CentralStar Cooperative recently partnered with Zoetis to bring dairy producers more convenient access to CLARIFIDE®, CLARIFIDE® Plus, and Herdity™ genomic testing.
“Partnering with Zoetis to help facilitate easier implementation of genomic testing aligns with CentralStar’s current offerings and mission of “enhancing producer profitability through integrated services,” said Phillip Dieter, chief executive officer, CentralStar Cooperative. “While this area of partnership is new for us, the CentralStar and Zoetis team members have been working collaboratively on dairies for years.”
Through this partnership, dairy producers in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin can now work directly with their local CentralStar team to initiate a genomic-testing plan for their herd. A powerful tool to accurately identify the genetic merit of each animal in the herd, genomic-testing data pinpoints the best animals in the herd to use for developing the next generation, helping producers improve production, profitability, and sustainability.
“CentralStar consultants already provide guidance for genetic selection and inventory management on a vast number of dairies,” said Cole Mark, director of profit strategies at CentralStar. “Now we can facilitate making genomic testing more convenient for the dairy, while providing our team more reliable tools to further accelerate the farm’s genetic progress.”
At the onset, genomic testing finds misidentification of animals, which leads to identifying the animals that are truly genetically superior for given traits. “Even with the best record keeping, identification errors occur,” said Mark. “On average, Zoetis has reported animal misidentification occurs approximately 18 percent of the time.”
For use on purebred Holstein and Jersey cattle, CLARIFIDE® Plus includes parentage verification and reliable predictions from the Council for Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) of all 50+ CDCB traits, including identifying animals with greater disease resistance through the proprietary Zoetis Wellness and Fertility traits. The CLARIFIDE® genomic test delivers parentage and reliable predictions from CDCB of genetic merit in Holsteins, Jerseys, Brown Swiss, Guernseys, and crossbreeds of these makeups. HERDITY™, an internal Zoetis evaluation, is designed for Holstein and Jersey crossbred animals, providing genomic sire and dam discovery, as well as production, fertility, longevity, and calf and cow wellness traits.
CentralStar’s goal of enhancing producer profitability through integrated services is fulfilled by incorporating an array of products and services critical to dairy-and-beef-farm prosperity. CentralStar’s product and service offerings include Accelerated Genetics, GenerVations and Select Sires genetics; extensive artificial-insemination (A.I.) technician service; genetic, reproduction, and dairy-records consultation; DHI services; diagnostic testing; herd-management products; research and development; and more. CentralStar’s administration and warehouse facilities are located in Lansing, Mich., and Waupun, Wis., with laboratories in Grand Ledge, Mich., and Kaukauna, Wis. The cooperative serves dairy and beef producers throughout Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana, with additional DHI territory in various surrounding states. For more information, visit CentralStar Cooperative Inc. at www.mycentralstar.com.
