Company News

Semex is excited to announce the release of the World’s #1 Immunity+™ sire, the international genomic superstar 0200HO10049 Rockymountain Lottomax. Semex’s rigorous genomic selection program has resulted in some of the most sought after young sires worldwide including Lottomax’s sire, the genomic giant himself, 0200HO07450 Amighetti Numero Uno. Available worldwide May 1, Lottomax delivers on Semex’s promise of Genetics for Life to our partners, clients and genetic suppliers. Topping GTPI rankings at +2565, he is the World’s #1 Immunity+ sire and joins his own sire in this coveted lineup, siring daughters with less disease building more profitable, longer-lasting herds. All this, along with an impressive +926 NM$ and 0.13% F and breed-leading combined PL and PTAT of +7.8 and +3.52 respectively, make Lottomax one of the hottest young sires in the world.   Having an exceptional maternal line is a common thread in each of thousands of young sires Semex genomic tests each year, and Lottomax’s maternal line is without question exceptional. His dam is a VG-85 Superstition x VG-88 1* Baxter x EX-91 11* Shottle x the famous EX-94 18* Lila Z herself. “At the time of the mating, Super Leita (Lottomax’s dam), was a high-ranking heifer and already on an IVF program,” says Sire Analyst Mike West. “The granddam was a very impressive cow at 87 points in her first lactation, and she’s a descendant of the one and only Lila Z, making the pedigree attractive. When Numero Uno became available as a mating sire, the match up with Super Leita for genomics and phenotype was great!” “Lottomax is a bull that fits well in the marketplace, offering health, fertility, production, type and the stability of a great cow family,” says West. “As an Immunity+ and HealthSmart™ sire, he offers dairymen a decided advantage, and not just on his genetic profile, but with his ability to sire healthy and profitable cows.” As part of Lottomax’s release, a minimum purchase of five doses is required at ... Read More...

Although Spring may never come, at least we can bank on some exciting new Semex bulls with each proof and this proof round did not disappoint. There are some great new additions to our proven sire line‐up while our list of Immunity+ TM sires continues to be solidified as more breeders are discovering this innovative and exclusive Semex product line.
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Highlights and information on EastGen's Component Breed Line-up.
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Regardless of herd size or management style, dairymen want a healthy herd of profitable and efficient cows. The path to breeding and developing this kind of herd got easier when Semex launched its patented Immunity+™ sires. These sires have a naturally high immune response (HIR) and with a 25% heritability, they can help improve the overall herd health and longevity.

Based on the HIR technology developed by Dr. Bonnie Mallard and her colleagues at the University of Guelph, the research surrounding this technology spans decades. The research also shows that HIR cows have 19-30% lower disease incidence compared to herd averages. Also, these cows respond better to commercial vaccines and produce higher quality colostrum. As a result, they are more profitable by bringing in more revenue, lowering costs and wasting less of the dairyman’s time.

“The discovery of HIR was a game changer,” says Jay Shannon, Semex Global Dairy Solutions Manager. “It revealed that high immunity is passed on from parent to progeny at rates much like production and some conformation traits. Compared to most health traits with low heritabilities of <10%, immune response is considered moderately to highly heritable at 25%. This means it can be selected for and improved upon with each generation.”

Joining the proven Immunity+ lineup following the April 2014 genetic evaluation are:


0200HO03730            FLY-HIGHER MANCHILD  (JEEVES x BOLTON)
0200HO06198            GEN-I-BEQ HALAK  (PLANET x GOLDWYN)
0200HO06161            SCHILLVIEW GRANDPRIZE  (PLANET x SHOTTLE)


The following Genomax™ bulls are also designated Immunity+:


0200HO02981            BENNER SANTANA  (MOGUL x ... Read More...

With the April genetic evaluation, Semex reaffirmed our commitment to our clients and their drive for profitable genetics. Working with our clients worldwide, we’re confident our lineup offers dairymen what they are looking for through newly released daughter proven sires, high reliability sires and the youngest and brightest genomic superstars. Second to none, these genomic sires are known as Genomax™ sires at Semex. Once again in April, our Genomax lineup dominated the industry, having three of the top 10, six of the top 20 and nine of the top 30 from Holstein USA's Top 100 TPI Genomic Young Bull list. This is Genetics for Life!   Genomax™: Led by household names including 0200HO07450 Amighetti Numero Uno, our rigorous selection standards ensure that these bulls are the industry’s finest genomic stars. New to this line-up in April are:  are:   0200AY00775         DES FLEURS PATRIOTE   0200HO02980        BENNER BRIGHTLITE 0200HO02981        BENNER SANTANA 0200HO06596        BOLDI AIRLIFT 0200HO03945        BOLDI V LIFELINE 0200HO06584        BRYHILL SCIENCE P 0200HO10000        COMESTAR LINEMAN 0200HO10016        CRACKHOLM LEJEUNE ACDC 0200HO06529        DYMENTHOLM SUNVIEW SETUP *RC 0200HO02998        EDG BLOOMINGTON 0200HO02999        EDG CALLAWAY 0200HO02954        EDG DUTY-FREE 0200HO03984        EDG LEGIBILITY 0200HO10032        EDG ... Read More...

With each genetic evaluation Holstein Canada recognizes sires that reach elite standards in production, conformation and also genetic indexes through their Superior Production (SP) and Superior Type (ST) programs. The following Semex sires have been recognized as Superior Production. Sires recognized for Superior Production, having combined genetic indexes for Fat and Protein in the top 5% of sires with official domestic proof in Canada. Sires must have reliability for Production of at least 91%. SCOVA SANDSTORM  (BONAIR x LOU)        VELTHUIS SHACKLETON  (ALEXANDER x BOLTON)     VELTHUIS SOPHOMORE  (PLANET x LOU)       WABASH-WAY EXCITE  (PLANET x SHOTTLE) The following Semex sires have been recognized for Superior Type. Sires recognized for Superior Type, having combined proofs for Conformation, Mammary System, Feet & Legs, Dairy Strength and Rump in the top 5% of sires with official domestic proofs. Sires must have a reliability of Conformation of at least 87%. BUTOISE MARVIN  (MILLION x GOLDWYN) DEWGOOD ADVANCE  (ALEXANDER x GOLDWYN) FLEURY AZTEC  (HOWIE x SHOTTLE) O-BEE KRUSADER  (PLANET x SHOTTLE) STANTONS POP  (HOWIE x SHOTTLE)  
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The April 2014 LPI & TPI proofs are now online on Semex's website at www.semex.com!   

We’re proud to share our Genetics for Life commitment with our customers worldwide each proof round. Genetic evaluations give us the opportunity to showcase the tremendous genetic potential our line-up has for GLPI, GTPI, Type, Net Merit $, Calving Ease and many other traits dairymen are interested in. 

Holstein Highlights:


Semex’s #1 LPI and #1 TPI sire 0200HO00402 Mainstream Manifold rises nine spots on LPI rankings while adding +1000 daughters to his production proof
#1 new release LPI sire is 0200HO06186 Blondin Careyprice (Goldwyn x Shottle x Barbies)


Jersey Highlights:


Semex has five of the top 10 young sires for GLPI and eight of the top 20!
0200JE00060 BW Renegade (Maximum x Centurion) is Semex’s #1 new release and #3 overall LPI sire
0200JE07756 Golden GDK Vivaldi (DJ Lix x Impuls) returns as #1 young sire for GLPI


Ayrshire Highlights:


#2 LPI Ayrshire sire 0200AY00680 Kamouraska Rockstar gaining 113 LPI points
#3 LPI Ayrshire sire 0200AY00699 Kamouraska Decaf
#4 LPI Ayrshire sire 0200AY00702 Lessard Jumper


To view video footage of many of Semex’s sires' daughters visit our Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/semexalliance

Additional information on these bulls including complete LPI and TPI data is available at www.semex.com 
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Semex is pleased to announce that Lowell Lindsay has been named World Dairy Expo's 2014 International Person of the Year. 

World Dairy Expo (WDE) along with the dairy industry will honor four exemplary dairy leaders this fall at the annual Dinner with the Stars Recognition Banquet held in conjunction with the global event in Madison, Wis. “Nominated by their industry peers, these leaders were selected for their outstanding contributions to the industry”, shared Scott Bentley, WDE General Manager. “Expo is truly excited to recognize them and share their life stories and impact with the dairy community."

The 2014 World Dairy Expo Recognition Award honorees are: Dairy Woman of the Year – Pam Bolin, Beaver Creek Farm, Clarksville, Iowa; Dairyman of the Year – James S. Huffard III, Huffard Dairy Farms; Duchess Dairy, Crockett, Va.; Industry Person of the Year – Dr. Curtis P. Van Tassell, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory, Beltsville, Md.; and International Person of the Year – Lowell D. Lindsay, Retired, Semex, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

These four award recipients will be honored at a formal celebration, including a reception and banquet on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 in the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. Tickets for this industry gala will be available at a later date.
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After working for an electrical company, Lyle Smith decided to buy a farm and started milking 70 cows in Winona County, Minnesota in 1973. He slowly started building up the herd, and when his son Dean joined him on the farm in 1995 after graduating from college they were milking 150 cows.

They gradually expanded the herd to 300 in 2002, and in 2007 they bought in with a neighbor that was milking 150 cows at the time, building a brand new state-of-the-art cross ventilated barn and expanding the herd to 1,000 cows. Just a few short years later they bought out their neighbour, and today the partnership consists of Dean, his brothers Greg and Randy, who also grain farm and supply the feed for the dairy. D&D Dairy LLP is a Holstein herd being milked on two locations, with the two-year-olds on the original home farm and second lactation and older cows in the new cross ventilation barn.

Smith’s philosophy of breeding for profitable cows and selecting for health in genetics is what led him to conversations with his Semex team about Immunity+™ in December of 2012.

“I know there are cows in my barn that I never see and I don’t know who they are because they never have a problem and they are paying their way,” said Smith. Before using Immunity+ sires he was selecting for Productive Life, Daughter Pregnancy Rate, Somatic Cell Count, Protein, Fat and Net Merit. Looking at each figure individually, while trying to find bulls to meet his criteria overall.

“Immunity+ bulls show a great balance of everything I was selecting for before, but now I have the science behind it to prove the health traits more accurately,” Dean says. “I am also more comfortable with the 25% heritability of Immunity+ than just Productive Life and other health traits alone. This will speed up the rate at which disease resistance is built up in my herd. Proven science is more attractive to me than a calculation.”

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The one constant in the beef world is change. The other, is that our market is a global market. In order to meet these changes and feed a growing world, nontraditional beef markets must grow and develop their own beef industry. And, in order for them to provide themselves with a consistent, high quality red meat product, we’re spending time with them. We’re listening to what they’re saying, learning from them and working hard to provide them with the resources they need to be successful. This change has dictated change in our Semex Beef program, and in just 10 years our program has come a long way. In 2003 we were sourcing genetics for just six breeds from only two countries. Fast forward 10 years, and we’re sourcing genetics from 14 countries, produced on five continents for 25 breeds! Our goal, however, remains the same… Provide the highest quality beef genetics to meet our clients’ needs worldwide. Russian Albeef Project In 2013, we began a pilot project in Russia’s Lipetsk Region known as the AlBeef Project. This project utilizes the Beef Solutions program from farm to fork. With approximately 20,000 cows, Semex is truly hands-on each and every day, managing all the necessary parts of this growing operation. This includes the cow-calf operation, feedlot, slaughter plant and on to the restaurants and super markets! Within this pilot project we will implement pasture management, nutrition management, facility design, herd health, traceability, breeding, genetics and staff training among other components vital to the operation. As Semex continues to grow our products and services, it is our goal to become a partner for our clients to ensure their success. Click here to read more. 
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