In recent years, dairy producers in the U.S. have increased their use of beef semen on their dairy cows to raise male offspring profitability and manage replacement heifers.

Reproduction is arguably the most important economic driver of your farm or ranch. A common benchmark for tracking reproduction in a herd is calving interval – the length of time between the birth of one calf and subsequent birth of the next from the same cow.

Do you read reproductive or animal health questions posted on some Facebook pages? Someone is disappointed in calf health or herd reproduction and asks something along the lines of “Why did our cows not breed back very well this year?”

The drought of 2021 hit Western beef operations particularly hard. Reports from the field indicate pregnancy rates last fall were 3% to 10% lower than normal with scattered reports of greater reductions in pregnancy rates.

Sometimes accidents of gestation or other factors terminate pregnancy. Immediately after conception, when the tiny embryo is traveling down the oviduct into the uterus, it is fairly safe from harmful influences, but after it reaches the uterus a few days later, it becomes more vulnerable.

When it comes to a cattle operation’s profitability and efficiency, reproductive life is one of the most important metrics for a brood cow. A continuous calving program with timely rebreeding contributes to a better cash flow and easier management.

As a producer, you strategize your mating decisions with expected progeny differences (EPDs), genomics, feed efficiency databases and years of production history to meticulously accelerate your herd as though you are calculating chess piece movements across a board.

If you are considering incorporating artificial insemination (A.I.) into your cattle breeding program, you may be wondering what supplies you will need and how to get started.