Hanleigh Young caters her AI services to smaller producers
LEBANON, MO. – Some young women dream of careers as a teacher, doctor or nurse, hairdresser or fashion designer, but not Hanleigh Young. As a high school student, she planned to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia and study to be a veterinarian. She found herself working closely with her Lebanon High School FFA advisor Craig Evans who also bred cattle on the side. She said she followed him around, opened gates, and learned a great deal about cattle reproduction at a young age.
“Before I was out of high school, I attended Cattle Vision,” she continued. “It’s an AI (Artificial Insemination) school in Clark, Mo. I attended with my dad, Matt Young, and we became certified in AI. At first, I just worked on my family’s farm and with friends of our family. I went to Mizzou but realized I didn’t want to work with the wide range involved in a full veterinary practice. I didn’t want to work with small animals or even horses. I just liked the cattle research and reproduction. I came home and started my own company.”
Today, Hanleigh runs her own one-woman operation, Sync Up Breeding, working with AI, bull selection, herd synchronization, and breeding.
“I work with farmers with all breeds of cattle – commercial beef, commercial dairy, hobby, miniature and standard. I’m noticing I’m working with a lot more homestead and hobby farmers. I typically make four visits to a farm, helping them to synchronize their herd, depending on if they have cows or heifers and what type of protocol we choose. We talk about bulls, what kind of breed, and what semen we’ll be using and go over each EPD. I take care of the shipping, handling, and storing of the semen. Once we synchronize the herd (getting all their cows to come into heat at the same time), using hormones, then I AI their cows. These are the same hormones already found in cattle, so I am not introducing something artificial or unknown here.
“For a great many of my clients, this works out so much better. They can make the selection of a bull, and we can order the semen for a fraction of what it would cost for them to get a bull onto their property or, especially, the cost of purchasing a bull. For the homestead farmer, people who do not have a long tradition or background in farming, folks who are just starting out, this is ideal and so much more cost-effective.”
“I really enjoy working with people who are new to farming, who maybe have only one milk cow for their family, or those working with rare breeds. Sometimes, I also end up working with an older farmer, who has been in this quite a while, but his kids will, for instance, talk him into trying something new, and he is surprised to find out how easy and affordable this is, compared to handling a bull.”
“After I have AI’d their cow(s), I come back 28 days later, and take a sample for bio-pryn and send that off to SEK Genetics.”
Hanleigh enjoys her work and finds, as a young mother, it has another added advantage.
“My son Ledger is just under a year old, and I can take him with me much of the time since we are just talking and visiting about what’s next.
After becoming a mother, I have to say, it has given me a whole new and different perspective on life and the reproduction process,” she concluded with a smile.
