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23rd February 2010
Cogent Sire Analyst, Simon Moseley commented that this VG 2yo from a VG86 Lucente is, ‘a sound all-round heifer that has a lot of strength, is well balanced with a snuggly attached udder’.
Breeder Hayden Griffths, Cefn Farm, Flintshire finds his Metalic daughter a pleasure to milk being ‘quiet with an excellent tightly attached udder’. He also commented that she was, ‘clean boned with a strong topline and has a healthy thrive for life’.
This impressive heifer is still milking well despite having calved in June. Currently she has given 7,697kgs in 234days with 3.92% F and 3.06%P – and at the end of her lactation her projected production is a noteworthy 9,500kgs.
It is no surprise that this Metalic daughter has show stopping appeal and it looks as though her sire’s traits have definitely come through – as Metalic is +2.1 for Type, with a +2.0 Mammary score. This recently proven Titantic son has an exceptional pedigree – from the Startmore Gails – which is packed with longevity, high lifetime yields and outstanding type.
19th February 2010
Drointon Retinue R Virtue Red
This week at the National All Breeds show, Cogent progeny reigned supreme, putting the company firmly on the show scene map!
Drointon Retinue R Bell Red, a Cogent Retinue Red from Yatehouse Tallent Belle Red owned by Whitegrove Farms WON the Holstein Intermediate Calf class (Born Between 1st April & 30th June 2009) and she also went on to be awarded Honourable Mention in the Junior Holstein Section.
Another Retinue heifer (Drointon Retinue R Virtue Red - Cogent Retiune Red x Drointon SS Virtue, also owned by Whitegrove Farms) was placed 4th in the Holstein Junior Heifer Class (Born Between 1st July and 31st December 2008).
Keeping things in the family the Holstein Breed Champion was awarded to H Wright & Son’s Berryholme Shottle Flo - a half sister to Cogents' very own Berryholme Foreman.
11th February 2010
At 18th months old, Ards Roumare Ruth was sold for top price at a whopping £6,000 at the 35+ strong head Holstein Northern Ireland Spring Bull Sale. He also secured the title of Reserve Champion against tough competition at the pre-sale show.
From H Patton & Sons, Newtownards - breeder Wilson Patton commented that he had fantastic legs and feet, carried good condition and had matured very well.
Roumare – a Jocko Besne son – has a score of +2.1 Type, +2 Mammary and +1.4 Legs and Feet. Wilson also remarked that he is very happy with the sire and has found daughters (which would now be around bulling age) to be, ‘good-looking calves that are aggressive feeders and really growing on at a rapid rate.’
10th February 2010
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!
3rd February 2010
Seaville Loader Angela took the Border and Lakeland Holstein Club's Winter Holstein Classic by storm and gained the prestigious honour of Best heifer. This milky Loader daughter fought off strong competition from some of the top breeders in the UK and judge Hugh Neilson described her as, "correct, balanced and well put together. She also tracks on good legs and feet and is the sort that you would like to milk."
Due to calve in May and having calved 14 months she is now averaging 30 litres, owner Craig Davidson commented that she, 'has no special treatment and is housed in cubicles with the rest of the herd. She is a heifer that is always early in the parlour and is an aggressive feeder with good health traits.'
Nominated for the renowned All-Britain awards in the Senior Heifer class and having many other accolades under her early showing career belt - she oozes the milky, high type and easy to manage credentials that Loader has to offer breeders.
26th January 2010
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’.
21nd January 2010
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.
15th jANUARY 2010
Bentham Auction’s weekly dairy cattle sale saw Luptonhall Dal Delores – a Dalbytop Phil daughter – stealing top price at £2020.
Vendor Mr Barton commented that this 4 weeks fresh heifer was, ‘his first Phil daughter to calve through. She’s very correct with an exceptional udder and being very quiet made her a pleasure to work with.’
The Phil daughter calved with a Netherside Dynamo heifer – born to sexed semen – and is averaging a modest 32kgs a day.
View Phil's Proof HERE
of hard-working daughters that are easy to manage
13th January 2010
The young bull is Cogent Azure and his first performance figures corroborate all the anecdotal reports and the praise heaped upon him by farmers participating in the Visions progeny testing scheme.
“His daughters have been described to me as a pleasure to work with, easy to get in calf, and robust enough to just effortlessly get on with the job,” says Andy Smith, Cogent’s progeny evaluator.
“They carry that bit of extra condition, have good chest width, very good udders, excellent legs and feet and plenty of milk,” he adds. “In fact, they’re the sort of cows that just get on with their lives, without any trouble.”
A glance at Azure’s type profile reveals that he is just the sort of bull required for the modern dairy farm with no extremes in any area, excellent locomotion and a genuinely ‘no holes linear profile’.
Like his sire, he also excels in health and fitness traits, most notably through extremely easy calving (direct Calving Ease +3.1) and his daughters’ excellent fertility (Fertility Index +2.5) and longer than average herd life (Lifespan Index +0.2).
Behind the bull is a proven US cow family descending from Ladys-Manor Temptress and with eight generations of VG or EX cows in the pedigree. His dam, Ladys-Manor Autumn is an Aaron daughter with an impressive breeding record, already having produced proven sons in AI including Ladys-Manor O Autumn and Ladys-Manor Augusta.
With plenty of production (463kg milk; 12.4kg (-0.07%) fat; 14.4kg (-0.01%) ptn) and a Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) of £114, Cogent Azure has the solid all-round credentials to appeal to a wide cross-section of farmers.
“In fact, he has everything the modern dairy farmer is asking us for,” adds Hugh Pocock, Cogent’s UK sales and genetics manager. “They want plenty of production; ease of management and condition on the frame – and this bull has got the lot. He is every dairyman’s dream!”
Price: £22 or £15.50 to Visions members.
8th December 2009
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.”
for high grade sexed male beef semen
4th December 2009
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.
3rd December 2009
The overall champion a seven-week-old British Blue bull sold for £500, from dairy farmer, Tom Holden, Chaigley, Clitheroe, Lancashire. The calf sired by the bull - Valley Pedro, out of a fifth lactation Friesian cow, sold to bull beef finishers Keith & Jean Lavin, Garswood, Wigan, Lancashire. Who also picked up the reserve champion prize winner and second prize British Blue bull calf at £390, from renowned calf producer Colin Whitelock, Gargrave, Skipton, North Yorkshire.
Left to right: Ian Plews of Cogent Breeding Ltd, pre-sale show sponsor presenting-father and daughter partnership, Tom & Christine Holden with their award for the champion calf, which sold for £500 to K & DJ Lavin, Wigan, Lancashire.
Photo Reserve Champion Left to right; Ian Plews of Cogent Breeding Ltd, pre-sale show sponsor with Colin Whitelock and his reserve champion calf, which sold for £390 to K & DJ Lavin, Wigan, Lancashire.
and optimism for the future of UK cattle genetics
27th November 2009
The commitment by cattle breeding company, Cogent to British agriculture moved up a gear this month when the company’s founder and owner, the Duke of Westminster, officially opened a new extension to Beachin Stud, its Cheshire-based bull housing facility.
Cogent’s operations manager Stuart Boothman & the Duke of Westminster
at the opening of the new stud.
The new development increases the unit’s capacity to 166 head of individually housed mature bulls, and the stud now becomes the largest unit of its kind in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe.
The extension itself comprises 44 pens which will be used to house both beef and dairy sires, with the growing business of custom semen collection partly fuelling the facility’s expansion.
“The bulls which are moving into this facility have a range of owners,” said Stuart Boothman, Cogent’s operations manager, who oversees the running of the stud. “Apart from those that are on collection for Cogent as part of Visions - the company’s young sire progeny testing scheme - there are many from North American and other international AI companies who buy bulls in Europe and want to house them in the UK, and there are also many from British farmers.
“If you take, for example, some of the beef bulls that sell for very high prices, the only way their owners will return their investment is if the bulls come for collection. These bulls frequently come to Cogent, including, most recently, two Limousins which made 55,000gns and 30,000gns at auction,” said Mr Boothman.
The fact that the semen sexing facilities on the premises of the stud are also widely considered to be the most advanced in the world, also gives the Beachin facility an edge.
“This particularly attracts AI companies and individual breeders to bring dairy sires to the premises, where the semen they produce can go straight through the sexing procedure, significantly increasing the chance of producing a heifer calf,” he said.
The new facility - housed in a 77m x 22m clear-span building - has been modelled on and slightly adapted from Cogent’s previous successful extension and features deep-bedded straw and spacious, light and airy pens for optimal animal comfort.
Welfare continues to be a high priority and bulls have regular access to a large central sand play area which features 18 inch deep sand and a wide embedded tree trunk for scratching and rubbing.
“This provides a safe environment in which the bulls can stretch their muscles and exercise,” said Mr Boothman. “It also adds interest to their day and definitely improves the overall health and libido of the bulls and prolongs their collection life.”
A further attraction is that semen collected from any bull on the stud will qualify for export, potentially giving an important fillip to international trade in genetics from Britain.
“This represents a significant tranche of investment for Cogent,” said Hugh Pocock, the company’s sales and genetics manager. “But it also represents the creation of a strong base for the cattle genetics industry in the UK and we are confident the extended facility will prove an added attraction for international customers when considering British genetics.”
25th November 2009
photos from Cowsmopolitan
Congratulations to Errolston Holsteins on achieving second placed Senior In Milk Heifer at AgriScot 2009 with Seaville Loader Angela VG87.
In association with - XL Vets, NWF & Intervet Schering Plough
21st September 2009
Cogent, NWF, XLVets & Intervet Schering Plogh invite you to the
10th Anniversary Sexed Semen Roadshows.
INCEPTION to CONCEPTION - THE SEXED SEMEN WAY.
We are hosting a series of road shows to bring together heifer nutrition and health management to deliver live and healthy calves. The 10th Anniversary of Cogent Sexed Semen has seen huge technology developments with conception rates of up to 80% and up to 95% hefier calves being born. The meetings promise to be interesting and informative if you use Sexed Semen or not!
Any questions, please do not hesitate to call
FREEPHONE: 0800 783 7258
Make a note in your diary for your nearest roadshow.
DATE TIME VENUE HOTEL:
22/09/2009 11.00 - 1500 Kilmarnock Fennick Hotel Hot & Cold buffet + Tea and coffee.
22/09/2009 19.30-21.30 Castle Douglas Douglas Arms Hotel 2 course hot dinner, T&C
23/09/2009 19.30-21.30 Thirsk Thirsk Auction Market Pie & Pea supper
24/09/2009 11.00-15.00 Carlisle Auctioneer Hot Buffet. Chips, pie + pint
24/09/2009 19.30-21.30 Garstang Pickerings Hotel hot and cold buffet
28/09/2009 19.30-21.30 Nantwich Wychwood Hotel Hot Beef & Pork Baquettes & Chips, T&C
29/09/2009 11.00-15.00 Shrewsbury Lord Hill Hotel and Restaurant 2 course hot meal
29/09/2009 19.30-21.30 Uttoxeter Uttoxeter Racecourse Hot Beef Rolls
05/10/2009 11.00-15.00 Launceston Trethorn Golf Club 2 course carvery
05/10/2009 19.30-21.30 Dorchester The Kings Arms Hotel Platters with chips & T+C
08/10/2009 19.30-21.30 Carmarthen Carmarthen Livestock Market Hot Food buffet + drinks
21st September 2009
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.
11th September 2009
The benefits of shorter gestation length in dairy cows have been widely reported and many AI companies have identified and marketed sires whose calves tend to be born a few days early. This can lead to easier calving as well as fewer days open, bringing substantial welfare and financial benefits to a farming business.
But AI company Cogent has early indications that one of its most popular bulls – Huddlestone Spooky – is cutting a remarkable nine days off average gestation length, which is considered to be exceptional in the cattle breeding world.
“The potential benefits of this are enormous,” says Cogent’s Hugh Pocock. “Any dairy farmer will tell you that a difficult calving frequently sets off a chain of negative health events, often beginning with uterine infections and retained cleansings and developing into metabolic problems in the forthcoming lactation.
“Spooky’s calving ease figure is, not surprisingly, exceptionally good [4%], and his calves are reported to be strong and vigorous, developing into the robust and great framed cows for which they’ve earned a reputation.
“The easier calvings are clearly being influenced by shorter gestation lengths for cows inseminated with Spooky semen, which data from NMR has revealed to average just 275 days. This is exceptionally short compared with the national average at 284 days, and rarely would a bull shave more than three or four days off this time.
“In Spooky’s case, the cow carrying his calf has, on average, nine extra days to return to cycling activity, which puts her in a very good position to recover from calving, and potentially gives her a full 90 days to get in calf, and still remain within a 365 day calving interval.
“If they then go on to mirror the reduction in gestation length in reduced days open, they will also cut nine days off this figure.
“It’s widely accepted that the cost of one day open is £5 per cow per day, so just reducing days open by nine days has the potential to save £45 per cow per lactation, or £4,500 per 100 cows.
“What is particularly gratifying is that Spooky transmits many other desirable traits for production, management, fitness and type. He is truly a bull of the moment, offering average stature combined with strength through the body as well as strongly attached udders with good milking speeds and low cell counts. His daughters also carry some condition which is particularly important in these welfare-conscious times.
“PTAs for production are also good at 341kg milk with 34.7kg fat plus protein and big positive percentages for both components. Daughter lifespans are unsurprisingly positive and his Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) is £160.
“We are absolutely delighted to have received this new information about Spooky, which makes him even more of a complete package than even we had realised,” says Mr Pocock. “Anyone using him within their herd stands to benefit from a win-win situation. They will not only get the genetic benefits he transmits to his daughters, but they also have the potential to make significant financial and welfare gains through better reproductive performance by the cows carrying his calves.”
List price for Spooky is £18; he is available sexed at £37; there are discounts for quantity and for Visions (progeny test) participants, and he is available to users of the whole herd HerdPlan scheme.
offer production, type and lifespan improvements
19th August 2009
Cogent has introduced three new UK-proven bulls to its line-up today which each bring high type and a strong emphasis on sound functional conformation without compromising milk production.
The three bulls – Cogent Mordor, Cogent Determined and Bilsrow Oscar – each have good positive scores for mammary traits, legs and feet and locomotion, and every one of the three is also positive for the all-important lifespan.
“These bulls reflect our long-held view at Cogent that our customers want cows with strength, substance and the constitution to sustain their production,” says Hugh Pocock from Cogent. “And we are particularly pleased that they have all come through with such positive scores for lifespan.”
Highlights of each in more detail are:
Cogent Mordor: the first proven son of Picston Shaker, himself from the famous Condon Aero Sharon EX91. Mordor’s dam – Cogent Mtoto Mandine VG86 – has a remarkable track record, having recently completed her sixth lactation in the UK completing over 75 tonnes and still going strong.
The bull’s own proof reflects his dam’s production, with Predicted Transmitting Abilities (PTAs) at 780kg milk, 24.9kg fat and 18.7kg protein. His cell count index is remarkably low (-17) and Type Merit is +2. This reflects outstanding mammary conformation (+2.14) as well as excellent legs, feet and locomotion. His Lifespan index is + 0.4 and his Profitable Lifetime Index is £149.
Cogent Determined: a high type son of Hidden-View Best and out of the US-bred Ricecrest Decision Darcy VG87. Determined has good production with both high milk and positive components, weighing in with a PTA of 696kg milk, 28.4kg (+0.02%) fat and 23.4kg (+0.01%) protein. At 2.6 points on Type Merit, he transmits exceptional mammary conformation (+2.32), outstanding legs and feet (+2.19) and good locomotion. Although around breed average for stature, his linear profile shows daughters to be far wider through the chest and with deeper bodies than average. His Lifespan index is +0.2, daughters have excellent temperament, and his PLI is £146.
Bilsrow Oscar: a UK-bred son of Calbrett-I H H Champion and out of the sixth generation VG or EX Bilsrow Gibson Olympia EX92 (2). Oscar transmits high type (TM 1.8) with exceptional feet and legs (2.1), in particular through his daughters’ exceptional body traits of width, depth and openness of rib. Also impressive for production PTAs (including positive protein percent), Oscar improves lifespan (+0.3), transmits good cell counts (-12) and his PLI is £126.
“We are delighted that these three bulls are transmitting such genuinely useful management traits which will add to any herd’s bottom line,” says Mr Pocock. “They have also maintained the conformation that will not only sustain their production, but will make them a pleasure to milk. And the fact that they are proven in the UK should give any UK producer confidence in their expected performance.”
now on offer sexed
12th August 2009
Catshead Krista by Cogent Easter
The growing demand for ‘easy-care’ Holsteins which also yield high percentages of fat and protein is reflected in a new sexed semen launch from Cogent.
Cogent Easter is said to be the ideal bull to meet the needs of the many Holstein breeders who feel the breed has become too extreme and wish to put robustness and strength back into their herds.
Easter’s production proof will further appeal to those seeking to raise milk quality, with Predicted Transmitting Abilities (PTAs) for fat at 0.04 percent and protein at an exceptionally high +0.09 percent. Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) is £140.
Easter is a son of Cogent Courier, and out of an EX91 Mtoto daughter from the sought-after Lou Etta line.
His linear type profile shows daughters to be excellent for functional traits, without extremes in any area. They score highly for locomotion (+1.78) and are unusually high in the breed for condition score (+0.66), both making for long-living, trouble-free cows. This is reflected in his positive score for Lifespan at +0.2. Overall Type Merit is 1.9.
“We are extremely pleased with the Easter daughters we have seen, which closely reflect the bull’s linear profile and the bull’s own conformation,” says Hugh Pocock from Cogent. “The bull himself is strong, long and wide and the fact that he is jet black all over with four black feet is particularly unusual in the Holstein breed.
“We are aware that the demand for herd replacements with these qualities is increasing, so we’re delighted to be able to offer sexed semen from this bull – and the 90 percent chance that pregnancies will result in a heifer calf.”
List price for sexed Cogent Easter is £37; there are discounts for quantity and for Visions (progeny test) participants, and he is available to users of the whole herd HerdPlan XS scheme.
semen to satisfy popular demand
5th August 2009
Rockset Faber Rachel Red - Razzle dam
Breeding company Cogent has taken the unusual step of sexing semen from one of its most popular young sires in order to satisfy an exceptional demand.
The young red and white Holstein sire, Willsbro Red Razzle, was a sell-out within days of being launched for progeny testing this summer, as red and white breeders in particular were keen to acquire bloodlines from his outstanding pedigree.
Razzle is a son of Dudoc Mr Burns and his dam is the remarkable Rockset Faber Rachel EX92, a cow which gave 15,616 kg at 3.95 percent fat and 3.08 percent protein (305 days) in her second lactation in the Wills brothers’ herd in Cornwall. She combines this production with an EX93 score for mammary.
The bull’s pedigree features a remarkable nine generations classified Excellent, while the bull himself is said to be exceptional in his own conformation.
“He’s a very stylish and correct young bull, with outstanding feet and legs and a hard top line,” said Hugh Pocock from Cogent. “His flat bone is particularly appealing amongst red and white breeders who are anxious to avoid the coarseness associated with some red and white bloodlines. We have a lot of interest from Ayrshire and Shorthorn herds, as well, of course, as Holsteins.”
Daughters are expected to perform well in the parlour as Razzle’s Pedigree Index features 690kg milk and combined fat and protein of over 44kg. His predicted Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) is £122.
“Our young sires would normally be on lay-off after their semen has been distributed for progeny testing, but the appeal of this bull’s pedigree has been so extraordinary that we are sexing his semen at this early age in order to give our customers a far better chance of breeding some dairy replacements from this exceptional bull,” concluded Mr Pocock.
3rd August 2009
Hugh Pocock with Graham Higgott
Breeding company Cogent continues its expansion nationally and this month announces a new team member in the north of England. Graham Higgott will cover the counties of Yorkshire and parts of Derbyshire and Cheshire and joins the company with a strong practical farming background, after a successful career in farm management in two prominent Holstein herds.
By the age of 21, Graham was farm manager for a herd of 220 Holsteins in North Yorkshire and after this herd’s dispersal, he moved on to a comparable position in Norfolk. Here, the Neatishall herd enjoyed considerable show ring success and won the junior section of the county’s herd competition under his direction. Returning to Yorkshire in 2007, Graham’s most recent position has been managing a 300 cow unit averaging 10,500 litres.
“I’m moving to the AI side of the business for the career structure it offers, and I’m really looking forward to being involved with breeding some of those great cows that are out there,” says Graham. “Cogent is such a youthful and forward-thinking company, and as far as I’m aware, there’s no other breeding business like it which is working exclusively for British agriculture.
“I’m particularly keen to promote this aspect of the company, and the fact that the bulls are proven under UK conditions.”
Hugh Pocock, sales and marketing manager for Cogent welcomed Graham to the company and said that his appointment was a reflection of the buoyant trade Cogent continued to enjoy both as the leading producer of sexed semen in the world and a key player in the conventional dairy and beef semen market.
Graham can be contacted on 07787 283117.
23rd June 2009
UK Sales Manager Hugh Pocock with Cogent's new Breeding Advisor Alan Robson
Breeding company Cogent has announced the appointment of Alan Robson as a new breeding advisor based in the north of England, who brings several years of successful dairy farming and cattle breeding experience to the job. He will cover the county of Lancashire and parts of south Cumbria.
Alan has milked cows for most of his working life, having developed his family herd in Singleton near Blackpool with his brother and parents, until its dispersal in 2004. By the time of its sale, both the herd and Alan himself had amassed a succession of victories in both stock judging and in the show ring. The herd average production exceeded 10,000 litres and some 15 cows classified Excellent and 45 Very Good – many by Cogent sires – were offered in the dispersal. One in particular went on to excel, taking the AgriScot reserve Holstein championship in 2005, while another won her class at the National Holstein Show. Both were nominated in the All-Britain Awards in 2005.
Alan is well known in his region as a committee member for the Lancashire Holstein Club and having worked for Genus for the past four years.
Relishing the opportunity of working with farmers on improving the genetics in their herds, he says: “I have been very impressed with Cogent’s strategy of breeding bulls from outstanding British families and testing them under UK conditions. I am confident
there are greater things to come from this vibrant young company and I look forward to being involved in its future.”
Keen demand for Ayrshire genetics
prompts two sexed semen launches
6th May 2009
Edward Evans, Hugh Pocock & Ardmore Crown Napier
A growing demand for Ayrshire genetics amongst dairy farmers has prompted two companies to come together with a double sexed semen launch.
The bulls on offer are Ardmore Crown Napier – the first ever UK-bred Ayrshire bull to be offered sexed – and Green Lane Prodigy, a young sire with an exceptional pedigree.
Ardmore Crown Napier hit the headlines in the world of red and whites last month, when he entered the Profitable Lifetime Index rankings as the number one pure Ayrshire sire. His PLI is £168.
Napier was progeny tested in the UK and was used as a young sire throughout the world. His first UK proof shows him to combine good milk production and quality with improvements in both cell counts and lifespan.
With a Type Merit of 1.9, his linear profile is particularly outstanding for mammary conformation, with exceptional udder support.
Bred by John Hunter in Northern Ireland, his pedigree is a further attraction as Napier is a son of Meikle Laught Triple Crown, while his dam - McCornick Nepeta 2 EX93 - is full sister to the AI sire, McCornick Nelson.
“We are delighted to be able to offer sexed semen from an Ayrshire bull of such high calibre, which we hope will help satisfy the growing tide of breeders turning to red and white genetics,” said Hugh Pocock, Sales and Genetics Manager with Cogent, who will jointly market the bull with Cattle Services (Ayr) Ltd.
“This bull epitomises all the Ayrshire breed has to offer - outstanding longevity and ease of management, yet with high yields of quality milk,” added Edward Evans from Cattle Services. “And by offering him sexed, there’s a 90 per cent chance that his pregnancies will result in a heifer calf, which gives any herd using him the real prospect of making significant genetic progress.”
The second Ayrshire bull to be sexed and marketed by the two companies is the young sire, Green Lane Prodigy, which has been singled out for the strength and depth of his pedigree – said to combine power and performance.
“It may be unusual to sex semen from a young sire, but we feel that this bull has such an exceptional pedigree that we’d like to give breeders a chance of dabbling in the future,” said Mr Evans.
A son of the popular McCornick Nelson, it is the bull’s mother – Twemlow Heligo Pride EX91 – which is the real eye-catcher, whose production has averaged 11,240kg at 4.31 per cent fat and 3.10 per cent protein over her first six lactations.
List prices: Ardmore Crown Napier £18; sexed £35; Green Lane Prodigy £12; sexed £30. Discounts for quantity.
Dtr: Ardmore Lena 47
15th April 2009
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
March 16th 2009
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.
breeding costs for hard-pressed farmers
March 16th 2009
Dairy farmers who are prepared to make a commitment are being offered a deal that could halve the cost of semen and give them access to some of the country’s leading bulls for a fraction of their list price.
The scheme, called HerdPLAN, has been launched by British breeding company Cogent and has two key principles at its heart. The first is a switch to pricing on a per cow rather than a per straw basis, and the second is a payment structure which involves 12 monthly payments through the year – effectively offering the farmer interest-free credit.
This guarantees to the farmer exactly what his outgoings will be for the year, and is doubly attractive for block calving herds which inseminate near the beginning of the period, but won’t be paying for much of their semen until several months later.
“We feel that the time is exactly right for the launch of HerdPLAN as we see the industry as desperately needing stability and predictability during uncertain times,” says Hugh Pocock, UK sales and genetics manager with Cogent. “Farmers are tired of seeing both milk and input prices fluctuating wildly so our aim with HerdPLAN has been to develop a structure that both guarantees stability and offers exceptional discounts.
“The pricing structure is tiered, but if you take a typical dairy herd with 100 cows to inseminate, the flat rate fee will be just £22 per cow, irrespective of which bull is used. For this fee, the farmer will receive two straws of semen of his choice for every cow, which will leave most of them with straws to spare, as the national average usage rate is lower than this figure.
“Once the farmer signs up to the scheme, he can choose any bull that is available, so if he selects a bull which sells at £24, he will be receiving £48 worth of semen for just £22.
“Larger herds can receive even greater discounts, so the scheme has the potential to cut thousands of pounds from their semen bills,” continues Mr Pocock. “And for those who have joined the growing numbers who use sexed semen, there is an alternative option for them, which supplies a proportion of sexed semen as part of the deal. The package which includes a sexed option is called HerdPLAN XS.
“An added attraction of either scheme is that if the price of a bull increases for any reason, the farmer will pay exactly the same as before – which all helps to explain why the scheme has proved so overwhelmingly popular during its pilot period.”
Other perks include free AI consumables for farmers under both levels of the scheme and free access to the HerdMATE computer breeding package. Both young sire semen and beef semen can also be built in to the monthly payment structure.
“We’re delighted that Cogent’s continuing business success has enabled the company to devise such a generous scheme,” says Mr Pocock, “and the fact that we see a serious need for commitment to the industry in order to generate genuine long-term stability for farmers has been our driving force.”
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Cogent is the UK’s largest bull stud and progeny tests bulls for use in both the dairy and beef farming industries. It was the first breeding company in the world to offer sexed semen commercially to farmers and today, around 30 per cent of all the semen the company sells is sexed. Each successful conception provides a 90 per cent chance of producing a female calf. The company has strengthened its position as a world leader for this technology, offering semen sexing services to other breeding companies both in the UK and overseas, as well as directly to its own customers.
For more information about HerdPLAN, please contact Cogent on
01244 622038