I've mentioned before that one my favorite parts of graduate school is getting to network with area producers and industry members at various events. This past weekend, we hosted an A.I. School. A.I. stands for Artificial Insemination. It's a reproductive technology that cattle producers implement on their farms to improve the genetics of their cow herds. It gives you the opportunity to utilize the genetics of superior animals that you could never afford to purchase or may not have access to. For instance, A.I. is utilized even outside of the United States. Cattle producers from other countries have the opportunity to purchase U.S. genetics by purchasing bull semen to be used on their cows. That is a much more feasible way of introducing new genetics to your herd than exporting and importing the live animals.
At the school, cattle producers from throughout the U.S. had the opportunity to not only learn the technique of A.I., but also about cattle nutrition, economics, health, semen handling, the reproductive cycle, and other technologies they can utilize back at their farm. You can learn more about A.I. technique from one of my previous posts,
"You want me to put my hand where??".
I had a lot of fun working with this group of producers and can't wait to hear about their success as they implement A.I. programs on their farms.
Learning about the impact of nutrition on reproductive success...
Learning about the equipment need for A.I. and how to properly handle semen...
