Company News

Semex is pleased to announce that Jacob Leum has joined the Semex Team as the Jersey Product Development Lead effective August 1.   Reporting to Jay Shannon, Director, Genetic Programs & Solutions, Jacob will implement and monitor Semex's Jersey product strategy, aligning with changing international market demands. Additionally, he will work with the Product Development Team to develop long-term relationships with genetic suppliers globally, coordinate Semex's internal female program and provide integral product support to foster sales worldwide.   "Jacob brings both the knowledge and passion for the Jersey breed we've been looking for," says Shannon. "We're excited to have him join our Product Development Team and lead our growing Jersey product lineup. As Semex's global client base continues to grow, so does the demand for more great Jersey bulls. Jacob is the ideal candidate to meet this growth and propel our 200JE lineup further!"   Most recently, Jacob was the US and Canadian Business Development Manager for Evolution International, a French AI company. In this role, he developed the organization's first North American sales network, built relationships with associations, finalized research partnerships and developed key infrastructure for additional employees. Previous to that, he was Accelerated Genetics' Jersey Marketing Specialist, linking the marketing, sales and genetics teams to maximize communication flow and effectiveness. A lifetime Jersey enthusiast, Jacob grew up on his family's Jersey farm before receiving his animal science degree with an emphasis in dairy and minor in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
... Read More...

Born from the need to finally solve on-farm disease, Immunity+’s +20 years of scientific research at the University of Guelph in Canada, and additional five years of real world, on-farm data tell us that Immunity+ is a trait with no equal.   “It really is a unique trait that does not change proof round to proof round,” says says Dr. Steven Larmer, Semex Dairy Solutions Coordinator. “Once a bull is tested and designated Immunity+ it never changes. That’s it. He’s Immunity+ forever.”   At 30% heritable, and with data collected from over 35 large, commercial herds that analyzed 30,000 cows and 75,000 heifers, the results spoke for themselves.   “Immunity+ has no equal,” says Larmer. “We saw reductions in every major disease seen, ranging anywhere from 5-20% in animals by Immunity+ sires. Most often it was mastitis, lameness and mortality.”   Five years ago Semex answered the call of dairymen everywhere who wanted to breed more healthy cows with the launch of Immunity+, offering a true genetic solution to health traits. Since then dairymen around the world have seen for themselves the results of breeding healthier herds with Semex’s Immunity+ lineup.   “Worldwide dairymen are frustrated with how to best manage disease,” says Paul Krueger, Semex Vice President, US Sales & Global Marketing. “They want to know that what they’re  using as a method to improve their herd’s health is working, and that the goal posts aren’t changing. With Immunity+ they know what they’re getting and that it will not change. It’s proven both scientifically with the results to back it up. There is no equal when it comes to breeding for disease resistance.”   “Dairymen expect the best genetics possible,” says Krueger. “With Immunity+ there’s no worries. These bulls must pass the same stringent requirements we have for all 200 stud code sires. The difference is that these bulls have a unique, constant trait that makes them even ... Read More...

Some more exciting news for our Component Breed enthusiasts including the launch of an outstanding new high LPI Genomax sire bred by local breeders Todd and Ron Visser of Visserdale Farms (Portland, Ontario). Visserdale Sutter comes from the "Selena" family which includes the famous "Selena 3" - the 2014 Wes McConnell Trophy winner for highest composite BCA. "Selena 3" was also a major contributor to the Visser family winning their Master Breeder Shield in 2015
... Read More...

The great news never stops! Some really super new additions this round including the long-awaited arrival of the richly-bred KH Cinderdoor, Claynook Tonka and ABH Gentle. Our team has prepared an unprecidented list of
... Read More...

Genetic strategy has changed forever. What has changed in the market to make this happen? With the continued increase in fertility, sexed semen now has a place in every herd. Getting heifers from your best genetics just makes sense. No longer is genetic strategy just about matching the right sire to the right
cow. It�s now about
... Read More...

Learn more about Immunity+ from Semex's Global Dairy Solutions Coordinator Steve Larmer and be sure to mark your calendars for our upcoming Immunity+ Summer Event being held in Kemptville, Ontario. There is also lots of sire information and details about our Genetic Advisors, the 2018 Dairy Edge Event and
... Read More...

This designation recognizes staff who demonstrate a commitment to partnering with clients to achieve or exceed their specific genetic goals.

GUELPH, ONTARIO �In 2017 a Genetic Advisor designation was developed to meet the demands of the evolving role EastGen Sales Representatives have in genetic consultation. Recognizing that on-farm results are driven by strong reproductive consultation, genetic advice and new technology, the newly developed title is unique to EastGen.

Genetic Advisors receive this designation following a
... Read More...

Five years after the introduction of Immunity+®, the revolutionary, award-winning genetic technology that was developed by Dr Bonnie Mallard at the University of Guelph, Semex is taking the next step and bringing it to clients worldwide. With the Elevate program, Semex is now offering a genomic test that ranks and selects cows based on their genetic merit along with their Immunity+ genomic test results!   Immunity+ results speak for themselves with results achieved on large commercial herds comprised of 35,000 cows and 75,000 heifers being analysed for disease reduction. It was found that Immunity+ sired animals had anywhere from 2%-20% less disease, depending on which disease was analysed. The most significant reductions in this dataset were found in the traits with the biggest economic impacts, including a 20% reduction in cow mortality among the Immunity+ sired animals. Dairy producers worldwide have seen healthier herds as a result of using Immunity+ sires, resulting in less treatment costs, less drug and antibiotic use and less time spent dealing with sick cows. The introduction of Elevate only speeds up the process.   “With Elevate and its Immunity+ genomic test, producers no longer have to guess which cows are their healthiest,” says Gordon Miller, Semex Sr. Vice President, Sales & Business Development. “Instead, they’re able to tailor their breeding program with both genomic information as well as Immunity+ results categorized as high, average or low health. They’re able to make faster genetic progress towards a stronger, more disease resistant herd, reducing losses and drug use. Immunity+ heritability is 30%, similar to that of milk production. We’re excited for herd health gains that can be made by both identifying female health and utilizing Immunity+ sires!”   Currently available in Canada, the US, Germany and the UK, Elevate and its Immunity+ genomic test supplies Semex clients with the same information as other commercially ... Read More...

Effective Electronic Heat Detection - On its surface, electronic heat detection appears to be an easy proposition: all it needs to do is monitor an animal�s
movement. Once the animal displays an increase in activity obviously, she�s in heat. All you need to do is
... Read More...

Recombinetics has formed an alliance with Semex, a Canadian-based, farmer-owned cattle genetics organization, to implement a precision breeding program that improves animal health and well-being through hornless dairy cattle genetics.
The dehorning of calves is a routine procedure, designed to prevent injuries both to other animals and to handlers. This is uncomfortable for animals and is an unpleasant task for farm personnel. By using precision breeding technology, polled genetics can be reliably introduced into elite dairy lines, eliminating the need to dehorn calves.
Dairy farmers prefer hornless (polled) cattle, but traditional breeding for this trait, more commonly found in certain breeds of beef cattle, is inefficient and reduces productivity. The alliance's objective is to seamlessly integrate the polled trait into high-merit dairy genetics through precision breeding.
The project is being led by Tad Sonstegard, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Acceligen, Recombinetics' agriculture division. Sonstegard states, "The polled trait has been part of bovine genetics for more than 1,000 years, and it has been conventionally bred and selected for in some cattle breeds, but not in most high-merit dairy breeds.  We have proven we can safely introduce the polled trait into any breed of horned dairy cattle with complete precision. This new partnership will provide unique opportunities for dairy farmers and artificial insemination companies to introduce polled genetics without losing genetic diversity or production potential."
Precision breeding uses gene editing to make small adjustments to the genome of an animal to delete, repair, or replace individual elements of DNA. In this case, the cell's natural repair function is used to replace the horned gene with a naturally occurring polled gene. The result is dairy calves that are born naturally hornless, providing a direct benefit to the animals' well-being and ... Read More...