Last week, Blondin Sires was launched, announcing its partnership with Cogent. Blondin Sales & Marketing Manager Dann Brady took a few moments to answer some questions posed by Cowsmopolitan to help introduce the new venture, and acquaint readers with the purpose and goals of Blondin Sires.
What has lead Blondin to the marketing your own sires?
It is something we have been thinking about for the last few years. Our breeding program at the home farm has been focused on using high type genomic sires and we have seen the results coming through in the milking herd. Those high type young sires translate into high type proven bulls.
While we were focusing on this with our female side we noticed that the modern large AI was putting less emphasis on this part of the market. The more we spoke with breeders around the world we realized that there were customers looking for a product like this.
What niche market do you hope to capture?
We look to provide a high genomic type sire with the pedigree and sire stack to match. We want to bring back the art of breeding for beautiful, functional, long lasting cows.
How many bulls per year do you see yourself sourcing? Will there be some outside bulls sourced from top breeders or will you be buying females to source within?
We look to add 5 – 7 bulls per year to our sire lineup. We will be purchasing them from breeders around the world and also our internal breeding program. We want to make sure the very best type sires are available through our lineup.
What will be the criteria for your selection of bulls?
As type will be the main focus of our selection program we look for bulls that are high for Conformation and PTAT. That said we pay close attention to traits such as milk, fat and protein along with rump angle and daughter fertility. Things we would like to continue to improve in the breed.
What do you feel is different from the past program Foundation sires had in place in regards to the type of bulls you will be offering?
I think the difference you will see with our program is we are focusing on using genomics as a tool to source the bulls that carry the specific genes we are looking for. The advancement of genomics will allow us to find those bulls, no matter where they are located.
Will Cogent be housing all bulls and looking after the distribution of all the semen?
Yes, all the bulls will be housed with Cogent and they also have exclusive distribution rights for the bulls around the world.
What do you feel Cogent has to offer you as far as a partner and why do you feel they are the best marketing partner for this program?
With Cogent we gain a partner that is as aggressive and motivated as we are. We gain a company that is distributed internationally in over 45 countries. We were looking for a partner who was as motivated as we were to grow the business around the world.
Has the direction the AI studs taken prompted you to re-evaluate your breeding program as it’s not the direction you wish to continue?
The last few years we have seen a “race to the top” for one number. While we understand the formulas and benefits to this type of program, for us we were hearing from breeders that just wanted to go back to breeding great long living functional cows. Ones they enjoyed milking every morning and night. This is something we have continually worked at in our own system and were focusing on for the females side. So we thought, why can’t we do this on the male side as well and make it available to breeders with the same passion.
Over the last few years have you seen a big preference for type from the Holstein population?
Yes, specifically in the last two years. We are selling close to 1,000 embryos per year and a little over two years ago we really saw the change from index related embryos back to type/pedigree focused. Breeders tried other parts of the market, but in the end they realized they still love beautiful functional cows and are coming back to that part of the market.
Will you market directly through Cogent or sell the product yourselves too? What markets do you feel you will have the most interest from?
Cogent is our exclusive distributor. They will collect and ship the semen around the world to their sales force. We feel the market will be similar to our embryo market. Popular in the countries of Canada, USA, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan along with Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and other South American countries.