CONTACT: Emily Yeiser (410) 353-9532 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ABS GLOBAL HOSTS OVER 100 INDIVIDUALS ON WDE FARM TOURSDEFOREST, WISCONSIN – November 3, 2008- Over 100 individuals from around the globe attended the 2008 ABS Global World Dairy Expo Tour held October 1-3. This tour showcased a number of ABS’ most elite cooperator herds throughout Wisconsin which utilize ABS programs and services including GMS® (Genetic Management System®), RMS® (Reproductive Management System®) and ABS Cornerstone®. The tour featured a variety of herds ranging from tie-stall to freestall operations in addition to varying management styles. Dolph Dairy LLC, owned and operated by Donald, Pat, Chet and Patty Dolph, was the first stop on the tour. The dairy currently milks 400 cows and has an RHA of 30,000 lbs. At Dolph’s, the tour participants were able to see all aspects of the dairy ranging from their ration to progeny of service sires. Dolph’s have been a GMS herd for 25 years and the excellent results from this program were evidenced by the consistency throughout the group of cows seen at the farm. Best known for the internationally recognized brood cow Krull Broker Elegance, Krull Farms allowed tour participants to view an extremely high caliber of animals and the operation during the second tour stop. Krull’s currently milk 55 cows in a tie-stall barn in addition to raising heifers in a new heifer and dry cow facility. Current sires being used in the herd include ABS leaders SHOTTLE and DUNDEE. In the future, the Krulls would like to see their children become a part of the operation while also continuing to expand their cattle’s marketability worldwide. The Krulls were also generous enough to provide lunch for the tour participants. The first tour day ended at R & G Miller and Sons—a family-owned organic dairy operation that milks 350 cows in a 30-stall Rotaflo™ rotary parlor. The farm has been certified as organic since 1997 which has required them to grow the majority of their own crops on over 1,600 acres of land. ABS Representative, Travis Chapman is actively involved in the breeding program at R & G, utilizing both GMS and RMS programs extensively. The following day of farm visits featured two more elite herds with which ABS has an extensive relationship. Sandy-Valley Farms, breeders of the influential ABS bulls BOLTON and SANDY, showed off members of these outstanding cow families. Susie Martin, ABS Regional Sire Analyst has a great relationship with the Bauer family and explained the strength of all the cows that she has worked with at Sandy-Valley. They run an intensive flush program on their two-year-olds and proven cows. Any of the cows that aren’t being flushed are used as embryo recipients. Sandy-Valley’s goal for the future is to breed the number one TPI bull and number one bull with 97% reliability for type and production. A favorite stop for the tour participants was the next stop at Ebert Enterprises LLC. Randy Ebert and his family milk 1,400 cows with 18 full-time and 6 part-time employees. Ebert’s are innovators within the industry featuring tunnel ventilated barns and a recently added manure separator. Ebert’s are also expanding with a new barn being built, due to be completed before winter. They utilize both the RMS and GMS programs from ABS along with being on the ABS Cornerstone program. The group of cattle on display ranged from multi-lactation DIE-HARD, GARRISON and REECE progeny, along with some daughters of the newer bulls including JEEVES. After two full days of tours, the group was treated the next morning to a complimentary breakfast at the new production facility at ABS Dekorra. Completed prior to World Dairy Expo, this is the second of four barns that ABS plans to build to house and sample 350 additional bulls. The facility is top of the line and the group was excited to see the growth potential of ABS for the future. Finally, to conclude the tour, the group visited Ripps Dairy Valley, located just 5 miles from ABS Headquarters in DeForest, Wisconsin. Ripps Dairy Valley is a complete ABS cooperator herd working with ABS Independent Representative, Travis Chapman. The farm has been utilizing both RMS and GMS programs for 11 years. This herd has undergone three major expansions and is currently building another barn for its fourth. Their new calf facility is top of the line and all of their facilities and management is focused around productivity, efficiency and cow comfort. ABS would like to thank each of these dairies for opening their doors to this extremely successful event. Everyone within the tour group greatly appreciated the dairies’ willingness to work with ABS and look forward to working with them in the future. 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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