Download Strong Genetic Interest Led Ziemba to Select Sires

Strong Genetic Interest Led Ziemba to Select Sires
Growing up, Kevin Ziemba always had a strong
interest in genetics which serves him well in his
current position as a genetic and reproductive
advisor with Select Sire Power in the northeastern
United States.
“I was raised working with cows
on our family’s 75-cow registered
Holstein farm where genetics
and breeding were of the utmost
priority,” explained Ziemba. “I
started mating my own animals
by age 10 and was responsible for
the breeding program for the herd
by 15. From the age of 10 I would
take bull books and create lists of
all the available sires and ranking
traits I thought were important.”
That interest in genetics and the
dairy industry led him to pursue a
bachelor’s degree in animal science
from Cornell University followed by
a master’s degree from Cornell in
animal genetics. While at Cornell
he managed their MOET program,
Advanced Dairy Genetics (ADG),
where he became familiar with
young sire development and sexed
semen. ADG was a cooperative of
11 large dairies which gave him
an understanding of cooperative
structures and experience working
with dairy herd managers on a dayto-day basis.
Although he considered farming
full time after graduation, the A.I.
industry had always interested
him and when Select Sire Power
contacted him about a position he
took the opportunity to become a
dairy coordinator in May 2003.
“My family grew up very proSelect Sires and we had put a few
bulls into A.I. through Select Sires,”
said Ziemba. “I had always thought
if I ever had my choice of any A.I.
company, I would love to work at
Select Sires.”
In June 2004 Ziemba took over as
northeast regional manager and in
2013 he moved into his current role
as genetic and reproductive advisor
where he works with key accounts
and sales teams throughout Select
Sire Power’s area.
Being a problem solver
“There is not a typical day in my
job,” said Ziemba. “Everything is
situational. I can receive a call,
email or text at any point during
the day redirecting my attention
to any number of needs from our
sales team or customers. Some may
Ziemba (second from left) spends most of his time working with customer-owners and fellow
Select Sire Power employees.
Kevin Ziemba: Genetic and Reproductive Advisor
Family: Ziemba and his wife, Barb, and son,
Mason, reside in Durhamville, N.Y. and market
Holsteins and Jerseys under the ZBW prefix. They
have owned or bred 12 All-American nominations
and currently have four young sires at Select Sires.
Agricultural Background: Ziemba grew up on
a 75-cow registered Holstein farm where he played a
large role in mating the herd. He received bachelor's
and master's degrees from Cornell University and
worked with their MOET program, Advanced Dairy
Genetics.
Daily Responsibilities: He spends his time problem solving as well as
working with CowManager systems, reproductive and genetic consulting, team
meetings, customer meetings and employee training.
be quick fixes, some may require
research and others may require a
herd visit. Most of my work includes
CowManager® sales, reproductive
and genetic consulting, team
meetings, customer meetings and
employee training.”
Most often Ziemba is a problem
solver dealing with challenges and
situations and doing his best for a
positive outcome. Seeing results is
a true measure of success for him.
“Results can be defined in many
ways; increased sales, getting that
new account, seeing a technician
or sales manager succeed, but I
truly associate results first at the
farm,” explains Ziemba. “When
you get that text message saying
‘thanks for the meeting yesterday
that really helped our employees’,
the email stating that the herd you
visited with last month increased
their palpation pregnancy rate to
70 percent based on some changes
you advised, or you make some
mating decisions for a farm that
leads them having a bull enter the
sire program at Select Sires.”
Ziemba believes the people at
Select Sires set them apart.
“We have the best people on our
team throughout the North America
and the world,” said Ziemba.
“These people, whether they are
one of our local technicians or
one of our key leaders in Ohio are
all family. We have the greatest
collection of personnel to provide
resources that give excellent
advice. We provide this group of
people continual training and
education to stay current as the
needs of our potential customers.
If we don’t have the answer to a
question we can find the answer, or
better yet, bring you the person who
may have that answer.”
Ziemba and his wife Barb and
son Mason are also involved in
the dairy industry by marketing
Holsteins and Jerseys under the
ZBW prefix. ZiemBarbWay has
owned or bred 12 All-American
nominations and numerous state
show winners. They currently
have four young sires at Select
Sires including Super Sampler™
7HO12175 ZBW-JD Mc WONKA-ET.
Ziemba has coached the Cornell
University dairy judging team for
the past four years. The team has
placed in the top five at World
Dairy Expo the past three years
and was the high team at the 2015
Eastern States Exposition.
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