ABS Global Expanding Dekorra Facility; Building on Leeds Property

Jul 18

ABS Global is growing and investing in new facilities for future growth! The company is increasing bull housing at its Dekorra, Wis., USA campus and establishing a new campus in Leeds, Wis., to accommodate the additional bulls needed due to increased demand. ABS Global headquarters will remain in DeForest, Wis.

“This expansion represents a $19.1 million investment by ABS Global and Genus plc, our parent company, to truly benefit our customers,” said Nate Zwald, ABS Global COO – Dairy. “By the time we’re done in 2021, the total expansion will include four new or modified barns to house 420 bulls.”

Expansion at Dekorra this summer includes adding 60 stalls to one current barn and construction of another 120-stall facility. This will take capacity from 240 to 420 stalls. Additional projects at Dekorra include adding feed rooms and a wash bay.

“We need more space for production and we need to ensure the housing is suitable for the younger genomic sires the industry is demanding today,” said Dr. Jim Meronek, Global Health Assurance and Supply Chain Director, ABS Global. “The expansion this summer in Dekorra will help us meet today’s demand while the planned building at Leeds will move us toward future growth.”

Since the launch of Sexcel® Sexed Genetics, powered by IntelliGen® Technologies, in September 2017, production has intensified as overall demand has climbed. And, as more farmers use Sexcel on genetically-superior animals in their herd, there is increased demand for ABS Beef InFocus™, powered by NuEra™ Genetics, for the rest of the herd to create the high-demand, beef cross calf the industry is seeking. This ultimately requires more collection capacity as ABS continues to experience record demand. For instance, ABS is now processing 21 percent more semen than it did just two years ago.

“Global demand for Beef InFocus continues to build rapidly so we’re bringing in more sires from our genetic nucleus program than ever before,” explains Jerry Thompson, ABS Global COO – Beef. “Along with dairy sires, our Leeds campus will house T14 NuEra bulls for our Beef InFocus program and will also answer the growing demand generated by our traditional beef customers globally.”

Construction at Leeds will start this fall with a maintenance shop and wash bay. Two barns with 120 stalls each, a lab, a storage shed for commodities and a home will be built on the property by July 2021. ABS Global owns roughly 400 acres in Leeds, allowing for further expansion as demand grows. Check out the Leeds location here.

“As the city of DeForest continues to grow closer to our barns, this expansion allows us to eliminate our older facilities there, and eventually move all animals to state-of-the-art facilities in a more rural setting,” Zwald adds. “We will still have our headquarters in DeForest – where we’ve proudly been since 1965.”