Go Full Circle

FeedWise™, available through GENEX, gives U.S. dairy producers access to exclusive Leachman Stabilizer™ semen. Every calf created from FeedWise™ ONYX™ semen has a guaranteed buyer at the time of purchase.

ONYX™ is a contractual agreement between you and GK Jim Farms, a premier calf buyer and cattle feeding organization. ONYX™ guarantees you fair market value and a premium above that price for every Stabilizer‑sired calf produced from FeedWise™ ONYX™ semen.

FeedWise™ semen for the ONYX™ program allows you to generate the best market beef cross calves possible to drive profit on your operation and throughout the value chain.

To create the highest quality beef x dairy calves, FeedWise™ semen for the ONYX™ program is a targeted terminal cross selected on data to maximize profit based on the breed of dairy cow you are mating. There are three categories of FeedWise™ semen for the ONYX™ program available in the U.S.:

– ONYX™ BLEND 1 HO – genetically optimized for use on Holsteins, focusing on marbling and muscling and less emphasis on frame score.

– ONYX™ BLEND 2 JE – genetically optimized for use on Jerseys, focusing on above average carcass weights, greater than average daily gain, and more frame score.

– ONYX™ BLEND 3 HO/JE – genetically optimized for use on Holstein/Jersey crossbred cattle, focusing on a combination of the aforementioned traits.

Each blend comes in options for use on heifers or cows.

First designed in the 1970s by USDA ARS scientists as the Marc II composite, Leachman Cattle of Colorado has been developing their own proprietary line of Stabilizer genetics for more than 30 years. These cattle are made up of British and Continental breeds, including Angus, Red Angus, Simmental, Gelbvieh and South Devon.

As a multi-breed composite, the Stabilizer cattle’s combination of muscle and marbling is unique in the industry; they marble far better than Continental breeds and have muscling and yield superior to Angus. They are known for having improved feed conversion rates, higher fertility, increased longevity and hybrid vigor that makes them more resilient.

With more than 30 years of breeding, Stabilizer cattle now have an average pedigree depth of 12 generations. Leachman Cattle alone breeds more than 10,000 cows per year, which would rank Stabilizers among the top 10 breeds in the U.S. Data has been collected and analyzed on more than 1.4 million animals with an annual contribution of more than 30,000 animal records per year.

Stabilizer genetics deliver key economically important traits for producing beef x dairy calves:

– CALVING EASE – Stabilizers are designed to deliver lower birth weight calves, helping to ensure an easy calving.

– GESTATION LENGTH – Stabilizers generally have a 2-day shorter gestation length than most common beef breeds, which means your cows calve and start their lactation earlier.

– CONCEPTION – Stabilizers have high conception rates that are consistent with or above other beef sires.

– CALF HEALTH – Stabilizers create healthy, vigorous calves. The Stabilizer influence drives calves to get up fast and be active and alert, which ensures the calves get off to a good start.

Crossing dairy females with Stabilizer bulls delivers calves with a round muscle pattern through the hind quarters and high potential for excellent marbling and cutability, making them more desirable to buyers and processors.

– PRECISION MATINGS – Different Stabilizer bull lines are selected for specific use on Holsteins, Jerseys, and Holstein/Jersey crosses to make the ideal Stabilizer x dairy calf.

– FEED EFFICIENCY – Stabilizer cattle are developed with a focus on reducing feed intake and increasing feed efficiency. Genetic heritability is high for traits associated with feed intake, which makes Stabilizer x dairy calves ideal.

– MARBLING – Stabilizer cattle have the ability to marble extremely well, resulting in higher quality grades.

– HEALTH – Right from birth, Stabilizer cattle are vigorous and known for their ability to adapt and thrive in a variety of conditions.