
Tag Archives artificial insemination

Embryo evolution: Transplant technology fuels a career for Roger Davis
Dr. Roger Davis reflects on what he’s learned after decades as a leader in the embryo transfer and export business
Canadian beef cattle genetics have improved over decades as trends, production methods and market access channels evolve. Dr. Roger Davis, one of the founders of Davis-Rairdan Embryo Transplants, an elite embryo export business, is synonymous with the advancement and movement of beef cattle genetics. Throughout Davis’s notable career, he has been actively involved in spearheading […] Read more

Selecting beef genetics for profitability and performance
Three producers touch on everything from feed efficiency to getting the most information possible on AI sires
Three Ontario beef farmers shared their thoughts around increasing performance and profitability through breeding choices. Their panel discussion was part of the 2020 Beef Symposium held at the University of Guelph earlier this year. Brad Gilchrist Beef marketing manager with Semex and owner, Gilchrist Farms, Lucknow, Ont. Gilchrist Farms sell commercial and purebred breeding stock. […] Read more

New opportunities to apply embryo transfer
Embryo transfer may start to grow in commercial herds, in conjunction with other genetic selection tools
When you think of bovine embryo transfer, it’s likely you view it as a technique geared toward the seedstock industry. This advanced reproductive technology is a well-established tool for purebred breeders, and now some embryo transfer practitioners are seeing opportunities for its growth in commercial breeding programs. “Embryo transfer or IVF is not a technology […] Read more

A.I. has fit with commercial cattle herds
Effective means to tap into the best genetics
Artificial Insemination (A.I.) is an efficient and quick method to improve the genetics of a cow herd, and it’s becoming more popular with commercial cattle producers as training/certification programs become available. A.I. has opened the door for commercial cattlemen to breed to the very best bulls in the industry, allowing them to use the large […] Read more

Preventing reproductive wrecks in cow-calf operations
Breeding: There are four important management practices to improve reproductive efficiency
Reproduction remains one of the most important factors affecting the success of cow-calf operations. The Beef Cattle Research Council’s (BCRC) recent webinar on Preventing Reproductive Wrecks served as an important reminder that the reproductive capacity of beef herds remains paramount to economic prosperity in cow-calf herds. In the words of Dr. Dan Posey, Texas A […] Read more

Stay balanced
Building a seedstock business from scratch
Anyone who raises cattle knows the work is never done, it just changes with the seasons. Raising breeding stock takes that commitment to another level with registrations, shows, and sale preparations often colliding with the start of a new calving season. Despite all of the extras involved, Blair and Stephanie McIntosh knew from the get-go […] Read more

Building consistency into a seedstock Simmental operation
Attention to detail paired with a no-fuss production system have been behind the Adair family’s success in building consistency into its seedstock Simmental herd. The ranch maintains a 42-day breeding period and has a firm policy of culling open females and those that don’t bring in a seedstock-quality bull or heifer calf each year. Cows […] Read more