CONTACT: Jaclyne Hamlett
(608) 846-1418

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ABS LAUNCHES NEW GMS PROGRAM

DEFOREST, WISCONSIN - July 20, 2004 – ABS Global has announced the launching of a new and improved Genetic Management System® (GMS®).

“We are pleased to offer customers several exciting new and flexible options for their herd breeding programs,” said Amy Knuth, GMS Manager. “It utilizes the most comprehensive group of traits available today and performs the deepest inbreeding and recessive checks of any multi-breed program.”

A few of the new options include more bull selection options through Genetic Critera, new Production Indexes, and updated Conformation Formulas to develop the type of dairy cow desired to be milked in the future. GMS is now one of the only systems that allows sire selection for Productive Life and utilizes this trait in the mating process. Traits such as Somatic Cell Score (SCS), Udder Composite, Feet and Leg Composite and others are also factored in to achieve a consistent herd to manage.

An updated Grassland formula for dairy producers wanting smaller-stature animals with more strength and capacity, more suited to grazing or confinement situations, is just one of five Conformation options that GMS offers producers. Intensive Management, Show Type, Udder or Feet and Leg emphasis may also be selected by the producer to develop the type of animal that is right for their management style.

A couple additional genetic changes of the program include improving inbreeding and recessive protection. Inbreeding is closely monitored, as GMS analyzes up to six generations of pedigrees, checking not only the common sires, but also the common females. In addition, recessive traits are scrutinized more thoroughly through the newly launched GMS.

Other new features of the improved GMS program include additional reports available for producers. Producers now have the opportunity to receive a Type Audit Graph, which includes trends in the herd’s overall type, udder composite, and feet and legs composite. They also can receive a Herd Inbreeding Report that reveals the most common sires in the herd’s lineage, and the expected inbreeding average and trends.

Another additional option includes the ability of the GMS Evaluators to select reports and e-mail them to customers. With the implementation of the new GMS Program, ABS Global continues to be at the forefront by offering our customers the latest tools for their reproductive and herd management programs.

Headquartered in DeForest, Wisconsin, ABS Global is the world-leading provider of bovine genetics, reproduction services, technologies and uddercare products. Marketing in more than 70 countries around the globe, ABS has been at the forefront of animal genetics and technology since its founding in 1941. ABS Global is part of Genus Breeding, a division of Genus plc.

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To receive the contents of this release electronically, please contact Alice Langer at alanger@absglobal.com, or (608) 846-6203.

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