Kevin Jorgensen, Holstein Sire Analyst, Select Sires, Inc

Hello to everyone in the All West/Select Sires market area! I hope this summer finds you well and has been drier in your area than back in the Midwest where everything from planting to haymaking is well behind schedule.

With August Sire Summaries around the corner, I thought it might be better to share with you what I have had the opportunity to see in my recent travels rather than to make any predictions on what may happen on proof day, which is August 13, 2019.  After all, what really matters is the results in the barn! I love looking at cows and have spent most of that time in the Midwest this summer, but will be traveling to All West Territory very soon.

One of the most encouraging things is that overall, two-year-old pens continue to be packed with great young cows that are performing well for our customer owners.  As a sire team, we strive to create sires that have value for you, our member/owners, and although we are never satisfied and always work to improve, it is gratifying to see great results in the field.

The daughter group that I have looked at the most this summer has been sired by the current star of our genomic young sire group the past year; 7HO12788 FRAZZLED.  My travels have taken me to see over 50 Frazzled daughters the past few months and they are some of the most exciting young cows in the field. His daughters are MUCH better uddered than his sire and the quality and texture of the udders is probably most impressive. They will be a commercial producer’s dream as they are trouble free cows that have a bit more set to the leg and great mobility. The Frazzled’s are perhaps not 100-pound cows a week fresh, but once they get going, they are off to the races! They get better every day and have been milking better at 100 days than at 30 days fresh. He reminds me of a modern-day O-Man in his ability to make commercial friendly cows that breed back and don’t spend much time in the hospital barn. It will be exciting to see what his progeny proof is in August, but we will perhaps have a clearer picture of his true rank in December 2019.

Another group that has been consistently impressive have been the 7HO12787 KING ROYAL daughters.  As one of Kingboy’s earliest sons, he was used heavily and from what I have seen so far, he is going to make a great impact for our customers. The udders on the King Royal’s have been phenomenal and are average to slightly above averaged sized, but perhaps better on their feet and legs than his sire. His daughters are very balanced cows, calve easy and look great even in the fresh pen. I have high expectations for King Royal, but I think he is going to meet them.

From the Accelerated Genetics Holstein product line the brightest stars have been the 14HO7770 HELIX daughters. He graduated in April 2019 and debuted as a Top 20 GTPI proven sire and the more I see, the better I like them. His daughters have the kind of udders you would expect from a sire that is +2.12 UDC, but most impressive have been how well they are milking. Helix has sired more 100 pound two-year-olds than any other daughter group I have viewed! They are good young cows that get better and better.

Another sire I want to mention is 7HO13250 JEDI. Several of his daughters are now fresh for the second time. They were extremely good cows in first lactation but as second lactation cows, they are complete money-making machines! Several of the daughters I have viewed are well over 150 pounds in second lactation and some even up to 175 pounds per day. We are aware that he has two items he needs to be protected in; most notably Fat percent and his daughters are straight in their rear legs, but those are things that we can use Frazzled and his sons to improve. History is going to look back at Jedi as a constructor bull that will be good to have in pedigrees as he adds the will to milk like few other bulls. Jedi’s breed easy and hold their condition making him very, very commercial friendly. I have been a Jedi fan from the start and I continue to be.

From a high type perspective, the daughters of 7HO12587 DIAMONDBACK, 250HO12589 JACOBY and 7HO12773 KENOSHA have all caught my eye. Several Diamondback and Jacoby daughters continue to win at shows across North America and are meeting the discriminating breeders stamp of approval. The Kenosha daughters have been first calving this spring and summer, but I really like how long bodied they are. Their udders have been well above the hocks with great attachments and he has a very good chance to be added to the progeny proven lineup next month as well. The 7HO13730 UNDENIED heifers are winning in many of the heifer classes and the first 7HO13839 TATOO daughters are starting to show. At the recent Wisconsin State Championship show, the All-Wisconsin Spring calf was actually sired by Tatoo. 

I look forward to being back on the west coast soon to see what is new in your area as well but overall, it is a great time to be Select Sires customer! We have the most diverse lineup in the industry and can meet the needs of you and your neighbors, regardless of selection criteria. Thanks again for your loyalty to the cooperative! If you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

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