Millionaire and World-famous ABS Sire SHOTTLE Passes Away
MADISON, Wis., U.S.A. (March 18, 2015)— ABS® Global Inc., the world leader in bovine genetics,
reproduction services, and artificial insemination technologies, is saddened to
announce the passing of the globally iconic sire, 29HO12209 Picston SHOTTLE. The
recently retired bull leaves behind an outstanding legacy producing 1,174,948
units.
“The peaceful passing of SHOTTLE means we
have lost one of our industry’s most influential animals,” said Saskia Korink,
ABS Global Chief Operating Officer. “He has made a major impact on dairy
farming around the globe over the last 15 years and has become one of the
greatest ‘customer satisfaction’ bulls of all time.”
SHOTTLE was born at
Spot Acre Grange near Stafford, England—the home of the Pickford family and Picston
Holsteins. He was the son of dam Condon Aero Sharon EX-91 and sire Carole
Prelude Mtoto.
For seven straight
sire summary releases (January 2008 through January 2010) SHOTTLE sat at the
peak of the Top 100 TPI® list. After
those seven straight runs, he remained a top 15 sire for the next five sire
summaries. In December 2011, SHOTTLE became the 11th ABS sire to
achieve ‘millionaire’ status—with one million units of semen sold. When he
turned 12 he still out-performed bulls half his age—remaining in the top 25 of
the Top 100 TPI list. Even at the age of 15 and post-retirement, he continued
to be a tremendous improver of health traits and was over 1.20 for PTAT. He
continues to impact the Holstein USA Top 100 TPI list, with two sons and 28
maternal grandsons listed.
SHOTTLE leaves a long
list of offspring, including more than 100,000 daughters in 20,000 herds in 22
countries. Conservatively, those 100,000 SHOTTLE daughters have produced more
than five billion pounds (more than two billion litres) of milk to help nourish
the world.
ABS remains the
premier source for SHOTTLE influenced genetics—marketing conventional and sexed
semen from 17 direct sons and 27 maternal grandsons. Even after his passing, with
19 maternal grandsons awaiting proof information, SHOTTLE will continue to
influence the industry for years to come.
Not only was SHOTTLE
popular in the dairy and artificial insemination industries, but he received
enormous amounts of press coverage from all over the world early on in his
career. In addition to dairy trade publications, stories about SHOTTLE appeared
in numerous newspapers and magazines, including The Times of London and Daily
Mail. Perhaps the most notable was his feature in Playboy magazine—a feat no other bull at ABS Global has accomplished.
In his final months, while enjoying
retirement, SHOTTLE received superstar treatment—including the enjoyment of a
pen twice the size of his herd mates where he basked under heat lamps and got
regular exercise from the dedicated team of stockmen at the Ruthin stud in the
United Kingdom. All of us at ABS will miss SHOTTLE greatly, but look forward to
what his genetics and offspring continue to do for the dairy industry around
the world.
Headquartered in DeForest, Wisconsin, U.S.A.,
ABS Global is the world‐leading provider of
bovine genetics, reproduction services, artificial insemination technologies,
and udder care products. Marketing in more than 70 countries around the globe,
ABS has been at the forefront of animal genetics and technology since its
founding in 1941. ABS Global is a division of Genus plc.
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