The University of Kentucky Beef Integrated Reproductive Management (Beef IRM) team developed a multi-disciplinary program to help cattlemen adopt production practices that favor high reproductive rates in their cow herds. The educational model of this program combines traditional classroom with an extensive hands-on, experiential methodology. UK Extension employs this model as an effort to increase behavior modification. The UK IRM Farm Program is designed to be a long-term project (5-7 years) in order to accurately demonstrate the impact of controlling reproduction.

Cattle producers have long desired the ability to control the gender or their calf crop. For commercial cattlemen, steers are simply more valuable than heifers and more steers means more potential revenue. Sex-sorted semen has been available for use in artificial insemination (AI) for about 10 years but the conception rate to AI was greatly reduced reducing the profit potential for most cattle producers. Recent developments have resulted in increased conception rate to AI of sex-sorted semen opening a window for potential increased profits.

Two farms were selected to examine the long-term impact of using gender-sorted semen on the productivity and profitability of commercial cattle production. One farm was in Campbell County (Tom Moore). This farm consists of 180 females currently exposed to a total AI system. This farm also markets all offspring at finish so the value difference between a finished steer and a finished heifer often exceeds $400. The second farm was in Hardin County (Chuck Crutcher) and managed about 30 females. These females were exposed to a single round of fixed-time AI and then exposed to a bull. All offspring on this farm were marketed through finish and marketed on the grid (high quality carcass work more dollars). The potential increased revenue of marketing steers in this system exceeds $500 per calf.

On both farms, 75% of the females were assigned for Y-bearing (male) semen while 25% were assigned for X-bearing (female) semen. Conception rate to AI using gender-sorted semen averaged 59%. We were able to shift sex ratio. Sex ratio was shifted in the first year on both farms. The Moore farm averaged slightly over 75% steers while the Crutcher farm had 63% steers. Overall pregnancy rates exceeded 90% on both farms. The first set of steers are in the finishing phase now and it will be fascinating to learn if we increased revenue.