Semex sires prove their worth

Apr 8 2008 The Journal

SEMEX sires have taken over the latest Canadian proof round, with an outstanding 71 out of the top 100 sires belonging to the leading breeding company.

Equally noteworthy is the performance of its sires in terms of the Canadian Proofs’ Lifetime Profitability Index (LPI), claiming four out of the top five rankings.

Kerndtway Howie, a Morty son from the highly-regarded Henkeseen M Hillary family, stars as the highest newcomer in this proof round at No.3 LPI and +15 Conformation – now the leading son of Morty.

The daughters of this high-type sire have tremendous dairy strength and silky udders capable of producing very high yields of milk, fat and protein.

No.1 Conformation and No.2 LPI sire Braedale Goldwyn, described as the “hottest bull on the planet” after his progeny made record-breaking prices at recent sales in the UK, continues making his mark with second-crop daughters contributing to a proof that has milk, high components, low somatic cell count and exceptional all-round type.

Out of the same dam as Goldwyn (Braedale Baler Twine) comes Allen son, Magor Baroque Allen, at +13 Conformation and +12 Mammary in Canada.

His full brother, Magor Bolivia Allen, who had his first proof in January, continues to rank highly for PTA Type in the US at 3.49 and has a very desirable combination of +385kg Milk, +0.16% Fat and 0.00% Protein in the UK.

Braedale Bambam and Pagewire are also from Goldwyn’s dam and sired by Igniter and Inquirer respectively.

Bambam enjoys a significant increase in his UK Type Merit rating to land at +2.97.

With a respectable milk figure, very high fat% and positive protein% and +2.90 on Mammary, he is making the kind of cows that will last for many profitable lactations. Similarly, Pagewire’s second-lactation daughters in Canada are demonstrating their superb udder texture, allowing them to comfortably handle very high yields.

Showing that Semex is not just about cows for high-input systems, Glenhaven Carnival, the highest new entrant in January, retains the No. 4 LPI slot.

This confirms his potential as a sire suitable for any system, due to his ability to breed medium-sized cows with extremely high fat and protein and exceptional health and fertility traits.

Morningview Ashlar is another impressive package delivering medium-sized cows with stunning udders (+2.82 UK Mammary), high components and low somatic cell count.

Gordon Miller, Semex UK’s managing director, said their commitment to quality across the board meant that they had a vast array of sires to suit all dairy farmers.