The GENEX Blog

While every farm and ranch is very different in what works for them, one thing I have found to be the same is that every farmer or rancher is always looking for ways to improve, whether that be in efficiency, genetics, animal care, nutrition, and the list goes on. We took a moment earlier this summer to ask beef producers what their top tip was when it came to successful A.I. breeding projects. Perhaps there is something here that can improve your next project. Do you have a tip that you don't see here? Drop it in the comments below. We are always looking for ways we can help out others too!

As I sit here sweating, winter may be the last thing on my mind, but I know it is coming, even if Mother Nature has thrown us a little late summer/early fall heat wave. So, I figured I would take advantage of this nice weather, since the corn isn’t dry enough to chop, and do a little winter preparation.

Here’s my quick list of things you can do too:

Pick up around the yard to eliminate any problems for snow plowing operations.

Move calf hutches to an area that will be protected from harsh winds.

Locate and inspect calf coats. If it is time for more - or new ones, get them ordered.

Clean drain pipes, grate covers and catch basins of any debris to prevent water from backing up and freezing.

Prepare vehicles by checking tire treads, brakes, batteries and tire pressures. Repair all windshield chips before the cold turns them into larger cracks.

Review your A.I. protocol to make sure it includes protecting thawed semen from temperature changes.

What else have you been doing around the farm to prepare for winter? Drop your ideas in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you!

So what is all the NEW about? Earlier this year, GENEX unveiled a NEW logo as part of a branding process to more clearly identify the parts that make up Cooperative Resources International (CRI). This branding initiative includes a distinctly GENEX look. In addition, GENEX will now have its very own booth in the Exhibition Hall to better showcase its industry-leading, science-based animal genetics and customized reproductive solutions!

Stop in to see us, and mention this post to receive a NEW GENEX hat. We are excited to reveal our NEW look and are looking forward to sharing it with all of you.

We are excited to be able to feature our full line of herd management products, including RumiLife® CAL24™ nutritional supplement. Make sure to stop in and register to win a box!

One of the seven cooperative principles is concern for the community. While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members.

Last year, GENEX adopted a volunteer time off (VTO) policy which enabled its employees to take one day per year to volunteer in their communities. Many of our employees embraced this opportunity as a chance to find a new way to give of their talents to neighbors in need, while others were able to spend a little extra time contributing to organizations they are passionate about.

Chelsea Garrison from Idaho was able to spend time at an animal shelter because of the VTO program. "I absolutely find VTO worthwhile because it gives us a chance to give to the community, and separates us from our busy, hectic lives for a day to focus our attention on a place in need of our help."

A few of those who participated in VTO projects are shown above:

1) Sarah Nugent, Outreach and Solutions Advisor and Anne Davison, Director of Dairy Sales Support, assisted in the dairy birthing center at the New York State Fair.

2) Public Relations Assistant Shelly Swan helped sort Girl Scout cookies.

3) Vice President of Communications Terri Dallas chaperoned a 4-H club trip to the zoo.

4) Bob Stratton, AVP International Marketing; Jayne Gilge, Mailroom Specialist; Dean Gilge, VP Wholesale Markets and Dave Goedken, VP U.S. Sales and Service, used their VTO as part of a mission trip to Budapest, Hungary. They helped with building and painting projects and spent time at a foster home.

5) Chelsea Garrison, Dairy Consultant, volunteered at the Twin Falls, Idaho, animal shelter.

6) Customer Service Representative, Heidi Heller, took five junior members to the National Brown Swiss Convention in Canton, Ohio, where they competed in several national events.

7) Executive Assistant Karla Braun organized Sun Drop Dayz in Shawano, Wisconsin.

8) Genetics Administrative Assistant Teresa Wachtel chaperoned a school trip to the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin.

9) Morgan Kliebenstein, Dairy Procurement Specialist, helped set up for the Lafayette County dairy breakfast.

10) Accounts Payable Supervisor Connie Viergutz assisted the Shawano County dairy exhibitors set up for the Wisconsin State Fair.

With over 950 hours of collective VTO from the cooperative in the program's first year, employees are certainly finding ways to make a difference in their communities.

"VTO is an exciting part of working for GENEX. It feels great to be able to volunteer my time and get involved in community events I am passionate about. It’s amazing to work for a company that supports and encourages employees to give back to their communities. VTO is about not only living and working in a community but being a part of the heart of it," remarked Anne Davison.

When I was in school, I couldn't wait until I was done. The way I saw it, the word education was almost as bad as a four letter word! Looking back, I realize education got a bad rap. It wasn't the education I didn't like, but rather the methods of delivery and failing to realize where I would apply said knowledge.

Today education is something I yearn for. I make a daily goal of learning something new. Working for a cooperative and specifically GENEX has made this goal pretty easy. To be honest, it is a pretty sad day if I only learn one new thing.

GENEX prides itself in providing education for its employees, board members, delegates, members and customers through several different outlets.

Here are three great places to look for more information on the dairy and beef industries.

The Learning Center offers an online collection of over 100 dairy and beef related topics, arranged by category. This collection is added to and updated regularly. It can be found on the GENEX website.

Horizons is our magazine. The Dairy Edition is published three times a year (following each sire summary) and the Beef Edition is distributed two times a year (spring and fall). These periodicals are jam-packed with interesting articles from technical know-how to herd/ranch stories to working with your employees. If you don't get a copy mailed to you, check them out here.

Field Representatives are the heart of GENEX education. Everyday these men and women work hard to provide their customers with the most up-to-date industry information. After their day on farms has ended, they spend countless hours attending meetings, watching webinars, listening to podcasts and reading to ensure you will have the facts needed to make the best herd management decisions for your farm or ranch.

In next week's post, I will talk about all of the ways GENEX works to educate its employees, board members and delegates, so our cooperative can truly live up to the cooperative principle of education, training and information.

As a kid, I remember watching a show called School House Rock. The opening jingle had a character who would yell out, "Knowledge is power." (Sorry if that jingle is now stuck in your head, child of the '80's!) The individuals responsible for creating the seven cooperative principles understood the enormity of knowledge and what those with it were capable of accomplishing. That is why principle number five is education, training and information.

GENEX takes this principle to heart and strives to be a source of information for our members and customers in both the dairy and beef cattle industries. I talked about some of the ways GENEX is currently educating members and customers in my last blog post Education Isn't a Four Letter Word.

Today I would like to spend a little time talking about training for GENEX employees, delegates and board members.

Employees

GENEX employees, along with others working for other Cooperative Resources International (CRI) brands, have the opportunity to participate in the cooperative's professional development program called REACH. Employee enrichment is important as the industry we work in changes quickly. To ensure a rapid response, employees also participate in webinars, listen to podcasts, are provided with internal newsletters and belong to a GENEX employees Facebook group.

Many employees take their learning and teaching to the next level, such as the experience below, where Dairy Sire Procurement Specialist, Dan Bauer, spent time in Brazil in partnership with the American Jersey Cattle Association, AgSource and the USDA to study the emerging Jersey industry in the country. Dan was able to share some insight into our Jersey industry, while networking with Brazilian farmers.

Delegates

Delegates are the very heart of GENEX. They provide GENEX with the grass-roots direction it requires to operate from year to year. Over 150 delegates and alternates gather each year at one of eight delegate meetings to learn about the cooperative and industry, as well as to provide the GENEX board and senior management with recommended changes for the coming year.

In addition, delegates and alternates attend the annual meeting each January, where they have the opportunity to network with other delegates and attend break-out sessions. Session topics vary from year to year and can include titles from Cooperatives 101 to Using Social Media on Your Farm/Ranch to Brazil Beef (below).

Board Members

GENEX is governed by a 13-member board consisting of dairy and beef producers from across the U.S. A policy exists to encourage structured participation in programs designated to enhance director knowledge and experience. Three days of basic training is provided for all new directors, and three to five days of education and training is expected of each director yearly. This is in addition to their regularly scheduled meetings. There is also the opportunity for more advanced training, if a director should choose to receive it. These learning experiences are in business management, cooperative education or other agricultural topics associated with GENEX, with many of them being graduate-level courses. Below, past GENEX Board President, Paul Greene, addresses the delegates during the 2017 Annual Meeting.

Education is not just a buzz word at GENEX. The cooperative truly believes knowledge is power. By providing learning opportunities to everyone involved with the company, GENEX can ensure its purpose of being the trusted provider of world-class animal genetics, progressive reproductive solutions, value-added products and innovative services to members and customers.

Members are the grease to our gears, the milk to our cereal and the yee for our haw. Without our members we fail to exist. Members own GENEX, which is one of the things that make a cooperative business model so special.

Co-op membership is simple and rewarding and includes benefits such as:
» Voting privileges and a voice in the governance of the cooperative
» Invites to member appreciation meetings and events
» Earning equity in the cooperative
» Opportunity to become a delegate or director

GENEX has a long history of acting on the needs and concerns of its members. Two of the most recent examples are the Ideal Commercial Cow (ICC$) index and RumiLife® CAL24™ nutritional supplement.

The ICC$ is a Holstein sire ranking tool developed to meet the demands of GENEX members and customers for a healthy, medium-sized cow. It addresses the needs of commercial dairy producers using real-time economic indicators, scientific principles and data-driven genetic evaluations from multiple sources. A Jersey ICC$ is also in the development phase with plans for release soon.

Members came to us wanting a sustained release, once-and-done calcium supplement for transition cows. GENEX once again came through and introduced RumiLife® CAL24™ nutritional supplement. This new product allows producers to forget the worry of catching cows several times to administer boluses treating low blood calcium. This one treatment with two boluses provides the 24-hour coverage that is needed.

The grass-roots structure of a cooperative such as GENEX, means its members' voices are heard. GENEX is currently conducting its Fall Delegate Meetings where delegates and alternates from across the country are gathering to provide feedback and ideas. These are the very meetings where many of the new GENEX initiatives come from.

It truly is you, the GENEX member, who makes the difference in our cooperative. Thank you for your continued support and guidance as we fulfill our purpose to be the trusted provider of world-class animal genetics, progressive reproductive solutions, value-added products and innovative services to members and customers.

Throughout the month of September, we featured a sire a week as a #Flashback Friday on the GENEX Dairy Facebook page. These sires were all influential to the GENEX story. Here are the five posts, all compiled together. I hope you enjoy reminiscing as much as I enjoyed learning and remembering!

21HO00280 I-O State Chief Ford

21HO00280 I-O State Chief Ford was born August 9, 1974. He was sired by Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief. His dam, Ludvue Heilo Lulu was sired by Burkgov Heilo Belle. Ford received his first progeny proof in June 1979 and was marketed by GENEX predecessor, 21st Century Genetics, Shawano, Wisconsin. During his career, there were 18,395 daughters in 5,569 herds in his production proof. Today the main production barn at GENEX headquarters in Shawano is named the Ford Barn in his memory. Ford is pictured above with his sire handler, Geno Hagel.

1HO07380 Lutz-Brookview Bellman Rex-ET

1HO07380 Lutz-Brookview Bellman Rex-ET was born November 16, 1981. He was sired by Carlin-M Ivanhoe Bell. His dam, Lutz-Brookview Bova Alice was sired by Rockalli Son of Bova-ET. Rex received his first progeny proof in July of 1987 and was marketed by GENEX predecessor, 21 Century Genetics, Shawano, Wisconsin. Rex sired great udders with strong ligaments. The rear udders were extremely high and wide and the teat placement was excellent. By January 1994, he had nearly 19,000 milking daughters in 5,288 herds and his Predicted Transmitting Ability was +2303 for Milk and +70 pounds of Protein. On February 28, 1995, Rex had produced over a million units of semen, and he joined the prestigious Millionaires Club. During his career, Rex sired 39,721 milking daughters in more than 8,550 herds worldwide!

1HO00414 Tesk-Holm Valiant Rockie

1HO00414 Tesk-Holm Valiant Rockie was born January, 21 1981. He was sired by S-W-D Valiant. His dam, Houvale Apollo Gail was sired by Whittier-Farms Apollo Rocke. Tesk received his first progeny proof in January of 1986 and was one of the most popular bulls of his time for his tremendous ability to increase protein. He was also one of the best all-around calving ease bulls of this period and was known for siring daughters with very well-attached udders, sound feet and legs and moderate size. He sired nearly 46,000 milking daughters in over 9,700 herds throughout the world. He was also used very heavily as a sire of sons for the next generation and his genetics were valued for many years to come.

8HO02024 Rothrock Tradition Leadman

8HO02024 Rothrock Tradition Leadman was born March 5, 1985. He was sired by Sweet-Haven Tradition. His dam; Walkup Valiant Lou Ella was sired by S-W-D Valiant. Leadman received his first progeny proof in July of 1989 and was marketed by GENEX predecessor; Federated Genetics in Lancaster, PA. He was among the top 10 TPI® bulls of the breed when he was first proven in the early 1990’s. He was one of the few active A.I. bulls at that time to sire an increase in protein percent blended with extreme PTAM. It was exciting to see how Leadman could sire this extreme production along with impressive overall type. He was also one of the most popular choices available for siring shallow udders with a strong cleft. Leadman claims over 31,600 milking daughters in 8,073 herds around the globe in his career. In addition, Leadman was used very heavily as a sire of sons for the next generation and his genetics were valued for many years.

1HO07235 Jenny-Lou Marshl Toystory-ET

1HO07235 Toystory was born at Mystic Valley Dairy near Sauk City, Wisconsin, in May 2001. At his November 2005 debut in the artificial insemination (A.I.) industry, Toystory was noted as "the new must-have sire, whether your breeding goals are profitability or show type." His daughters provided a level of productivity, profitability and improved conformation that impressed producers as well as show judges across the globe.

In addition to his outstanding genetic qualities, Toystory possessed an unmatched semen production ability. In April 2009, he joined an elite group of bulls throughout the industry that had produced 1 million units of semen. Then, in May 2011, he became the industry's all-time semen production leader surpassing the previous world record of 1.767 million units held by the Dutch bull Sunny Boy. By May 2012, Toystory had furthered his impact on the A.I. industry reaching a remarkable 2 million units. At the time of his death,at age 13, Toystory had produced 2.415 million units.

The goal of the GENEX progeny test program is to determine the true breeding value of a young bull as quickly as possible.

GENEX works with some of the industry's best ranchers to prove young sires. These cattlemen, both registered and commercial producers, work together with GENEX to breed their cows and heifers to GENEX young sires and proven sires used for reference. Then, they provide fertility, performance and ultrasound/carcass data on the resulting calf crop.

This month, we would like to introduce you to four of our test herds through #TestHerdTuesday.

Today's feature is Chris Larkin from Ottumwa, Iowa, who started as a test herd for GENEX in 1985. He runs a black Angus cow-calf operation, and finishes the steer calves. The heifer calves are fed until yearling, and for the last 25 years, they've sold as replacement heifers. Recently they started breeding all the heifers and selling a portion as bred heifers.

When asked what benefits he has seen in his herd as a result of being a GENEX test herd, Chris responded, "The use of GENEX bulls has greatly improved the quality of our cattle; performance, carcass and maternal traits. It has also enabled us to use many of the different bloodlines within the Angus breed." Chris noted that many bulls have made an impact on his herd after over 30 years in the program including: Bando 5175, 1AN01099 DENSITY, Net Worth, Traveler 004, Objective 3J15, Final Answer, 1AN01146 RIGHT ANSWER, Upward, New Day, Successor, 1AN01238 RESOURCE, 1AN01131 BISMARCK, and his current favorite 1AN01170 CHISUM.

Today we are featuring Pleasant View Farm in Belmont, Wisconsin. Josh and Gretchen Kamps joined the test herd program in 2013, with the first calves being born in the spring of 2014. Some of that progeny has just weaned off their second calves.

Pleasant View Farm is a predominantly Angus cow/calf to finish operation in the southwest corner of the state. Their cows calve in a loading area and then are moved to pasture. They have a spring herd and a fall herd, so their biggest calving months are March, April, September and October.

The Kamps say the benefits of being a GENEX test herd are that they have been able to develop some cow families they are excited to see the future of, both in the herd and in the feedlot. "We have also built a strong relationship with the GENEX team we work with. We put a lot of faith in their bull selection for our herd, and they have continually proven they are buying the right bulls."

When asked what bulls have had the most impact on their herd, the Kamps listed the following:

1AN01302 WESTERN CUT - These heifers are weaning their second calves. They are functional, sound and productive cows that we've been very happy with.

1AN01302 WESTERN CUT daughters

1AN01300 INVESTMENT - A good carcass animal. They were efficient converters of feed and performed well on the rail.

1AN01379 iBULL - We didn't have good success with him on the heifers, but the the cows, the success was better. The iBULL calves sifted themselves to the top of the scale at weaning, we're excited to see how they perform in the feedlot.

1AN01379 iBULL calf

1AN01340 Upward - We used him as a reference sire early in the program. He made solid daughters for us, as well as feedlot cattle.

Today's feature is the Oneida Nation Farm in Seymour, Wisconsin, which has been a GENEX test herd for three years. They run a 240 head cow/calf operation, which consists of 360 acres of rotational pasture which is grazed from May 1 through December 1. Each year they retain 40 replacements and finish out the remaining 200. Finished cattle are sold on a quarter and half basis to the public, with several head per year going to the Oneida Nation School, Oneida Nation Elderly Home and Oneida Nation Retail Store.

Since becoming a GENEX test herd, Oneida Farms has seen more consistency in their calves. Calves typically range in birth weight from 65 to 80 pounds without calving difficulties which is especially important as several people who work at the farm have little experience with difficult calvings. In addition, the calf crop is very uniform at weaning. Herd Manager, TJ Swiecichowski sees a noticeable difference.

"Now that we are calving females sired by GENEX bulls and breeding heifers out of GENEX bulls, we really see the consistency within our cow herd," notes TJ. We see our cows being more efficient. They are smaller than a lot of our older cows, yet still wean some of the biggest calves. They are also much better on their feet and legs and will be around for a long time."

When asked what bulls have had the most impact on the herd, TJ listed 1AN01360 ELEMENT and 1AN01355 ALTITUDE.

Everyone on my Dad's side of the family gets together for one pretty amazing Thanksgiving celebration, but since my Dad is one of five children, and each one of his siblings had at least two children, who now have children of their own, it gets really loud and crazy! This year I found myself taking a good look around our very large gathering. Minus the toddlers, I think I can pretty much lump all of them into six categories.

The Farmer. You know the one who talks commodity pricing, eats and then immediately nods off. This year, due to unusual weather, the conversation also included how much corn still needed to come off.

The Retail Aficionado. These are the family members who bring the sale ads along and comb through every one, while making a detailed list of exactly what store, what time and in what order.

The Hunting Enthusiast. Thanksgiving falls during deer hunting season in Wisconsin, so there are plenty of photos and stories to share. When talk of deer hunting is exhausted, there are always bear, turkeys and ducks to talk about.

The Food Lover. This person may or may not be guilty of wearing stretchy pants to dinner!

The Ultimate Host. Takes your coat, your beverage order and shows you the snacks (are you kidding me, who needs snacks?) within the first 30 seconds of your arrival - all while tending to the gigantic dinner they will be serving in under 30 minutes.

The Football Fanatic. Be careful not to walk in front of the television, or you just might get scolded. It doesn't matter what teams are playing, these people are always interested.

So what does your Thanksgiving look like? Do you have a few more categories to add? What type are you?

No matter the types of people you had around your Thanksgiving table, hopefully you
were able to enjoy a good meal with great conversation. I know I am thankful for each and every one of those I am lucky enough to call my family. We may be different, but we can set our differences aside to enjoy each other's company. For this I am truly thankful!

25 New Sires Added to an Industry-Leading Lineup

Leading the way for the Ideal Commercial Cow (ICC$) index is 1HO12943 HEXER at
+1221. This Damien out of a Caspian brings exciting pedigree diversity while adding elite
health traits: +10.6 Productive Life (PL), +3.7 Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR), +2.50
Somatic Cell Score (SCS) and 108 Metritis (MTR). He also ranks +888 for the Lifetime Net
Merit (LNM$) index. Use HEXER in heifer pens with confidence based on his extremely low
4.8% Sire Calving Ease (SCE).

1HO12943 HEXER

1HO12980 IKE ranks second for the ICC$ index at +1207. This Jedi son also ranks well for
TPI® at +2712. He adds elite longevity (+10.1 PL), impressive daughter fertility (+5.1 DPR) andcomes in at +1.51 PTA Type.

Another new release, 1HO12917 MIKE, makes his debut with an impressive +1174 ICC$.
This Jedi son improves component percentages and daughter fertility (+5.1 DPR). MIKE can
be used universally with his low 6.9% SCE.

A Livewire son, 1HO13369 DAVARI joins the lineup at +1164 ICC$. He will improve milk
quality with a low +2.50 SCS and sire healthy daughters with his 106 MTR and 104 Subclinical Ketosis (SCK). DAVARI adds type (+1.44 PTAT) and can be used in heifer pens (5.9% SCE).

1HO13369 DAVARI

1HO12902 TAPPS is a new sire with an elite ICC$ index rank at +1128. This Modesty out of a Jabir is +893 LNM$ and +2726 TPI®. He improves component production (+130 Combined Fat & Protein) and offers calving ease (5.4% SCE).

New release 1HO12930 MALCOM earned his way to the top of our LNM$ list at +950. He is
also +1099 ICC$ with outstanding health traits: +10.0 PL, +4.4 Livability (LIV), +3.5 DPR and a low +2.65 SCS. This Damien son can be used with confidence in heifer pens at 6.3% SCE.

1HO12932 JUICY is the top GENEX bull for TPI® at +2800. This Magnus out of a 1HO10824 TANGO adds pedigree diversity and sires cows for the commercial environment as shown by his +1148 ICC$. This sire of sons has impressive values for GENEX proprietary health traits MTR (104) and SCK (100) and is a type specialist at +2.34 Udder Composite (UDC).

1HO12932 JUICY

1HO12487 JENKY-P is an exciting new polled sire. He comes in at +880 ICC$ and adds
yield (+109 CFP) while also improving health traits (104 SCK, 102 MTR). Use this Powerball-P son to improve daughter fertility (+3.8 DPR) and add longevity (+7.6 PL).

Previous release 1HO11989 ROMERO still ranks extremely well across indexes. He is
+1152 ICC$ and +2737 TPI®. He also ranks above average for the GENEX proprietary health traits: 104 SCK, 106 MTR and 101 Foot Health.

On the daughter-proven list, 1HO11096 PLATINUM continued his impressive rank. He’s now
at +2653 TPI®. This Mogul out of a Super stands at +1050 ICC$ and adds type at +1.93 PTAT and +1.58 UDC.

Co-op DD Platinum 40739

The iconic GENEX sire, 1HO10396 CABRIOLET, continues to shine. He’s now at +961 ICC$ and +927 LNM$. With over 8,500 daughters, this extremely reliable sire can be used to add a balanced genetic profile while improving component pounds (+149 CFP) and percentages and moderating frame size.

Hollermann Cabriolet 960

New Sires
New release 1JE01057 CESPEDES {3} ranks second in the lineup for the Ideal Commercial Cow (ICC$) index at +954. This Marlo son also leads the industry with a +233 JPI™ and +839 Cheese Merit (CM$). CESPEDES {3} sires exceptional yield at +138 Combined Fat & Protein (CFP) while checking all the boxes for health and fertility. His numbers, including a +1.4 Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR), earned him a +325 on the Sustainability (SUST$) sub-index and +30 on the Fertility (FERT$) sub-index. Use CESPEDES {3} to improve udders (+22.6 JUI™) and component percentages. CESPEDES {3} is 92 BBR and available in GenChoice™ sexed semen only.

1JE01057 CESPEDES {3}

1JE01056 COUSINS {3} is an Avon son at +856 ICC$, +689 CM$ and +199 JPI™. He has an exceptional +19.4 JUI™ and ranks well on the FERT$ sub-index (+128) with an impressive +2.8 DPR. COUSINS {3} is 92 BBR and available in GenChoice™ semen only.

1JE00994 ASTRIX {3} debuts at +816 ICC$, +662 CM$ and +189 JPI™. This Avon out of a Magnum meets the needs of producers looking to improve daughter fertility; he stands at +3.2 DPR and +92 FERT$. ASTRIX {3} will improve udders (+18.3 JUI™). He is 85 BBR and available in GenChoice™ semen only.

1JE00991 GRIEZMANN {4} is an early Leonel {3} son at +680 ICC$. His +136 CFP makes him a yield specialist and earns him a +599 for the Cheese Maximizer (ChMAX$) sub-index. GRIEZMANN {4} is +180 JPI™ and +630 CM$ while maintaining +18.7 JUI™. He is 85 BBR.

1JE00991 GRIEZMANN {4}

A trio of 1JE00892 VANDRELL {2} sons joined the lineup with impressive ICC$ index values. These sires include 1JE00992 CONTENDER {3} at +770 ICC$, 1JE00986 TAX {3} at +763 ICC$ and 1JE00998 FEARLESS {3} at +743 ICC$. Look to these sires for component production power as each is over +430 ChMAX$. CONTENDER {3} is 87 BBR and available in GenChoice™ sexed semen only. TAX {3} is 91 BBR.

1JE00999 CARPDIEM {3}, the final new graduate, is an Avon out of a Soprano that adds pedigree diversity. He is +722 ICC$, +599 CM$ and +177 JPI™. CARPDIEM {3} is +0.7 DPR and an udder specialist at +24.8 JUI™. He is 91 BBR.

Other Highlights

1JE00892 VANDRELL {2} and 1JE00889 PROP JOE {3}, two bulls from the same maternal line, remain in the top 10 for JPI™ among daughter-proven sires. VANDRELL also tops the GENEX ICC$ listing at +992 while maintaining +710 CM$ and +215 JPI™. While he ranks well on all three ICC$ sub-indexes, VANDRELL {2} is the FERT$ sub‑index leader at +182.

1JE00892 VANDRELL Daughters {2}

Adding more daughters, PROP JOE is now +775 ICC$, +693 CM$ and +191 JPI™. He offers an elite combination of udders (+22.0 JUI™), daughter fertility (+0.2 DPR) and exceptional PregCheck™ and PregCheck+™ sire fertility rankings.

1JE00966 FUTURE {3} at +895 ICC$, 1JE00984 USAIN BOLT {3} at +874 ICC$, 1JE00962 DEGROM {3} at +873 ICC$ and 1JE00971 CURRY {3} at+865 ICC$ all had nice days moving up in rank; all four are now at or above +200 JPI™.

I love this time of year, spending time looking back and recalling all of the wonderful (and not so wonderful) things that happened in the past 365 or-so days. I never had a personal blog, but now that I have the ability to see everything we posted here on the GENEX blog this past year, it kind of makes me want to capture personal events and memories. Is this the modern version of a diary?

I had a lot of fun reliving 2017 through blog posts and thought you might too, so here are the top five from this past year, based on views.

#1 Top 10 A.I. Technique Mistakes. Sometimes even a professional can learn a thing or two by going back to the basics.

#2 My Top Tip for a Successful A.I. Breeding Project. We asked beef producers for their top tip. Then we compiled them here in one, easy-to-read list!

#3 GENEX Distribution Center. We are so fortunate to have a tremendous group of people who work for us at GENEX! Follow along as one of them, Brian Brickle gives you a little tour of our Semen Distribution Center.

#4 Using A.I. on Your Ranch. Get the costs associated with using (and not using) A.I. on your ranch.

#5 It's Quite a Production. A trip to the GENEX Production Center in Tiffin, Ohio, meant some wonderful photos and commentary from our Audio Visual Coordinator, Todd Moede.

Thank you for an amazing year. I look forward to 2018 and all of the events and opportunities that await!

I am sure I don't have to tell you things are a little trying right now. Prices are less than favorable, temperatures are downright cruel, and a lack of daylight doesn't help either. It is at times like these I need to spend more time than usual to keep myself positive. Hopefully these five tips will give you the spark you need to put a little pep back in your step.

Take time to recognize positives that are occurring in your life. New calves; the cat that actually caught a mouse for once; your neighbor who stopped by with a cup of coffee because he/she knew how cold you must be; the amazing sound of, well nothing, when you wake up and walk to the barn in the morning (my personal favorite!); the beautiful sunrise allowing you to start again fresh. All of the above and more make my daily reflection time. Some people find it beneficial to write these types of things in a journal. I just spend a few moments whenever the time is right to give praise for all of the wonderful things that are happening around me.
Help someone else. This doesn't have to burn through your already-stretched-thin time and
money. It can be as simple as a quick call to a farm friend to see how they are doing or running
after someone who dropped their glove in the farm store parking lot. The intrinsic value of helping others far outweighs the moments needed to complete it.
Focus on your physical health. Since exercise isn't usually needed by most who farm or ranch (Although, many people find that a good workout, run or walk will help to alleviate stress as well.), this point is more about eating and sleeping. With the extra work this extended cold has meant, many people find mealtime to be a place they can steal from to get extra time in their workday. Don't make this a habit. Your body, and maybe even more importantly in these difficult times, mind, need proper nourishment. There are all kinds of gadgets out there that have made cooking for a busy family a lot easier. Check out all of the recipes online for slow cookers or electric pressure cookers. Great meals don't have to mean hours in the kitchen.

So how are you sleeping? Do you even know what that word is? Find a way to unwind at night so you can get the sleep your body so desperately needs. Everything seems better when you are well rested!
Take time away from the farm or ranch. Go for a drive or catch a local high school basketball game. You need some time to be away from the farm or ranch. Your mental health is important. Find the time. You will be more efficient on the farm when you feel better.
Connect with another human being. I know cows can be really good listeners, but sometimes having another human to empathize with you is important. My Dad recently crushed his pelvis in an accident. He has to use a wheelchair until his bones have healed enough to start to use a
walker and then a cane. While he has been surprisingly upbeat about the situation, a recent call from an old friend put things into perspective for him. That friend has been wheelchair bound for 12 years, and remains an incredibly positive person. He gave Dad some great tips on getting around and staying comfortable.

Seek out someone to talk to about your situation. They may have new ideas to help. My personal recommendation would be to do this point in conjunction with numbers 3 and 4 above. Who doesn't love some great food and conversation in a nice, local restaurant?

By: Kari Beth Krieger, Processing Lab Manager, GENEX

Breeding cows with cryopreserved semen is really an act of faith. You can’t see the sperm cells or know they are fertile unless you thaw the straw for evaluation, thus destroying the possibility of using it for insemination. You must have faith in the company that produced the straw and in the semen handling protocols that kept the straw in good condition – from the time it was frozen all the way through shipping, storage and placed in tank inventories – until the straw is selected for breeding.

GENEX has a solid history of fertility and quality, allowing you to place your faith in our product. Let’s take a tour through the GENEX semen processing lab to understand all the ways GENEX ensures we deserve that faith.

We only keep the good stuff
After semen is collected, it arrives in the lab for a thorough evaluation of concentration, motility and percent of abnormal cells. Semen that doesn’t meet our rigorous standards is discarded and does not go any further in the process. We toss up to 25% of raw ejaculates!

A unique product
GENEX uses a milk-based extender made in-house. It takes extra time to make and process semen in milk, in comparison to using a purchased extender, but it gives our

customers several advantages. When combined with our processing methods, semen extended with milk can tolerate a wide range of thawing temperatures with no negative impact on fertility. More importantly, large field trials have indicated that GENEX milk-extended semen has a significant fertility advantage over extenders with an egg yolk base. Furthermore, the milk seems to provide the antioxidants and nutrients sperm cells
need for maximum viability. This 1.5% fertility advantage translates to a major advantage for your bottom line.

We check our work
Every step of our process is connected to the demand for high quality. From the time a sire walks into the collection room to the time his semen straws are packed on a cane for

shipment, we track sire identification and ensure accurate labeling. We test each filler/sealer machine daily to ensure the straws have functional seals, and we confirm correct function of measurement instruments like scales and spectrophotometers. Our staff members are trained to notice deviations or abnormalities and address them immediately. GENEX staff has an extraordinary commitment to producing a top-quality product.

Someone else checks our work
To ensure our protocols are working correctly, approximately 10% of all semen batches produced are sent to an independent reference laboratory for evaluation. At the reference laboratory, advanced technology is used to evaluate semen quality and count the number of cells per straw. Feedback from this analysis allows us to verify our routine quality control evaluations are accurate.

GENEX is dedicated to being your partner by offering top genetics and the most fertile semen in the industry. We follow rigorous semen collection and laboratory protocols so you can rest assured that what you are unable to see is as good as you could expect.

Scott Carson, GENEX Director of Dairy Procurement, is a longtime Jersey enthusiast and former Jersey producer and breeder. He led the team that formulated the Ideal Commercial Cow (ICC$) index for Jerseys. His background provides unique insight into this new index which was released following the December 2017 sire summaries.

Our goal was to create an index that would enable producers to select bulls that will positively impact their bottom line. The idea was to emphasize traits that are really important to our customers and weed out extra information that doesn’t really impact farm profitability.

Over the past couple decades, the Jersey breed has changed significantly. The population has grown remarkably. With that, the Jersey cow grew taller, stronger and added a lot more width. Udder confirmation improved dramatically in the 1990s and then deteriorated a bit before improving again over the last 5-6 years.

While Jersey producers have selected for these traits as well as enormous gains in yield traits, there has been a significant decline in fertility traits. That’s a natural tradeoff of selecting aggressively for yield traits. Today, that decrease in fertility is a real cause for concern among Jersey producers. It’s one of the concerns the ICC$ index for Jerseys addresses.

From my perspective, one of the things the index does best is provide producers with a way to rank bulls on fertility traits and on health traits. Through its sub-index structure, the ICC$ index is setting a framework for the industry. The sub-indexes provide producers with tools to focus on their traits of interest. The ICC$ index gives anyone interested in brown cows – the smaller cows that are more feed efficient – the tools to breed cows that are ideal for a commercial setting.

Cheese Maximizer (ChMAX$) focuses on component yields and provides equal weightings on both Fat and Protein pounds. Unique among Jersey indexes, the ICC$ index is neutral

on milk – instead focusing on total Combined Fat and Protein.

50% Protein

50% Fat

Sustainability (SUST$) consists of traits that are critical to keeping animals healthy and in production. One is a new GENEX proprietary trait, Calf Survivability (CSRV). Also included are udder traits that impact culling rate (35% Udder Cleft, 30% Udder Depth, 25% Fore Udder and 10% Teat Length). Selection for the SUST$ sub-index emphasizes udder

health, longevity, functional udder traits and calf survivability.

35% Productive Life

15% Udder Traits

14% Livability

12% Calf Survivability

12% Mastitis Resistance

12% Somatic Cell Score

Fertility (FERT$) contains five measures of cow and heifer fertility. This sub‑index includes the GENEX proprietary trait Age at First Calving (AAFC) to meet the needs of producers looking to emphasize reproductive efficiency. Selection of bulls with high FERT$ rankings results in optimal age at first calving, reduced days open and shorter calving intervals.

50% Daughter Pregnancy Rate

25% Heifer Conception Rate

15% Cow Conception Rate

5% Age at First Calving

5% Fertility Haplotypes

If you have been following along on our social media channels this week, you know it was GENEX Annual Meeting time. Perhaps you read some of the posts and wondered who our delegates were. If you are a GENEX member, they are just like you - farm men and women from across the U.S. who are willing to give a few days of their year to the governance of their cooperative. Want to know a little more about the process? Read on.

First we will start with the commitment.
Delegates are elected yearly and attend a regional fall delegate meeting, where new cooperative information is shared and various topics are presented for input. GENEX is fortunate to be able to utilize the expertise of our delegates and have incorporated many suggestions and ideas into our plan of work.

In addition to the fall delegate meetings, delegates also participate in the annual meeting. This two-day event includes the business meeting, as well as a variety of educational breakout sessions. Take a look at our Facebook or Twitter accounts for more on what took place this year.

A speaker from DMI talks with delegates on protecting their farm from activists.

So who are our delegates?

I have been able to write about several of our delegates over the past couple of years. You may be interested to learn more about Ron Koetsier from California, Scott Erthum from Nebraska, or Alexa Kayhart from Vermont. I also recently interviewed Rachel Freund from Connecticut. You can find that article in the January Horizons, Dairy Edition on pages 20 and 21.

While our delegate are from across the country and appear to be very diverse, they are all very similar in their desire to help the cooperative they are a part of. All of the ones I have interviewed will also tell you they feel they get a tremendous return on their investment as well. Being able to grow their network and learning more about the cooperative are probably two of the biggest rewards these men and women receive.

Is it your time?

Now that you know more about how the governance of your cooperative functions, are you ready to help as well? Contact Terri Dallas, VP of Communications at tdallas@crinet.com.

By: Suzanne Lois, Resale Product Advisor

A newborn calf’s first few hours on earth and how quickly it suckles down Mother Nature’s energy and protein drink, the dam’s colostrum, will likely determine how healthy it will be for the next few months. Colostrum provides the calf with two key components: antibodies and ENERGY, ENERGY, ENERGY!

Often not highlighted when talking about the first feeding of colostrum is the energy source it provides the calf. A newborn calf has limited storage of fat reserves; in fact, it doesn’t even have enough reserves to survive 24 hours in a stressful environment. In order for the immune system to work properly, energy is crucial.

Colostrum provides a jolt of energy similar to that of an energy drink. The colostral milkfat provides the required source of energy to help jumpstart a calf’s immune system. Calves should consume colostrum as soon as possible; however, we do encounter circumstances where the calf doesn’t have enough energy to get up and nurse. It could be for a number of reasons, including the calf being born in muddy, cold conditions, suffering from a hard calving or being born a twin. And, of course, there are always those circumstances where you wonder if the calf did or didn’t get up and suckle yet. So, what can you do to get the calf up and suckling? At GENEX, we suggest giving the calf a little “push.” Push™ calf nutritional paste, that is.

Push™ paste is made from high quality, pasteurized bovine colostrum and contains both globulin proteins and colostral fats found in colostrum. While it does not replace colostrum, it does provide plenty of energy and can help with immune stimulation at the cellular level. A tube of Push™ paste will provide a calf with enough nutrients to support energy needs for up to a 12-hour period, depending on the condition the calf is in. Those who have tried Push™ paste are amazed how
the product can increase a calf’s energy to help combat challenges it may experience in the first few hours of life.

A dam’s colostrum is nature’s perfect first meal, providing the necessary antibodies and energy to get
the calf off to the best possible start. Yet, sometimes calves need a little nudge to get started, so why not give a tube of Push™ calf nutritional paste?

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Give Calves a Push!