Combwich Twist Elly

British breeding company Cogent has launched an exceptional new Shottle son today, following the publication of the August bull proofs.

The bull has become the highest ranking newcomer in the official DairyCo rankings whose proof is based on actual daughter performance in British herds. He is also the highest ranking of all available Shottle sons, and is UK-owned and bred – with his mother still milking in the 1,400-cow, Cheshire-based Grosvenor herd.

The bull is Cogent Twist, and his Profitable Lifetime Index of £160 reflects exceptional all round performance for both production and type, and also includes some outstanding traits for fitness - most notably for cell counts and lifespan.

Twist’s high milk volume PTA (491kg) is, unusually, combined with positive fat and protein percentages (+0.06 and +0.01% respectively), while some 24.6kg fat in his proof will appeal to any profit-driven dairy farmer.

His high type proof (Type Merit +1.89) reflects the sort of robust, long-living daughters every dairy farmer wants, which have chest width, body depth and rump width as well as very good mammary traits and outstanding scores for legs, feet and locomotion.

“The daughters we’ve seen are phenomenal,” says Cogent’s Hugh Pocock. “They are wide and deep but without extreme angularity, and carry extra condition despite their high production.

“There’s no question in my mind that Twist’s dam, Cogent Major Tex VG88 (by Looking Major), is one of the best cows to come from the Cogent nucleus herd, and her production has been outstanding.”

Of her four lactations to date, her second is her best at 14,650kg with 4.31% fat and 3.18% protein (1,096kg fat plus protein), which is exceptional for volume and quality in 305 days, and gave her a within-herd Production Index of 133.

“Members of Visions – our young sire proving scheme – have been asking for more of this bull ever since his daughters started to calve,” adds Mr Pocock. “Now we can see his proof, it reflects all the things they have highlighted to us, which is summed up as a ‘will to survive and get on’.”

Twist’s pedigree also features Cogent Winchester Tex VG86 (his maternal grandam), a cow which is a full-sister to Art-Acres Win 395 – one of several successful AI sires which feature in this consistent, bull-breeding family.

This Father’s Day welcomes another celebration, as Picston Shaker EX94 celebrates the 150k mark for the number of sexed semen straws produced.

Shaker, nicknamed ‘the cheese-maker’ for his tremendous components, +0.11% Fat and +0.05% Protein, has impressively now produced over 150,000 straws of sexed semen, as his demand remains as strong as ever. Shaker excels for Lifespan (+0.3), Somatic Cell Count (-9) and Temperament (+1.9).

At a grand 14 years of age, this 99% reliable bull is still a bovine beauty and in extremely high demand from dairy farmers all over the globe – spanning from Italy , Australia , Holland and Ireland .

Volumes of traffic are expected to descend on Chester , as Father’s Day card deliveries from across the globe are delivered to the Cogent stud, as Shaker fathers progeny ranging from newly born calves to 12 year old cows. In fact, it is estimated he has over 100,000 daughters worldwide.

As a Dombinator son, and half brother to Picston Shottle, Shaker is from the renowned 60-star brood cow, Condon Aero Sharon EX91. This unique outcross sire with no Blackstar, Mascot, Chief Mark or Belle in his pedigree brought something new and refreshing to the dairy industry.

Cogent’s Sire Analyst, Simon Moseley adds, ‘Breeders have often commented that his daughters develop into some of the best aged cows they have in the herd today – with fantastic udders and tremendous dairy character.’

As an EX94 bull, Shaker’s daughters are just as good-looking – with an impressive world record of 20 Excellent first crop daughters and over 1,000 VG or EX registered progeny so far.

Red hot young sire Willsbro Red Razzle's dam - Rockset Faber Rachel - has impressively been awarded EX95(3) on her 4th lactation. The renowned red and white holstein was also scored with EX97 Mammary, EX95 Dairy Strength and EX95 Legs and Feet and progeny from this family is extremely sought after. Faber Rachel is typically what every dairyman desires - she's not too extreme, carries tremendous power and strength and the capacity of this red animal is unreal - making it easy to see how in her last lactation she remarkably produced 15,119kgs at 4.27% F 3.11% P.

With an incredible 9 generations of EX behind Red Razzle, a maternal backing as strong as this makes his future look extremely bright! Stocks of Red Razzle, a Dudoc Mr Burns son who is also available sexed, has been flying out of the door since he became available last May.

Many farmers who already have calves on the ground by this prosperous young red sire are extremely happy with them and will be using him again.

With the annual NMR Herds Competition results being announced, many farmers were intrigued to see how their animals were performing in the parlour – not only compared to herdmates, but surrounding herds as well. But for breeder Hugh Finch, there was one animal that definitely stood out from the crowd.

Roundhill Conformer Leslie was crowned NMR’s highest yielding heifer in County Armagh, averaging a whopping 41 litres a day. In her first lactation she incredibly produced over 21,000 litres in 515 days – proving why she deservedly claimed her title. Commenting on the animal, Hugh stated that she, ‘is a very easy to manage animal and is well out performing her herdmates – peaking at 57 litres a day. She has tremendous dairy character with great feet and legs and is respectably classified at GP83.’

Given the fact that Conformer has the impressive proof figures of 635kgs Milk, -10SCC, +2.0 Fertility, +0.4 Calving Ease and +1.0 Condition Score, its no surprise that he produces trouble-free, robust, production cows.
Since using the sire, Hugh ensured that he has definitely benefited from the extra milk in the tank – helping him to develop a profitable and sustainable herd.

One of the first UK proven Oman sons is now available sexed.
12th March 2010

In response to extremely high demand, Cogent are incredibly now offering their number one selling bull Cogent Azure sexed. Whilst stocks of his conventional semen have been flying out the door, farmers have been asking to have Azure sexed since his release in January.

Sired by O-bee Manfred Justice (Oman), he originates from one of America’s hottest bull breeding bloodlines – the Ladys-Manor Temptress family – and impressively comes from a line of eight generations of VG or EX dams. Azure’s mother – Lady’s Manor Autumn – has already proven to be a prolific bull-producing dam, with several outstanding sons already returned to active service including Ladys-Manor O Autumn and Ladys-Manor Augusta.

With +463kgs Milk, £114 PLI, +0.2 Lifespan, +2.5 Fertility and a Condition Score of +0.9, Azure’s proof screams milky, profitable animals that are built to last. Along with his impressive Type Proof which features +1.1 TM and +1.8 Legs and Feet, he has also emerged as the highest ranking Easy Calving bull in the Cogent line-up at +3.1.

And he’s not just good on paper! Many farmers are so impressed with their Azure daughters after using him as a young sire – through the Visions progeny testing programme – they have already ordered more now that he has returned as a proven sire.

‘Farmers have commented that they like their Azure daughters, as they’re trouble-free, extremely fertile, built to last and more importantly – profitable,’ says Cogent’s progeny evaluator, Andy Smith.
‘In practice his daughters are average sized, have the width, depth and power of his sire Oman and would typically suit the large herd environment. They have shapely well attached udders that have the ability to produce high volumes of quality milk. His daughters are clean boned and have great legs and feet – allowing them to be very mobile,’ he adds. As his proof shows, Azure is a great all-rounder and following in his fathers footsteps – he has inherited those much needed health traits that are demanded of the breed today. He also importantly carries the type, good legs and feet, extra condition and milky credentials that are sought after by business-minded dairymen.

An Edenvalley Bojangles bull calf took the honour of ‘Supercalf’ at buying group Meadow Quality’s Livestock Auction.

The British Blue dairy cross calf was assessed on conformation and weight and was found to – at 5 wks old – weigh an outstanding 90kilos. Breeder Mrs Miller commented that, ‘he had always stood out in the pen and was easy to calve despite being big.’

This Bojangles calf is the 1st ‘Supercalf’ that Messers Filer & Miller have bred and they are extremely happy with the sire. Currently the Dorset based farmers are also using along with Holstein sires, Donnah Randy Lumiere – another Cogent British Blue bull – on their 230 head Holstein Friesian herd.

Both Bojangles and Lumiere produce excellent quality, dark blue calves. Bojangles has a calving ease figure of 1.9% with a gestation length of 280 days, and with 107 calvings (as of January) he produces very fertile semen!

SANDYFORD CLOVER 10 - EX95 (2E)

This renowned 5th calver Ayrshire breed champion has been awarded maximum classification at EX95 (2E). The CHATTER daughter was scored with EX96 Body Conformation, EX94 Dairy Strength, EX93 Legs and Feet and an impressive EX97 Mammary.

Her tremendous frame and capacity, which is teamed with her incredible udder has enabled her to achieve the following honours:

Inter-breed Junior Grand Champion Royal Show & Dairy Event and Livestock Show ‘06

Grand Champion Royal Show & Reserve Grand Champion Interbreed RASE ’07

Interbreed Production and Inspection Grand Champion Royal Show ‘08

Interbreed Grand Champion Royal Show & Grand Champion Dairy Event ‘09

Sandyford Clover 10 is set to finish her current lactation at 11,500kgs with 4.3% Fat and 3.5% Protein.

The type and production credentials in this remarkable daughter prove the achievable potential of KC Roses Chatter T Red – who currently stands at +2.2 Type, +1.5 Mammary, +1.1 Legs and Feet with 336kg Milk at 0.05% Fat.

Breeder Blaise Tomlinson commented that he has about, ‘25 milking daughters in his herd and is thrilled by the results Chatter has given him – robust, strong cattle that have high milk quality, fantastic rear udders and a great will to milk’.

Potterswalls Belles Pride's dam - Potterswalls Just Belle is now classified at an impressive EX95 (4E).

Being just over 2 months fresh, this 6yr old sandy-coloured beauty is now in her 5th lactation, peaking at an incredible 37kgs - she is now giving 30kgs at 5.57% Fat 4.06% Protein.
No stranger to the showring – some of her prestigious achievements include:

• Grand Champion Winter Fair ‘09
• Grand Champion Winter Fair ‘07
• Reserve Champion Winter Fair Heifer in Milk ‘05

Her classifications are also astounding and prove that she is maturing extremely well with age – having achieved maximum points on all lactations. Classifier Maurig James commented that she is ‘a super bodied cow with excellent locomotion’.
With a family backing as strong this - Belles Pride looks set to provide customers with an animal that combines longevity and type with impressive milk, fats and proteins.

Izzy Whittaker

Breeding company Cogent has appointed a new member to its sales and marketing team who will be closely involved in the company’s public presence at shows, workshops and other agricultural events.

Izzy Whittaker’s move to Cogent is a natural progression from her early life with her family’s Knowlesmere herd of Holsteins, with which she has been involved since she could first walk well enough to bring in the cows.
Beginning showing calves at the age of just four, she steadily progressed to become this year’s National Champion Showman at the All Britain Calf Show at the age of 22. Also winning the senior section of the National Stockjudging Competition (including giving the best reasons), Izzy was keen to continue to work within the industry she describes as ‘the biggest interest in my life’.

Having also recently added a first class honours degree in Business Studies (majoring in marketing) to her list of credits, she has the ideal background and credentials to join the marketing arm of the cattle breeding company.

A year spent working for General Motors’ marketing department broadened her outlook further and allowed her to develop a cross-section of experience which she looks forward to applying to the farming industry.
“I wanted to join Cogent because I was really impressed with the company’s marketing,” says Izzy. “They just seemed to have fresh, clear and concise messages with innovative campaigns and I am thrilled by the prospect of being involved in a company with such a bright and promising future.”

With her first tasks involving the recently completed round of Sexed Semen Roadshows and the acclaimed Dairy Works seminars, she looks forward to working on more of the company’s campaigns and events.
“We are delighted to have someone with Izzy’s cross-section of marketing and farming experience on board,” said Hugh Pocock, sales and genetics manager with Cogent. “Her fresh and vibrant approach will undoubtedly be an asset to the company and I have no doubt will feed through to our campaigns and events, for the ultimate benefit of our customers.”

Sexed beef semen which has a 90 percent chance of producing a male calf is now being marketed in the UK for the very first time.
The bull which has been sexed is the outstandingly popular Sauvignon, a French-bred Limousin which is owned by Crawford Brothers from Maguiresbridge in County Fermanagh.

The sexing is being undertaken by breeding company Cogent, who have been pioneers in this technology for over 10 years. However, the company has previously only produced sexed female semen to fulfil a huge market from the dairy farming industry.
But having a male calf is known to be economically beneficial for commercial beef producers, as males finish faster, produce better carcass grades and are therefore more profitable than the equivalent heifer.

Sauvignon’s exceptional list of accomplishments is topped by his performance at the Paris Show in 2007.
“We were the first UK exhibitors ever to participate in the livestock classes at the Paris Show, but we thought it was worth the effort of getting there as we felt we were in with a chance,” said Raymond Crawford, co-owner of the bull.

Sauvignon duly obliged by taking the breed’s overall male championship, as well as the progeny and carcass championships.

Since being recognised as the best Limousin bull in Europe – and with a string of other awards to his credit including supreme beef championship at the Great Yorkshire Show in 2007 and Limousin championship at the Royal Welsh Show in 2006 - demand from around the world for Sauvignon’s semen has gone through the roof.
Also identified by ASDA as a bull whose progeny will meet the supermarket’s commercial needs, he is offered to their dedicated Beef Link suppliers at a substantial discount.

“We have seen a lot of Sauvignon’s progeny and are now trialling some on our demonstration farm in Yorkshire,” said Pearce Hughes from ASDA. “And early indications are that they will be up with the best of the breed.
“Because he is such a great carcass bull, his progeny have a good chance of meeting the E and U grades needed for our Extra Special range, so we are encouraging our Beef Link suppliers to use him.”
“We are delighted to be involved with a bull of this calibre and to have attained the same levels of purity in the semen sorting process that we achieve when producing sexed female semen,” added Stuart Boothman, who oversees the stud at Cogent.

“We have been perfecting the male sorting process over the past year, and can now guarantee a 90 per cent chance of a pregnancy resulting in a male calf.”
“We have been selling female sexed semen from this bull which has been extremely popular with breeders who want to expand their suckler herds,” continued Mr Crawford. “But this initiative with male semen will give beef producers complete control over what they breed, and for what purpose and market.”

Sauvignon semen is available through Crawford Brothers, Rathkeeland, Maguiresbridge,
Co Fermanagh, Northern Ireland BT94 4RT.
Tel: +44 (0)28 8953 1276;
email: crawfordbros@btconnect.com"
website: www.crawfordbrothers.co.uk.

Prices are £20 for conventional and £50 for sexed, either male or female.

Cogent would like to say a huge thank you to all those that helped make this years Dairy Event so special.

Thousands of people gathered on the Cogent standing over the course of the Dairy Event helping to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Cogent Sexed Semen.

Reducing lameness should be a top priority on UK dairy farms but the process should start before the cow is even born.

Middleton Loader Non ped

This message from Hugh Pocock of Cogent comes as the industry faces a lameness rate of around 30 per cent and confronts the dual pressures to raise standards of animal welfare and improve farm profitability.
“Lameness is a complex issue with many contributory causes,” says Mr Pocock, “but the first step to take in its avoidance is to breed the right kind of cow. If the foot and leg structure is not right, you will be fighting an uphill battle from the start.

“Every breeder should look closely at a bull’s linear profile before making any breeding decision and discard any that don’t have positive figures for locomotion or for feet and legs.

“Locomotion in particular has become an increasingly important trait and animal welfare organisations are pushing to see it more widely used. Recent evidence shows it is highly correlated with cow lifespan [correlation 65 per cent], clearly indicating it has a large part to play in reducing replacement rates and increasing herd profitability.

“Everyone wants trouble-free cows that are capable of lasting the course, and choosing sires with good locomotion scores will play an important part in achieving this.

“At Cogent, this has always been an important consideration when we are choosing the bloodlines that will breed the next generation of AI sires and we are now reaping the rewards of these decisions.

“Three Cogent sires feature in the top 15 of all bulls - UK and international - for locomotion and it is little surprise to us that these are amongst our most popular sires.”

Referring to Cogent Loader EX95, the number one living locomotion bull available in the UK with a score of +3.52, Cogent Prestwick, who scores +2.81 for locomotion and Joylan Specialist EX91 at +2.85, he adds: “These bulls also have positive Lifespan Indexes and we are delighted that they have performed so well, improving across the board last week’s April proof run.

“Dairy farmers have always wanted easy-care cows that don’t tend to go lame, and I would urge them to use the Locomotion Index on a bull’s linear profile as an important tool in achieving this goal,” concludes Mr Pocock

Mr Hugh Pocock
Sales & Genetics Manager

Ballywalter farmer Jim Davidson has been using sexed semen across his dairy herd for around four years, but he could scarcely have anticipated the impact it would have across his entire farming enterprise.

By producing a heifer calf from virtually every mating, he has not only created a substantial extra income stream from dairy breeding stock sales, but he has been able to use this income to good effect, investing in a diversification project which has proved to be of substantial benefit to the entire business.

The diversification project is called Fastrack Farm. It offers quads, laser shooting and an 18-hole themed golf course in the shape of Northern Ireland and the extra income it generates is particularly welcome when milk prices are low.

And such has been the success of the project, that – although the dairy herd continues to run alongside – cow numbers have been cut in half, from 240 head to a more manageable 120.

Describing the farm’s use of sexed semen as a ‘win-win situation’, Jim explains how shaky results at the start have been steadily improved, with conception rates today running at 60 per cent, while calving problems have been virtually eliminated.

“We switched to sexed semen because we were concerned about producing the next generation of females for the herd,” he says, “but an added bonus has been an end to calving difficulties with the absence of bull calves.

“We get virtually no big calving problems, even with the heifers, and 90 percent calve themselves with no assistance needed.”

With the bonus of surplus heifers being offered for sale over the past 12 months, the cash flow for the dairy herd has been significantly boosted.

Ballymena Livestock Market Auctioneer Foster Gowdy confirms the benefits of avoiding bull calves and remarks: “With a strain on the export market and with bull calves from two weeks old only making £20, it doesn’t make financial sense to produce them.”

And just for fun, Jim recently used three straws of conventional semen but should have guessed what he’d get – the inevitable disappointment of three bull calves!

Having reinforced his commitment to using sexed semen, he will continue with the formula that’s proved such a resounding success, and continue to do exactly what he was taught on a DIY AI course around 25 years ago!

Cogent recommends the Embryonics DIY AI course on 18–20 March in the Ballymena area. For more information, contact your Cogent representative or call Holly 01244 622022 to book your place.