A Day in the Life of a
GENEX Breeding Project By Sarah Thorson, Beef Marketing and Education Manager, GENEX
Have you ever wondered what a day on a large artificial insemination (A.I.) breeding project is like? The logistics and planning required can seem overwhelming and is often the reason producers choose not to A.I. However, if the logistics can be solved – and they most always can – the advantages of A.I. can help improve the ranch’s bottom line. Think more calves born earlier in the breeding season, the ability to use proven genetics and value-added replacement females. Follow along as I take you through a recent breeding project and show you why GENEX is known for offering the industry’s best chute‑side service!
6:00 a.m.
7:30 a.m.
I make my way down to the hotel lobby where Justin Hergenreder, GENEX Beef Large Herd Development Manager, is anxiously waiting to get on the road. Justin is the logistics guy on our team. If you are concerned about the facilities, time or labor involved in a breeding project, Justin is the person to talk to. While I grab a cup of coffee and a quick bite to eat, Justin briefs me on the day’s events. We have about 550 total head of cows to breed today at two different locations. Talk about logistics! As always, Justin has a plan, and I am confident the day will go smoothly.
After a quick trip to the local doughnut shop to get a treat for the cowboy crew, we arrive at the ranch. We are just getting there, but the ranch’s cowboy crew has already been hard at work. They have gathered the first group of cows and are just finishing sorting the calves off. Troy Carruthers and Matt Dolezal, GENEX Independent Contractors, arrive about the same time we do, and we get to work setting up the double-stall breeding barn, filling thaw units with water and making sure the A.I. gun warmers are plugged in. The portable breeding barn is the one piece of equipment that makes it possible to breed cows almost anywhere. If you have some
kind of corral and alley (portable, temporary or permanent), we can back up our breeding barn to it and, when things are moving smoothly, can easily breed 80 females an hour.
8:15 a.m. The first cows start rolling through the chute right on schedule. There are about 280 cows to be bred at the first location. We fall quickly into our rolls. Justin, Troy and Matt take turns A.I.ing in a three-man rotation, while I start off the morning thawing semen. Today, we are using semen from 1AN01300 INVESTMENT. The ranch feeds their own calves, so INVESTMENT was a great choice as
A portable breeding barn makes it possible to breed cows almost anywhere. The breeding barn can be backed up to a portable, temporary or permanent corral and alley for efficient and stress-free breeding.
HORIZONS
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