average fertility results, when compared to their peers in commercial settings, are awarded the esteemed ConceptPlus status. For those familiar with DCOMP 305, it is like doing one giant "BREDSUM" analysis across all herds in order to evaluate fertility.
"I can attest to the fact that the information these evaluations are based up is from real pregnancy data from real dairies. Expected results from using CP sires showed up in our dairy, and now as a part of the Alta team, I see the expectations for CP sires being met across large dairies in the Northwest USA. With the best interest of the producer and their herd reproduction in mind, I wouldn't recommend any other evaluation."
- Dan Monson, Sales Team Lead, Mountain West, USA
Real World Results
Has the ConceptPlus program, and Alta fertility leadership, translated into real improvement on the dairy? Yes! Table 1 demonstrates Alta's fertility leadership in terms of a clear advantage in conception rates (CR). The data reported in Table 1 is from 10 US herds that used Alta semen side by side with semen from other AI organizations (>500 breedings from other organizations). AI organizations were only included in the analysis if they had > 25 sires with > 20 inseminations per sire in the dataset.
The results are clear and striking. ConceptPlus sires have a significant CR advantage over the other 2 studs (11.7% and 5.2% advantages over Stud A and B, respectively), which means that Alta ConceptPlus semen creates up to nearly 12 more pregnancies per 100 cows compared to others. The fertility advantage is goes deeper, however, because even non-ConceptPlus Alta sires outperform comparison studs.
Real-world examples of Alta's fertility leadership, such as this, can be duplicated time and time again. On average, ConceptPlus sires are expected to give a 2-3% advantage over industry average sires.
Global Support for ConceptPlus
In addition to its recognition in North America, ConceptPlus is renowned as the leading sire fertility evaluation around the globe. ConceptPlus bulls are heavily sought after from Australia to the UK, from Argentina to China; all in the name of getting cows pregnant as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
"Alta fertility has been a huge driver of our success and growth in Mexico. Genomic sires with fertility results are creating faster progress and more pregnancies among the thousands of cows enrolled in the Global Advantage® program here"
- Eros Milanez, Manager, Alta Mexico
International Sales Manager Coen Van Rosmeulen trusts ConceptPlus designated bulls to generate pregnancies in even the harshest of environments. In an analysis of 17 dairy herds (165,000 inseminations) in the Middle East, Coen reported the average conception rate of ConceptPlus semen (31.1%) to be approximately 3% greater than the average conception rate of non ConceptPlus semen (28.4%). "It's clear that even when faced with the conditions in the Middle East, where extreme temperatures can be experienced year round, ConceptPlus sires continue to deliver a 3% benefit on conception rate," states Coen. "There is no room to gamble with sire fertility in this kind of environment which is why ConceptPlus sires are so widely sought after throughout the Middle East."
The Best is getting Better!
Traditionally we gathered data from the AltaAdvantage® herds in the US to calculate ConceptPlus evaluations for sires used in those herds. Now through the recent addition of the Global Advantage® and the AdvantageDRIVEN® programs, Alta will gather additional fertility data from new participating partner herds. The standard of accuracy and integrity will endure through program expansion.
Furthermore, the extension of the Advantage program to AdvantageDRIVEN® and Global Advantage® will allow us to collect more data on the fertility of bulls very early in their career. This means a more reliable measure of sire fertility early in life which is of particular importance now in the genomic era. The combination of more herds, more units of each bull used in these herds, and more data on sire fertility at a young age will lead to even more accurate ConceptPlus information.
Imagine that... the best, most precise, and most accurate sire fertility evaluation available will only continue to get better!
Article by: Lynsay Henderson, Marketing Specialist
