Company News

Semex’s Genomax program continues to be one of the most successful genomic sire programs worldwide, delivering and graduating some of the world’s most in-demand and profitable sires.

Leading the list of graduates in December is the new #12 High Ranking Sire at +2456, 0200HO02792 Sandy-Valley Saloon. A2A2™ sire Saloon brings excellent production and type traits to the table. No other sire in the top 20 can offer a complete package of +2217 PTAM, +143 combined Fat & Protein and +2.20 PTAT.

Also added was the breed's leading *RC sire, 0200HO02828 Dymentholm S Sympatico *RC, at +2371 with +1773 PTAM, great +73 lbs Fat, +4.2 PL, low 2.89 SCS and solid type. He's a Repromax™, HealthSmart™, Calving Ease™, Robot Ready™ and Red & White™ sire.

Never stronger, our Genomax lineup has over 300 active Holstein sires including 244 over +2300 GTPI, 175 over +2400 GTPI, 73 over +2500 GTPI as well as impressive averages of +550 NM$, +4.2 PL from 80 different sires and 65 maternal grandsires!

Topping this list:


0200HO10442 Sandy-Valley Afterburner: #1 Flame son at +2662 GTPI with great health traits of +5.3 PL, 2.72 SCS, 2.5 DPR, solid +2.13 PTAT. This HealthSmart and Robot Ready sire’s dam is a Mogul from VG-87 Amethyst, from VG-87 1* Planet Sapphire
0200HO10397 Stantons Draftpick: Early Main Event son at +2658 GTPI, with a +5.8 PL, 2.9 DPR, 5.6 CE, solid +2.15 PTAT and +767 NM$. This HealthSmart, Robot Ready and A2A2™ sire is from a VG-85 Mogul x extremely profitable vein of the Saturday family
0200HO10314 Zahbulls Governor: High-ranking Flame son at +2656 GTPI, offers an extremely low 2.53 SCS, 4.4 DPR with +2.22 PTAT and +2.21 UDC. From the same family as 1st Class, Governor’s dam is a VG-86 Supersonic then the popular Dorcy Glamour and nine more generations of VG and EX seedstock dams! He is a HealthSmart, Robot Ready and A2A2 sire


Other leading sires in the Genomax ... Read More...

Semex is pleased to announce that Steven Larmer will join its team as Global Dairy Solutions Coordinator effective October 26.

Reporting to Jay Shannon, Director, Global Marketing & Dairy Solutions, Steven will be a key contributor to ongoing sales tools and genetic solutions development, a technical lead of our exclusive Immunity+™ technology, contribute to our global genetic education program and work closely with our Product Development and Research Teams.

Steven is no stranger to the dairy industry from his involvement in his family farm, Vintage Land and Cattle Ltd in Ontario. Following his passion in his educational studies, Steven attended the University of Guelph completing his BSc in animal biology and his MSc in animal science. As his interest in research and genetics advanced, Steven is now in the final stage of completing his PhD in Animal Science, with a focus on dairy cattle breeding and genomics. 

“We are delighted to have Steven join our Semex team,” said Shannon. “He is a very talented individual who combines practical farm and industry experience with an extensive knowledge in genetics and genomics. We certainly look forward to his fresh approach in leading many progressive development initiatives on behalf of Semex.”

For additional information about Semex please visit www.semex.com
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Nearly 900 US dairymen from coast to coast entered in Semex’s #takehomebrenda draw for a high GTPI Immunity+ sired daughter while at World Dairy Expo (WDE). Sired by 0200HO06639 Stantons Pulsar, give-away calf Pulsar Brenda is +2569 GTPI, ranking her in the top 1% of the breed.

Dean Meinholz of Blue Star Dairy Farms, DeForest, Wisconsin is the winner of Pulsar Brenda. Blue Star Dairy is home to 2500 cows on three locations, has over 4000 acres of land and averages over 90 lbs milk/cow/day. Family owned and operated for several generations, is a family partnership on three locations north of Madison, Wisconsin. The original dairy in Middleton milks 470 cows and raises its own replacement heifers. The DeForest farm milks 800 cows and the Arlington farm milks 1200 cows. Congratulations to the Meinholz family!

“We’re excited that Pulsar Brenda is going to such a great home. Blue Star is a modern, family operation that raises their own replacements and knows the value of healthy calves and heifers,” says Paul Krueger, Immunity+ Global Brand Manager and Director, Sales and Business Development, United States. “At World Dairy Expo people were eager to not only register for the calf, but to find out what kind of economic impact Immunity+ can have on their own herd. It’s a completely unique trait and at 30% heritability, it’s an easy decision to use. Our customers are telling us that in both their milking in heifer herds they’re seeing less mortality, diseases, lameness and more. Immunity+ is making a difference.”

Semex thanks all those who visited the Semex Tent and WDE and entered to win. If you would like to find out more about Immunity+ or any of Semex’s suite of solutions, ask your Semex Representative or visit www.semex.com

 
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As one of the world’s fastest growing genetics companies, Semex is proud of its industry-leading Genomax™ lineup. From the stud that delivered household names including Numero Uno, Facebook and now Doorman, Semex is pleased to announce new additions to the Genomax roll including: 


0200HO03949 Ladys-Manor Olympian #1 *RC son, 0200HO10420 Ste Odile Apogee *RC: Apogee is a HealthSmart™, Robot Ready™ and Red&White™ sire at +2526 GTPI and +619 NM$, with +4.6 PL, +3.5 DPR and low 2.82 SCS, making him the #4 sire of the breed for Red/*RC sires! Apogee is available beginning September 28.
The only Immunity+™ Camaro son available, 0200HO10440 IHG Complex (Camaro x Mogul x Observer): Complex carries impressive numbers of +2517 GTPI, +7.0 PL, low 5.9% CE and +730 NM$ that also makes him a HealthSmart sire. Complex is available beginning September 28.
The world’s #1 0200HO06551 Vieuxsaule Flame son, 0200HO10442 Sandy-Valley Afterburner (Flame x Mogul x Iota): Afterburner is also Semex’s #1 GTPI Genomax sire available at +2691 with +794 NM$, +80 Fat, +6.0 PL, +2.7 DPR with +2.09 PTAT and +2.03 FLC. Dairymen worldwide are excited for this #1 Flame son and demand is expected to be hot! Afterburner is available beginning October 5.


Ask your Semex representative today about adding Apogee *RC, Complex, Afterburner or any of Semex’s leading genomic young sires in the Genomax lineup today! For additional information on Semex, Genomax, Immunity+, HealthSmart, Robot Ready or any of Semex’s products or services visit www.semex.com
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With the recent news showing that Semex’s patented Immunity+™ is now 30% heritable, the industry’s focus on disease resistance and Semex has never been greater. At World Dairy Expo (WDE), Semex is encouraging visitors to stop by the Semex Tent and see for themselves how Immunity+ can make a difference in their own herds’ health through less disease, fewer reproductive problems and reduced culling. “We see a huge benefit for our customers, especially with the reliability now at 30%,” says Paul Krueger, Immunity+ Global Brand Manager and Director, Sales and Business Development, United States. “Real world data in both milking and heifer herds show less mortality, diseases, lameness and more. The economic value associated with this is significant, and we’re anxious to share it with clients at the Semex Tent.”   “But maybe more exciting, is what we consider to be the best offer we’ve ever had at WDE,” says Krueger. “Semex is giving away a high GTPI Immunity+ sired daughter. Entry is easy, and you get a free hat while supplies last. You just can’t go wrong with an offer like this!”   WDE visitors are encouraged to visit the Semex Tent and enter to win Pulsar Brenda, an elite 0200HO06639 Stantons Pulsar daughter that ranks in the top 1% of the breed for GTPI at +2569. Also on display will be daughters of the following popular Immunity+ sires: 0200HO07450 Amighetti Numero Uno 0200HO00560 Monument Impression 0200HO03753 Marbri Facebook 0200HO02714 Springway Celebrate To find out more about Immunity+ or any of Semex’s suite of solutions, stop by the Semex Tent at WDE or by visiting www.semex.com If you can’t be with us at this year’s WDE, we encourage you to follow Semex on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and search #semextent and #takehomebrenda for all the latest news from Semex at the show! 
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As the only company offering immune genetics for greater disease resistance, Semex is excited to announce that dairymen everywhere can feel even more confident in Immunity+™ as recent studies show heritability to be 30%. “This is huge,” says Paul Krueger, Immunity+ Global Brand Manager and Director, Sales and Business Development, United States. “Our clients worldwide have been looking for a simple, genetic answer to herd health and Immunity+ is it! It’s got 20 years of research behind it, over 100 published papers and is proven to reduce disease incidence by at least 4-8%. With heritability estimated at 30% it’s one of the easiest decisions you can make to improve the health of your entire herd.” The original immune response research, based on a population of females tested for immune response, estimated heritabilities of 29% for Antibody-Mediated Immune Response (AMIR), 19% for Cell-Mediated Immune Response (CMIR) and 25% for overall Immune Response. Over the past 12 months, there have been two separate genome association studies conducted where as part of each study, the heritabilities for AMIR and CMIR were reestimated. The first study published one year ago was based on a moderate population size including only males tested for immune response, and the latest study just completed was based on a much larger group of both males and females. The two studies showed very similar heritabilities of 46% and 44% for AMIR, and both had a matching heritability of 22% for CMIR. The three research studies were combined to calculate the new 30% heritability figure for overall immune response. For more information on Semex, Immunity+ or any of Semex’s products and services visit www.semex.com
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Many past Genomax stars have gone on to be among the world’s most sought after proven sires. This includes 0200HO07450 Amighetti Numero Uno, now ranking #12 on Holstein USA's Top 100 TPI International list at +2407 GTPI. And, in Canada, Numero Uno gained over 250 LPI points since April, ranking him #2 for LPI and #4 for the brand new Pro$. Graduating from the Genomax program in August is the highly-anticipated 0200HO02770 Sully Hart Meridian (Domain x Planet x Shottle) who is the best option in the Top 100 TPI International list for dairymen looking for milk and type at +1865 PTAM and +2.87 PTAT, and he ranks as #25 overall at +2333 GTPI! He's A2A2™, Calving Ease™, Repromax™ and a Show Time™ sire that is extremely popular worldwide. ‪ Thirty-nine new Holstein bulls by 22 different sires joined the Genomax lineup in August. Twenty-five of these new bulls are over +2450 GTPI, 25 over $600 NM$ and 12 over +2500 GTPI. Topping this list are: 0200HO10376 De-Su Galapagos, the breed’s #1 GTPI Deductive son from a VG-85 Mogul x Superstition then EX-92 DOM 2* Goldwyn ATM and multiple generations of VG dams. Galapagos is +2599 GTPI, $730 NM$, +2.07 PTAT, +2.15 UDC, +6.8 PL, +3.6 DPR, 2.70 SCS and he is an Immunity+, A2A2, HealthSmart and Robot Ready sire. 0200HO10446 De-Su Conspire is the breed’s #1 GTPI Crabtree son from a Mogul out of VG-85 Watson who is also the dam of Balisto, Davinci and Itunes. Next dam is VG-86 DOM 1* Pine-Tree Missy Miranda, EX-92-3E GMD DOM Rudy Missy and many more VG dams. Conspire is +2571 GTPI, $739 NM$, +7.9 PL, 2.64 SCS, +3.8 DPR, 5.7% CE and is Immunity+, A2A2 and HealthSmart 0200HO10296 Progenesis Doc is an early Flame son from a Supersire out of Die-Hard from the same family as 0200HO10446 De-Su Conspire. Doc is +2569 GTPI, $748 NM$, +0.23% Fat, 90 lbs Fat, +6.1 PL, 2.60 SCS, +2.22 PTAT and a HealthSmart sire. Other leading sires in the Genomax lineup include: #1 PTAT sire 0200HO10036 OH-River-SYC Byway (Meridian ... Read More...

Dairy producers worldwide are raving about the benefits of Semex’s exclusive Immunity+™ sires. As ‘real farm’ performance data accumulates, more clients, veterinarians and processors are excited to improve their own herds’ health naturally. Based on the HIR (High Immune Response) technology developed by Dr. Bonnie Mallard and her colleagues at the University of Guelph, the research surrounding this technology spans decades. It shows that HIR cows have 19-30% lower disease incidence compared to herd averages. These cows also 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. And, most importantly, Immunity+ works. “It really ensures your herd is healthy, that your herd is looked after and it increases your return on investment,” says Paul Krueger, Semex Immunity+ Global Brand Manager. “For the first time ever we can identify the genetic link to immunity… How the animal responds to disease. No other product or solution available has this, or is 25% heritable with immediate effects… This starts at birth, there’s no wait.” In August 2015 Semex has: 12 Genomax Immunity+ bulls over +2500 GTPI 45 Genomax Immunity+ bulls over +2400 GTPI Two new Holstein proven and 10 new Genomax™ sires with Genomax sires averaging over +2500 GTPI One new Jersey Immunity+ sire: 0200JE01026 Faria Brothers Luda For more information on Semex, Genetics for Life, Immunity+, Genomax sires or any of Semex’s brands visit: www.semex.com 
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Dairymen and markets wanting to increase the A2 allele prevalence in their herds can now easily access Semex’s A2A2 sires by clicking the A2A2 link under 'dairy' at www.semex.com  This list of both high reliability and Genomax™ Holsteins, Jerseys and Ayrshires includes a diverse lineup of 75 proven and 90 Genomax Holstein sires, 16 proven and 35 Genomax Jersey sires and eight proven and four Genomax Ayrshire sires.  This group includes 0200HO02698 Misty Springs Supersonic, 0200HO06320, Cangen Pinkman and new releases 0200HO02770 Sully Hart Meridian and 0200HO02783 Danhof Detroit as well as 17 Genomax Holstein sires over +2500 GTPI.    Check them out today! 
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It is with profound sadness that Semex and EastGen announce the passing of a prominent figure in the legacy of our companies. Wilbur Shantz passed away peacefully on the morning of July 19, 2015, at the age of 87.  Born on a farm in Pinehill, Wilmot Township, Wilbur began his career in 1952 as a technician inseminator with the Waterloo Cattle Breeding Association. In 1963 he was named General Manager of that organization. In 1968 (after an amalgamation of the Lambton, Waterloo and Central Cattle Breeding associations), Wilbur was chosen for the role of Operations Manager of United Breeders Inc. (UBI), Guelph, Ontario. Recognized for his great leadership skills and business sense, he was appointed General Manager of UBI in 1985, a role he continued to fulfill until his retirement in 1992. Well-respected within the A.I. industry, Wilbur served on several boards of directors and was past president of the Ontario Association of Animal Breeders (1965 & 1966), Canadian Association of Animal Breeders (1990), and Semex Canada (1992) prior to the forming of The Semex Alliance. Wilbur also assumed the role of Interim General Manager of Semex Canada from 1995-1996. During his distinguished career, Wilbur worked with industry colleagues to develop sophisticated young sire proving programs, and led the industry to build large semen inventories from young sires awaiting proof. The increased availability of top sires enabled Canadian breeders to establish the country as a world leader in genetic material and generated millions of dollars in live cattle and semen exports. He also initiated training courses for Ontario farmers and helped initiate reward incentive programs for herds utilizing breed improvement tools. “Wilbur Shantz will be forever recognized as a leader who was instrumental in building a strong foundation for the Canadian bovine genetics industry that today is recognized as a world leader,” said EastGen General Manager Brian ... Read More...