The Bovine Bugle

Artificial Insemination is the norm for heifers at Howmars Farm

Farmer Jonathan is taking a break from writing this week. Back in March, he wrote us this review about farm visits from his artificial insemination technician:

Bob Cole, our AI (artificial insemination) technician, stopped at the farm this morning to service one of our cows. I had noticed Loonette, an 8-year-old cow, in heat last evening and had called in for Bob to stop this morning.

We have all our cows and heifers artificially inseminated. We have never kept a bull on the farm, for several reasons. The two main reasons are safety and genetic gain. Bulls can be very dangerous and every year you hear about someone being attacked by one. By using AI sires, I can choose bulls that are genetically superior and will give me daughters that will have the characteristics I am looking for in my animals.

Bob works for Genex, a partner in CRI, and has been coming to our farm for over 15 years. He does a great job for us, and is an important member of the "team" I rely on to make our farm a success.

The bull semen is stored in a tank filled with liquid nitrogen, and the straws containing the semen are immersed in the -273 F liquid. Bob pulled the straw of the bull I wanted to use on Loonette, did his paperwork, got what he needed out of his equipment box, and we headed out to the freestalls to find the cow that was in heat. After palpating the cow to make sure where to place the semen, Bob inserted the breeding gun and released the semen near the cervix of the cow. Hopefully, in about nine months, Loonette will be giving us a nice heifer calf.

After packing away his gear, Bob does a sanitary boot wash to make sure not to spread anything between any of the various farms he visits. Our dog, Yukon, loves it when Bob visits because he always carries special treats in his truck--treats Yukon gets just before Bob leaves the property!

--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Posted by Blogger Chris at April 24, 2006 07:03 PM