More Cows Cycling into AI Programmes
AUSTRALIA - A return of welcome spring storm rains generating lush pasture growth has set the cows cycling and stirred stud breeders into kick-starting artificial insemination (AI) programs.
9 December 2008
1 minute read
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Beef Breeding Services marketing and distribution coordinator Greg Fawcett said that in recent years many stud cattle managers had put their AI programs on hold primarily due to the prolonged run of dry seasonal conditions.
Mr Fawcett has been conducting the Beef Breeding Services (BBS) AI training courses for more than 20 years and has personally trained 1100 AI technicians throughout Queensland.
"It is gratifying to see so many of our BBS clients re-activating their technical skills to take advantage of newly released, readily available high-performance tropical breed cattle genetics representing domestic and imported sire lines," Mr Fawcett said.
"At the BBS Rockhampton complex, there are more than 1 million semen straws stored on behalf of some 500 of our long-term stud cattle owners."
Mr Fawcett said that to highlight just how durable the frozen semen can be, bull semen that had been stored for more than 40 years in liquid nitrogen at BBS was assessed this week and found to be viable.
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