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September 6, 2023
SHAWANO – What began as a tree removal project evolved into an opportunity to tell the GENEX story in mural form.
Last month, GENEX – which provides advanced genetic and reproductive solutions to dairy and beef cattle producers around the globe – unveiled a mural at its headquarters complete with a facility-wide celebration.
“The project got kicked off as we removed some trees from that area so we had the opportunity to create more of a modern, outdoor look to our facility, which is our world headquarters,” Jenny Hanson, brand manager for GENEX, said.
The mural, Hanson said, not only serves as a backdrop for photo opportunities but depicts much more.
“Over the years, we have visitors from across the United States and from countries around the globe come to our Shawano, Wisconsin, headquarters,” she said.
Thought-out design
Hanson said a lot of planning went into the design.
“The mural was painted by Spencer Young of Forever Young Designs and designed by our in-house graphic design staff,” she said. “One of the members of our team, Thais Muller Pacheco, is gifted at taking photos and then transforming them into illustrations. This was her brainchild.”
The mural includes two larger cow heads.
One of them, a Holstein cow, Hanson said, is representative of the typical kind of cow bred and raised in North America.
The image on the right side, she said, represents the Nelore breed and depicts GENEX’s global scope showing the typical cow from tropical or arid climates.
Framing out the image, Hanson said, is a nod to the community where GENEX finds its roots, Shawano – which is also well-known as the state’s barn quilt capitol.
“The centerpiece of the design has a father and daughter along with a cow and a calf which represents us here at GENEX,” she said. “We have been in existence for generations, and we want to be around to serve farmers both here and across the globe for generations to come. Our theme is GENEX for generations.”
The idea to tie the GENEX mural to the Shawano County Barn quilt movement, Hanson said, can be attributed to one of the designers.
On the left-hand side, and a little on the right-hand side, is a barn quilt pattern and GENEX brand colors to match the Shawano community.
More on GENEX
The GENEX cooperative story began in the 1930s when producer members came together to form an organization that would genetically improve cattle performance and deliver economical cattle reproductive service.
Hanson said the GENEX team takes pride in delivering value to customers in every interaction, whether through supplying cattle genetics, artificial insemination services, professional herd consulting, quality herd care products or bull search apps.
GENEX provides a variety of services and products, including cattle genetics, artificial insemination services, professional herd consulting, quality herd care products or bull search apps. Photo Courtesy of GENEX
As the industry has evolved and advanced, so too, Hanson said, has GENEX’s services to producers.
The reality is, she said, that identifying genetics for producers’ next generation can be a daunting task – having to consider such questions as:
Which traits to be most concerned about? How many traits are enough or too much?What trait combination will lead to overall genetic progress?
“The products we sell to them (can range) from cow monitoring systems to programs which help them choose which genetics to use,” she said. “Early on in the cattle genetics industry, there were (individual) small cooperatives. They have each grown and many have merged together over time.”
Technology, Hanson said, has evolved significantly over the past nearly 100 years.
“Genetics, and the genetic level of the semen we provide to the farms has improved,” she said. “There are more traits that are evaluated than ever before on all of the bulls to know what their genetic levels are.”
Those traits, Hanson said, could be related to milk production or be linked to the longevity of their offspring.
“Our semen and genetics areas continue to represent the largest segment of our business,” she said. “We also offer herd care products, which would include products to care for a calf, like colostrum, that a cow needs after calving as humans need after a calcium deficiency after delivery.”
Hanson said another important trend GENEX recognizes and is ever-increasing, is the sustainability of cows and their feeding efficiency, along with the sustainability of the co-op.
It is a focus now and has been over time.
Company operations
Hanson said producer participation in cooperative governance – through the delegate and council system – provides GENEX senior leadership with a strong understanding of the desired vision for the co-op.
GENEX gathers annually to elect delegates who will represent the co-op.
Hanson said it’s a unique business model.
“We are a co-op, and we are here for all members,” she said. “If they purchase our products and services and they complete a membership agreement, they become a member of our co-op. We are here for all dairy and beef producers, no matter the size of their herd or the type of cattle that they have.”
GENEX has retail locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.
The company also markets through a professional distributor network in places across the globe.
Hanson said GENEX is much more than just a cooperative.
“One of the things important to me, along with our entire team at GENEX, is that we are a cooperative business,” she said. “Our business is owned by dairy and beef cattle producers across the United States. That renders a good feeling that what we are doing each day for our members matters. Yes, we are marketing products to them, but we are also in it with them. We want to help them improve and be more successful in their reproductive and genetic programs every day.”
Workplace culture for GENEX and the industry at large, Hanson said, is not something found under one roof, but is, quite literally, out in the field.
As a cooperative, Jenny Hanson said GENEX is owned by dairy and beef cattle producers across the United States. Photo Courtesy of GENEX
“There is a lot of support staff and leadership in Shawano so there is an exciting energy here, but the real excitement happens with our field staff on the farms, every day, talking with producers, selling cattle genetics or working on farm reproductive programs,” she said.
Nearly 95% of the farms across the world, Hanson said, are small, family operations with fewer than 30 cows, therefore it takes a unique strategy to attempt to reach the end user.
“There is such a wide array (of operations) from South America to India, where every family has a couple of cows, to large progressive farms here in the U.S., China or Russia,” she said. “Then there are more mid-sized farms in Europe, where there is also a larger population of people along with environmental requirements.”
Similar challenges
Like many companies, Hanson said GENEX also struggles with finding talent and filling the pipeline with skilled employees.
“Fewer and fewer individuals are growing up in the industry on farms or ranches,” she said. “As a result, many young people are not fully aware of the diverse opportunities available to them within agriculture.”
As an industry, Hanson said, there are negative misconceptions that those in the industry must overcome.
“We need to use every opportunity to showcase to potential employees the innovation in precision agriculture and the cutting-edge tools being used today and developed for tomorrow,” she said. “Plus, a career in this industry can make significant positive contributions to both the environment and society.”
Part of this, Hanson said, includes collaboration.
GENEX, along with seven other businesses, is part of the parent company URUS, which Hanson said is dedicated to serving dairy and cattle producers across the globe.
“URUS is an organization that is actively growing with additional sister companies joining us,” she said. “They all relate to and circle around the cow. We are a growing family. The future is always exciting for agriculture because it is one of those industries that is necessary in order to help feed the world’s growing population.”
For more information about GENEX, visit genexcoop.com or find them on Facebook.
