Raising the Bar on Technician Service

“There are no shortcuts to making exceptional technicians.”

Just over two years ago, a long-time technician with All West/Select Sires had a vision to develop not only a great technician team, but an exceptional one. This gentleman, a lifelong resident of California’s Central Valley, knew that as the number of dairy operations continued to shrink, the competition for semen sales and service would only intensify. And if that was truly the case, All West needed to be ready with a well-equipped team of arm service people who could go above & beyond anything the industry has experienced.

Meet Harry Anderson. Within minutes of talking with Harry, you’ll not only notice his ever-present smile, but his passion for excellence. For him, that passion is seen in his family, church involvement, and his business, Anderson’s Breeding Service. It’s also overflowed into the All West Technician Team.

“My dad started an A.I. business the year I was born, 1951, and I’m still operating that 60+ years later. I’ve been managing the business on my own for 44 years in, and around, Modesto, so you could say I’ve got a little bit of experience under my belt! My main goal has always been taking care of the customers so that they reach their maximum reproductive herd efficiency. If they are successful, then so am I!”

Why develop a ProTECH program?

Harry and his team of employed technicians, have worked closely with All West for a number of years. As the industry was changing, Harry saw a definite need to expand and specialize the technician training program that was currently in place. “You know, a technician can only do as good as the dairy can do. I like to think of the dairy being run by a sports team, where the technician is the quarterback, the dairyman is the coach, the veterinarian is the running back, the herdsmen are the receivers, and the nutritionist is the offensive line. Together they need to get cows in the best shape possible because that’s where the game is won or lost. Our technicians can only ‘win’ when the whole team wins.”

Our All West “quarterbacks” then need to get schooled on the best “plays” to use in the game, and also on personal conduct. The ProTECH program, which involves multiple weeks of on-farm and classroom training, does just that. Technicians who have little experience, and even those with years of arm service to their credit, all get treated the same and have identical opportunities to fine-tune their business. This “never stop learning” mentality runs throughout the All West organization, and in fact, Harry even attends the DCRC (Dairy Cattle Reproductive Council) meetings each year because he feels there’s always something new to learn.

“What we’re teaching in the ProTECH program isn’t any earth shattering, secret news, but rather intense practices to dial-in on precision, consider the longer-range effects of reproductive health, and learn ways to up their game in terms of personal development. There’s no other training to this level in the industry, and we’re pretty excited about the results we’ve already been seeing! In fact, our graduates have increased their technician performance by leaps and bounds, some reaching 45-50% and higher conception rates!”

The ProTECH program enables trained technicians to get to the real reason behind reproductive inefficiencies in a herd, as well as equipping them to evaluate and make breeding decisions that they may not have considered before. “Through this program, our graduates learn the real value of being a technician, and in all reality, they don’t COST the dairy money, they MAKE them money.”

There is a downside to the program, Harry concedes. “Our technicians/sales team will sell less semen because cows get pregnant! BUT, the dairyman doesn’t have to buy as much semen in the long run, so that allows him/her to invest in better genetics!”

Harry has worked closely with Select Reproductive Solutions Specialist (SRS) Greg Collins in the Turlock, CA, office to execute the ProTECH educational program. To date, about 10 technicians have graduated (with flying colors) and more are in the process of receiving their certification. It requires a significant commitment to education and practice on the technician’s part, and All West is encouraged by the number of techs who are eager to earn the ProTECH degree.

In the coming months, we’ll be talking more about ProTECH with instructor Greg Collins, as well as some graduates of the program and their customers. Stay tuned for more on this revolutionary new program!

California native Harry Anderson has spent his life helping dairy producers and technicians, alike, improve reproductive herd efficiencies. And now he’s issuing the challenge to step it up a notch through ProTECH!

Every member of the All West team has numerous opportunities to increase their knowledge through classes, webinars and on-site training. Here, a group of technicians from Washington and California get trained on reproductive tracts, just part of the ProTECH training program. As Harry Anderson stated, “We can never forget that the ultimate goal of ProTECH is to improve reproductive performance through advanced A.I. training. Extensive and on-going training is the key! Go ProTECH!”