Company News

Semex has strengthened the number of Immunity+ sires available to UK dairy farmers with another four entering the fold recently, bringing the number of these unique award winning, health-boosting sires to 69, with the selection offering breeding solutions for all systems. With their release coinciding with the April Proof Run, their introduction expands the choice further because three of the new sires possess the A2A2 gene, and two of which are available as Sexed.

With the focus on herd health and reduced antibiotic usage on farm increasing, Immunity+’s proven ability to deliver disease reducing benefits that significantly improve animal health and welfare has seen an increased demand on these sires, says the company.

The four latest introductions are:

Stantons USEFUL YODER x CAMARO x MOGUL
Westoast ARDOR DRAFTPICK x MVP x EPIC
Stantons ALLIGATOR KINGBOY x MCCUTCHEN x OBSERVER
Sandy-Valley SEAWARD HANG-TIME x JABIR x NUMERO UNO

These sires have a blend of different pedigrees and complement Immunity+ daughters currently on the ground in the UK.

Stantons USEFUL, (£663 PLI), traces back to Larcrest Cosmopolitan and scores +2.35 on the new UKTM (+2.24 US PTAT). Moderate on stature and wide chested, as expected, he transmits high daughter fertility (+10.1) and long lifespan (+0.5). With moderate milk, positive deviations for fat and protein, and being an A2A2 carrier he’s a bull that easily fits into any breeding program. He’s also suitable for robotic milking systems. USEFUL is also available Sexed.

Westcoast ARDOR (£678 PLI), is out of Gold-N-Oaks MVP Aria2185, who already has several sons at Semex, including the hugely popular Westcoast ALCOVE. He scores +1.70 on the new UKTM (+1.97 US PTAT). As with USEFUL this sire offers moderate stature and chest width and transmits high daughter fertility (+11.3) and long lifespan (+0.6). With +591 KG milk, positive constituent deviations and the A2A2 gene he also fits easily into any breeding program. ARDOR is also suitable for robots.

Stantons ALLIGATOR, (£381 PLI), traces back to Lead-Mae via the elite brood cow Wabash-Way Emily Ann and scores +1.60 on the new UKTM listings (+3.35 US PTAT). ALLIGATOR’s main selling point is his strength, transmitting chest width, frame and body. Consequently he will cross well on smaller cows that need more size and capacity. ALLIGATOR is also available Sexed.

Sandy-Valley SEAWARD £660 PLI traces back to elite brood cow Sandy-Valley Plane Sapphire, dam of Sandy-Valley SALOON and scores +0.97 on the new UKTM (+2.42 US PTAT). Another sire to offer high milk (+735 kg), combined with positive deviations for fat & protein he scores high on fertility index (+8.3) and lifespan (+0.3). SEAWARD also adds frame and capacity to a breeding program. He is another A2A2 sire.

UK Sales Manager Michael Dennison commented: “Some 22 years ago Semex saw the light on herd health by uniquely spotting the potential of Dr Bonnie Mallard’s High Immune Response research. Our adoption of the technology via Immunity+ six years ago by farmers has contributed to them making significant strides towards improving herd health by increasing disease resistance through genetics.”

This was formally recognised by the RABDF at DairyTech in February this year, where it won the Royal Award for Innovation for its results in the field.

“Many herds are now having third generation Immunity+ calves being born, which will have enhanced genes to help defend them against disease, whether mastitis, digital dermatitis, scours, metritis or other problem areas. The results from the field are showing a lower incidence of all main diseases amongst daughters of Immunity+ sires, and Semex is committed to ensuring as wide a range as possible of sires with these highly heritable genes are available to UK dairy farmers. With further new technology on the horizon which will Elevate herd health to new levels, this year promises to be an exciting one for our clients,” he added.