01/12/2009, 5 ABS millionaires
2009 has been a spectacular year for the
international breeding company ABS Global.
It started already early in the year with the
Holstein bulls Garrison and Boliver, who at
virtually the same time produced their millionth
dose of semen. In April they were surprisingly
followed by the relatively unknown Frederick,
who also reached one million.
And just recently, in the month of July, two ABS
stars have once again stormed past the milestone
of one million: Jammer and Bolton. Yes, Bolton
too, who in September will be just 8 years old.
He’s the world’s youngest millionaire ever.
With him ABS Global has harvested 5 millionaires
in one year; an AI company has never achieved
this before either.
It’s never been seen before in the history of cattle
breeding. Never before has a bull reached the
milestone of one million doses of semen with
such tremendous speed. Even before his second
crop daughters are included in his indexes, Sandy-
Valley Bolton has shot across the one million line.
That means that almost a million doses have been
sold only on the basis of Bolton’s index from his
sampling period. It’s a sky high index, let’s be clear
about that. Since his majestic debut in May 2006
when Bolton immediately took over first place,
until August 2008 Bolton, never dropped out of
America’s top-10. Since January 2009 it’s been the
top-20, not because Bolton dropped but because
the company of new transmitters became larger.
For a long time Bolton was vying with O-Man for
America’s top position. They were then also the
first to pass the magical milestone of 2000 TPI; first
Bolton, in August 2006, after that O-Man, in
November 2006. The Hershel son Bolton has thus
been continually among the absolute leaders on
the Holstein front - clear then that the semen price
has been above average the whole time. So it can
be assumed that Bolton’s million doses not only
came in record time, but that the financial value of
this million is also a record high.
300,000 DOSES PER YEAR
Anyone looking more closely at Bolton’s career will
stand amazed. Staff member Scott Bentley at
Bolton’s owner ABS Global is also very impressed.
‘Bolton’s production was always remarkable. He
was able to produce 300,000 doses of semen per
year. That is a virtually unprecedented amount.’
We must mention that all of Bolton’s semen was
processed as a frozen product. Some millionaires
(for example in New Zealand and the Netherlands)
also periodically had fresh semen used so
that a lot more doses could be distributed from a
jump. That was never the case with Bolton.
Yes, on Thursday July 16, 2009 Bolton passed one
million. One month before his second crop daughters
can strengthen his index with the August 2009
release. ‘But, it’s these second crop daughters that
are currently increasing the rate at which semen is
being sold,’ explains Wayne DeBuhr from ABS
Global. In the meantime, Wayne has seen Bolton’s
second crop daughters and sees in them confirmation
of Bolton’s quality: a combination of lots of
milk, power, and late maturity. ‘Boltons continue
to develop and that is what already appealed to
farmers from the sampling period.’
SIX IN SERVICE
Bolton’s millionaire status as of July 16, 2009
leads to yet another historical fact. One week earlier
his barn mate Ridge-Star Jammer also joined
the millionaire guild, with which ABS Global now
has 5 Holstein bulls that have passed one million
this year. Earlier this year Garrison, Boliver and
Frederick already attained one million. In just 7
months ABS has recorded 5 millionaires: never
seen before in history. And with this quintet, as of
July 16, ABS is right away the company with the
most millionaires in the world: 9 in total. (Until
July, Semex was in the lead with 8 millionaires).
For ABS, the journey began with Southwind Bell
of Bar-Lee, their first millionaire. Then followed
Convincer (maternal grandsire of Bolton), Die-
Hard and Jordan, before the addition of the recent
five. Of them, Die-Hard is still alive and continues
to produce, so that ABS finds itself in the unique
situation that the barn complex in DeForest (in
Wisconsin, US) now houses 6 millionaires. Die-
Hard is the real veteran; the 14-year-old Roebuck
son is already well past 1.5 million doses and is
possibly on his way to a new world record.
Let’s conclude on this note: a collection of so
many millionaires cannot be a coincidence. It is
the result of exemplary cooperation between
breeding analysts, who are able to continually
purchase the right transmitters for ABS, and the
barn and laboratory team, who provide optimum
conditions for the money-makers in question.
Honour goes to whom honour is due.
