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| SAV Pioneer, a US bull we have been using |
Over the last month we have been very busy at Trio Angus doing several artificial insemination (AI) & embryo transfer (ET) programs. While we have been doing AI & ET on our farm for many years now, I still find the process very interesting!
As we are in the stud game the aim of our business is to breed animals that are genetically superior for certain traits (such as growth rate). The better the animal we can breed the more money it is worth.
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| A semen tank |
Both AI & ET allow us to increase the reproductive potential of genetic superior animals. We do AI so we can mate a cow with a superior bull. We chose the superior bull we want to use (from basically anywhere in the world) & then we buy straws of frozen semen from it. This semen is stored in tank filled with liquid nitrogen & is transported to us. We then synchronise our cows in their oestrous cycles, carefully thaw the semen & deposit it into the cow.
ET, which incorporates AI, increases the number of offspring a female can produce. The process involves getting the donor female to super-ovulate, artificially inseminating her & then collecting the embryos. Recipient cows are then prepared and these embryos are implanted into them. These recipients then raise this calf as though it were their own, even though genetically it isn’t.
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| An ET technician evaluating embryos |
Both AI & ET simply enhance the reproductive processes that are naturally occurring within the cow. The techniques used today are all non-surgical and they don’t cause the cows any discomfort or pain. Good nutrition, minimal stress & quiet handling are vital for AI & ET to work successfully. After both processes the cows are usually put with a bull to be mated naturally incase the AI or ET was unsuccessful.