Artificial insemination can bring high quality genetics to your herd. But there’s a high price in time and labor, and Don Hubbell decided he can no longer afford it. Hubbell, Resident Director of the University of Arkansas Livestock and Forestry Research Station at Batesville, told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor they had to stop using A.I. on the farm’s herd. While they continue to use A.I. sired bulls with desirable EPDs, he said, “We just don’t have the manpower and the time,” for A.I.
But if you do have the resources, Hubbell said A.I. is worthwhile. “You can buy way above average bulls for somewhere in the $20-30 per straw range,” he said. “Some of them are even cheaper, if you want to use some young sires that are unproven but may have a good pedigree.” Compare that to a bull with high value EPDs that may cost $2,500-$5,000, and could be injured or otherwise left unable to service the cows. “That makes him worthless, or costs you a lot of time waiting for him to heal or get back in shape,” Hubbell said. “Whereas with AI, the semen should be ready to go when you are.”
The cost of A.I. goes up by about $20/head if you hire a breeding service, which will synchronize the cows so they can all be serviced at the same time. A professional will also achieve an 80-90 percent conception success rate; if you do it yourself, Hubbell said, the rate could be closer to 60-70 percent or even lower.
Hubbell said the process is not complicated, but does require training. The semen has to be thawed at a specific temperature in a warm water bath; the straw is inserted into a gun, which also has to be warmed slightly. “You only have about a tenth of a milliliter of semen in there,” Hubbell said. “Any improper handling techniques can decrease your conception rate, because you may be losing semen by the second, so to speak.”
“It’s a great technique for getting virgin heifers bred,” Hubbell said. “They all calve within a short period of time and get them on the ground quickly.”
Dr. Gordon Doak, president of the Columbia, Mo-based National Association of Animal Breeders, said he thinks use of A.I. in beef cattle is increasing; he said the different synchronization protocols are “being very well received by the commercial breeder,” and also expects the record cattle prices to drive interest in A.I.
NAAB offers basic A.I. training information, as do the breeding services. Doak said whether you should hire a breeding service depends on a number of factors. “The technicians are professionals,” he pointed out. “They’re trained in genetic selection; they’re trained in reproductive services and nutrition.” But, he said, with enough training and practice a producer can become proficient enough to achieve success.
But Hubbell said a producer needs to take a lot of things into account before starting on an A.I. program. “When it’s time to set those cows up, you’ve got to be able to catch them, get the implants in them and give them their shots,” he said.
