Author: Leslie Anderson
Planning Unit: Animal and Food Sciences
Major Program: Beef
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Incorporating techniques to enhance reproductive efficiency improves productivity and profitability in beef cattle cow-calf operations. The two techniques that can impact production efficiency the most include artificial insemination and pregnancy determination. In 2019, we developed a two-day school for beef cattle producers. In 2023/2024 we conducted two AI/PD schools at the UK Beef Farm in Woodford County. Twenty-three cattle producers attending these two-day training sessions and learned the technique of AI and pregnancy determination. Three methods of pregnancy determination were taught; hand palpation, transrectal ultrasonography, and blood sampling. All 23 participants left with a working knowledge of both techniques and plan to incorporation them into their normal management protocol. Determining pregnancy has been show to have over $200 per cow return on investment. AI increases revenue $50-100 per cow.