BREED IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT - 2021
Other than it’s over, I don’t have much good to say about 2021. For the first time since I have been a member of the committee, regrettably we did not have a meeting since my last report. We had planned to meet with a Holstein Canada classifier on farm but due to COVID-19 restrictions that did not materialize. The committee has been monitoring the classification reports and hopefully a meeting will be set up shortly. The average Guernsey 2-year-old classified 80.53 points last round and a couple of the most common defects identified by classifiers were advanced tailhead, weak crops and toes out front. Members have of course been involved in regular board meeting and some committee members have been involved in updating our constitution. Guernseys are still in high demand so I hope everyone is considering all their options when producing the next generation. Now is a great time to genomic test your top females and flush them or breed them with sexed semen. Studs have a renewed interest in the Guernsey breed and are providing more high-quality bulls with at least 3 studs providing sexed semen. To my knowledge, Masterpiece
genetics are not yet available in Canada. My local distributor says the import charges would make the price of the semen too high based on projected sales. Semex, GGS (ordered through Select), ABS and ST all have semen readily available. Semex would like our input into the bulls they purchase so if you know of a bull or cow family you would like to see a bull from please contact a committee member for further discussion. Also, I thought I’d remind you about the CDN website. It provides a wealth of information to help you with mating and management decisions. You can look up female and mate indexes or pedigrees as well as use the inbreeding calculator. You can even make your own customized LPI formula. Hopefully 2022 will bring us all closer together and we can enjoy some time together at farm tours, meetings and shows. Respectfully Submitted Scott Gordon
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