Reaping IVP rewards

Science in to on-farm practice: reaping the IVP rewards

“Genetic improvement is generally a slow and gradual process, a view most Beef Shorthorn breeders could concur with.

“Genetic turnover time is around two years and nine months, when calving at two years, so selection decisions made now can take over five years to effect,” says Dr Gerard te Lintelo.

“Breeding to improve cattle requires a clear plan.” he says. “You need focus and a goal to aim for. Our objective is to breed profitable cattle which have a commercial purpose for both suckler and dairy producers.” His Mayfield herd was established in 2017 with five purchased heifers within the breed’s top 10%.

“My goal is to build the herd to 120 to 140 breeding females to be able to offer different genetics for different purposes. So far, the herd amounts to 40 cows and accelerating genetic progress while increasing the amount of breeding animals are among the immediate priorities. To breed one or two outliers a year would be a bonus, but there lies the challenge,” he says.

“Mayfield Rubens for example has so far made the cut. He combines some of the best UK and Canadian genetics.” His terminal index, self replacing index and maternal index are all within the breed’s top 1%, while both his sire and dam linear classified very high.

“I’ve been selecting from my herd’s top 15% for IVP - the breed’s maternal traits are paramount, along with those which enable Beef Shorthorn cattle to grow and finish really well from low input, forage based systems. I’m widening the herd’s gene pool by importing genetics from Canada and Australia bred for these low-input systems.” Initially Gerard used conventional embryo transfer (ET) to step up the herd’s genetic progress. However, over the last two years, AB Europe’s In-Vitro embryo Production (IVP) has come into the frame. IVP is a process which produces embryos from harvested oocytes (unfertilised eggs). These oocytes are directly collected from the ovaries after a short super-ovulation program. The oocytes are fertilized in the lab with selected semen and subsequently cultured for seven days. The embryos can then be transferred fresh or can be frozen for later use.

“In 2022, we used six in-calf cows for IVP which resulted in 98 oocytes collected. They were taken back to the lab and the following day four different straws of semen were used, and 36 embryos were produced,” he explains.

“A week later 14 fresh embryos were implanted in our synchronised recipients, resulting in a good hold rate. The remainder were frozen for future use or might be sold. We achieved similar success in 2021; a flush of 46 oocytes from five cows resulted in 18 embryos; 12 were implanted with seven

pregnancies. Freshly implanted IVP embryos tend to result in a slightly better hold rate than frozen ones.

“IVP’s big advantage is that it can be performed on in-calf cows and heifers until 12 to 15 weeks of pregnancy.

“Compared with conventional ET, IVP is less invasive to the donor cow and is much easier from a management point of view. This means that our donors will still produce a calf and will still be in sync with the rest of the herd.

“Traditional flushing has to be carried out on empty animals. which can then cause these animals to run out of sync with the rest of the in-calf herd, or sometimes they do not get in calf at all. Another IVP advantage is that different straws of semen can be used if a lot of oocytes have been collected.”

The process’ overall success can also attributed to the recipients, Gerard explains. “I currently use bought in high health Beef Shorthorn heifers. They’re maintained in BCS 2.5 to 3 on a high-quality grass and silage diet, together with a six monthly mineral bolus. In the future we will be using the bottom 25% to 30% of our females as recipients so we can run a closed herd.”

He adds: “We’re only breeding from proven genetics – ones which are in the breed’s top 20% with enough offspring analysed. My plan is to achieve 120 breeding females within five years by continuing to annually use the IVP programme to help step up the selection pressure within the herd, and implant embryos in 30 to 40 recipients a year.

“At the same time, we will still be introducing overseas genetics to further improve our herd. The strategy is designed to result in being able to offer bulls of varying types to match commercial market demands.”

Promoting science into practice at BCBC

British agriculture has never been more exciting or full of prospects than it is now. An industry, filled with passionate and determined people who are constantly pushing the boundaries in order to progress and thrive.

The British Cattle Breeders Club provides a forum for science, technology and commercial cattle breeding to come together to transfer theory into practice. A unique mixing pot of farmers, researchers, industry and students – all dedicated to the advancement of breeding and genetics in dairy and beef cattle.

Since the first conference, held 75 years ago at Cambridge University under the direction of the club’s founder, Sir John Hammond, the annual cattle breeding conference has brought together leading scientists, breeders and industry personnel.

Covering technological advancements and practical applications of science to move forward breeding and genetics, the conference has covered ground-breaking advancements, from the early years of the use of artificial insemination to more recent introduction of genomic data within breeding plans. Bringing new research and technologies to the Club’s members and looking toward a sustainable future are at the heart of the Club’s mission.

The Club prides itself on attracting a huge diversity of farmers, researchers, students, lecturers and industry professionals, in addition to the next generation of young people looking to make their way into the industry. The conference provides the perfect opportunity for discussing and sharing ideas, challenging and encouraging debate and driving businesses forward.

For further information about the British Cattle Breeders Club and its annual conference please visit the Club’s website www.cattlebreeders.org.uk

‘T’ is T he Y ear L e TT er for 2023

BREEDING WITH THE FUTURE IN MIND