I would hope that good queen producers look for good stock all the time.
I would hope that good queen producers would also use AI as a very
important and nesesary tool in their operation.
  If a queen procucer told me that he was not searching for  good brood
stock, all the time,  from the area that I keep bees in and that he was
not using AI to get this brood stock, then I do not think that I would
use his queens.
   You do not know what you have if you do not use AI and you do not
know how they will perform if not tested in the area where you beekeep.
    I still say it makes little difference where the queen is raised but
it does make a lot of difference where the genes are from and how good
of a job the queen raiser does.
BUD