Introducing ZEPHYR: The next generation

A ZEPHYR might be a gentle breeze in the outside world, but in the dairy industry ZEPHYR is set to create a big storm.

Summit View ZEPHYR, a son of Calister DECIPHER, is the first genomic sire to graduate through the Genetics Australia-PEAK Co-operator program created as part of the URUS joint venture. ZEPHYR was born at our Co-operator herd in Gippsland and will soon enter AI and is expected to feature with a release in our August 2025 Holstein sire catalogue where he is sure to attract strong attention.

The process started with semen leaving the shores of Australia, arriving in the U.S at the Trans Ova Genetics embryo centre, then being combined with an elite Holstein female Peak Zestful 7305-ET from the Peak Genetics program. The end result is Summit View ZEPHYR-ET-IMP.

Genetics Australia’s CEO Anthony Shelly said that Peak Zestful 7305-ET was the first donor dam selected to provide genetics to this collaborative program. She was selected for her high genomic ranking for Australia. Eight calves came from that initial mating – four females as well as four males – with two full sisters to be added to the Summit View donor program in Australia this coming spring.

The calves are impressive and display good breed characteristics.

The Co-operator program fosters a unique opportunity on a global scale for Genetics Australia, made possible through the joint venture with the URUS group. It involves a small group of contracted farms in Victoria where embryos are transferred to recipient females and calves are born. Females born in the program stay at the co-operator’s farm, with elite female offspring added to future breeding schedules. The genomic breeding values of male calves will be assessed, and elite males will join AI with Genetics Australia Holdings for Australian farmers to access.

“Sending our local semen to the US to Peak Genetics to sire embryos that come back is a great opportunity to access international cow families with Australian genomic performance breeding values,” Anthony said.

The future is looking very bright for the PEAK / GAH product development program which will continue to work alongside Australian breeder programs to supply elite genetics to dairy producers at a local and international level.

While Calister DECIPHER semen was our first shipment sent as part of the Co-operator program, other semen products have been exported to Trans Ova to make the next line of embryos, including the “Genomic Giant” and breed leading BPI sire for the past 18 months in Carenda AUSTRALIND.

 “We currently have Carenda AUSTRALIND calves being born across the 2025 Autumn calving period with co-operators from some outstanding PEAK Genetics females,” Anthony said.  “This is an exciting beginning to what should be recognised as a collaboration effort of global herd improvement organisations for the betterment of Australian dairy producers,” he added.

“We are sending semen from the very best bulls at Genetics Australia to the U.S to make embryos and Australian farmers will see the benefits of combining the best of both worlds.”

Summit View genetics are designed to capture and maximise the elite genetic merit of future breeding females as well as supply elite semen products to the Genetics Australia and Total Livestock Genetics semen portfolios.