Ecoline

 Young Sire Update

Dear WestGen Partner Participants:

With regret, we inform that the longstanding 50-year tradition of “sampling” young sires in Canada is officially coming to an end for the Semex Partners, CIAQ, EastGen and WestGen. For the many producers who participate in WestGen’s Partner program, starting May 1st the Ecoline brand and its suite of product options will replace the young sire semen currently being used, alongside usage of the best Genomax products as they become released to market.

Introducing the Ecoline Brand

All farmers have need for an economical solution for a portion of their breeding program and WestGen’s Ecoline brand will now satisfy that need. Ecoline sires can be daughter Proven or Genomax bulls that have moved past their stay on our marketing list but who still offer an excellent value proposition for the investment. In addition, Ecoline can be a Calving Ability – Leading Fertility (CALF) type of solution where genetic indexes take a back seat to maximizing the chances for pregnancy and an easily delivered live calf.

There will be a variety of options provided to ensure all producers feel they have suitable choice for that inexpensive product that is still required irrespective of young sire programs being eliminated.

While it is natural to be nostalgic about the end of a fifty year tradition this outcome was predictable with the arrival of the genomic era. If a sire isn’t sufficiently interesting to receive marketing interest immediately via the Genomax list, there is very little chance that sampling and waiting four years will generate a different result. The Aerostars, Aerolines and Goldwyns that broke through because of sampling results are no longer there to be found, as almost all of the breed leaders are identified within weeks of birth via the results of a genomic test. The decision to no longer sample bulls allows Semex to focus all of those same resources instead to securing the very best bulls for its owners.

WestGen would like to sincerely thank all Partner herds for their many years of commitment to sire sampling.