Alternative Semen Company to Widen Cross Breeding Options
08/10/07

A new semen company specialising in bulls for cross breeding has been launched.

Adela Booth and Gill Derryman, founders of the Alternative Semen Company, inspect the ‘Hele’ Jerseys of Messrs Piper & Leeson, and  managed by Andercourt. Roger Trewhella and Roger Derryman, whose experience and knowledge encouraged the business to supply a range of dairy breeds for the pure and fast growing cross-breeding markets, look on.

Called The Alternative Semen Company, the business has been set-up by Gill Derryman and Adela Booth, and draws on the experience and knowledge of Roger Derryman and Roger Trewhella – both of whom have been involved in the cattle breeding industry for over 25 years. Roger Derryman was the inaugural Dairy Farmer of the Year and runs a successful agribusiness in Cornwall, with his wife Gill.

Roger Trewhella was a Trehane Scholar who has worked in the cattle breeding and animal feed sectors. Adela Booth has considerable experience in the dairy industry at Unigate before setting up her own company. Regional agent Mair Cavenagh has joined the company to provide experienced support on farms in Wales, Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. She is actively involved in the running of the family farm in Wales.

The company launches with an initial offering of ten high ranking bulls from dairy breeds including Scandinavian Red, Brown Swiss, Jersey, British Friesian, Montbeliarde and beef bulls from native and continental breeds.

A Piuha daughter in Scandinavia. This Sire is ranked number one for Fertility and Calving Ease as well as being number two for Protein Percentage in Finland.

The company’s high flier bulls include: Piuha, a Scandinavian Red, which is number one for both Fertility and Calving Ease in Finland as well as number two on Protein Percentage; Perfecta, which is ranked in top spot for Productive Life in the Brown Swiss breed in the USA, and Mission, which holds the same ranking for Daughter Pregnancy Rate. Jerseys include Q Impuls, a Danish bred bull that has made an enormous impact within the breed around the world, having been recognised as the leading performance sire in Denmark, Canada, the USA and the UK. Kirkby Emperor is one of the British Friesians in the stud, and he passes on improved
compositional quality and fertility to his daughters as well as reducing cell counts.

“The trend to cross-breeding is going mainstream as high output Holstein herds adopt the practice,” says Adela Booth. “The Alternative Semen Company is about offering the right blend of breeds and sires to help farmers improve the longevity and robustness of their cattle.”

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