HANDS ON LEARNING BREEDING CLINIC AT UC DAVIS SHOWS STUDENTS, PRODUCERS ROPE OF A.I.

by Marissa Fischer for the California Cattleman

Like many things temporarily halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Artificial Insemination (A.I.) Clinic hosted by the UC Davis Young Cattlemen’s Association was no exception. But thanks to the hard work and dedication of the YCA members, it is back and better than ever. What was once an annual event is now hosted twice a year to accommodate as many participants as possible.

The A.I. Clinic is a three-day learning event fully coordinated by the UCD Young Cattlemen’s members. Planning such a hands-on, highly involved, and highly demanded event requires much work and preparation long before participants arrive to Davis. The planning process starts months in advance and is said to be extremely rewarding for the planning committee to watch it all come to fruition.

Ashland Williams, junior Animal Science major and YCA officer said, “Planning such a stressful and time-consuming event and then seeing the participants having a great time and learning something new was an amazing experience and made the hard work well worth it.”

Students are tasked with coordinating dates with veterinarian availability, advertising, purchasing supplies, meal preparation and serving, cattle receiving, shipping, and care, and customer service ensuring all participants have a great experience. Support and guidance are offered by YCA advisors and beef unit managers where needed, but ultimately this a fully student run event.

Throughout the threeday course hosted this March, participants were taught by a team of veterinarians from the UC Davis Livestock Herd Health Services. The clinic included classroom time discussing the process of artificial insemination, synchronization protocols, safe and proper semen handling techniques, important safety factors, equipment requirements, A.I. sire selection and more.

The goal of this clinic is to provide a learning opportunity for participants to feel more informed and confident about the entire reproductive process in cattle. Participants then had the opportunity to spend time practicing passing an A.I. gun through a repro tract to allow for better understanding and feel before working with live cattle. Gloria Cortes, junior animal science major, YCA officer, and A.I. clinic participant said, “My favorite learning experience was practicing the techniques taught in the classroom on the repro tracts provided. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to practice our personal styles before going in a live cow.”

All three days participants were able to work with the live cattle and by the end of the course they had each successfully passed an A.I. gun and received their certification. Throughout the live cattle work, participants had the ability to talk and connect with one another as well as with the veterinarians who provided expert advice to each individual. The overall clinic size is kept small, capped around 25 people to ensure the veterinarians are able to work with everyone and it is a quality learning experience for the participants. Many expressed how great their learning experience was, despite the wet and wild weather, and equally, how they enjoyed connecting with one another. This clinic’s participants included ranchers, students, vet technicians and other professions.

The UC Davis YCA officer team would like to extend their sincere thanks to all who supported them through the planning and execution of this A.I. Clinic. Especially the veterinarians, staff technicians, beef unit managers, and CBCIA for their time and contributions, and Cargill for the continued support throughout the years by graciously donating the cattle used. Also, a huge thank you to all of those who participated this past March and previously. UC Davis YCA greatly appreciates your dedication to learning and improving your skills and our industry as well your support of our program.

The next A.I. Clinic will be hosted in the late summer/early fall in Davis. For anyone interested in participating, please be on the lookout for advertising through social media, California Cattlemen’s Association, and an email list. If you wish to be put on the email list or have any questions about the UC Davis YCA, please reach out to davisyoungcattlemens@gmail.com. This list will simply inform you of the date set and other details pertaining to the next clinic, it does not guarantee you a spot. Reservations are first come first serve once the registration process has been announced.

The UC Davis Young Cattlemen’s have many exciting things up their sleeve and being committed to hosting this A.I. clinic twice every year is one of them. Not only is it a great learning opportunity for the students to acquire skills pertaining to event planning and networking in the industry but it is also a great opportunity for our industry members to learn new skills, improve our beef cattle herd genetics, and connect with the youth and future of our industry. These students work extremely hard to provide a quality experience and show off all there is to offer at UC Davis. “I highly recommend this clinic to anyone who has an interest in cattle production,” says Ashland Williams. Hope to see you in Davis in the fall!