Collecting your herd sire

from Spring 2017

CEO Message

by David Carwell

What monetary value is your buck worth? In today’s market bucks can become quite costly for producers to purchase for their breeding herds. I can remember when I was younger watching several Boer bucks bring, $10,000, $30,000, $40,000 and even $56,000! Recently, Kiko and Savanna bucks have also been topping the market at production sales. The dollar value of these animals whether high or low should be considered an investment in the future of your herd, rather than an outright purchases.

Many producers purchase a new herd sires to correct or add specific traits that will better future kid crops. Imagine finding and purchasing the perfect buck for your farm. After getting him home what are your options for protecting your investment. How can you re-cooperate his purchase price, influence on current and future progeny, and potential live breedings/semen sales in the event of his injury or death.

Like all investments it is wise to have some type of ‘’insurance policy’’ on these animals. Today, you can buy insurance policies on livestock through specialized livestock insurance brokers. These policies can cover a wide range scenarios and generally pay upon the animal’s demise. Depending on the value of the animal and the amount of coverage you want to obtain these policies can be rather expensive. This type of insurance only provides recuperation of some of the monetary value of the animal.

Semen collection and cryopreservation can be utilized as another type of insurance for your herd sire. This allows for his genetics preserved and utilized at a later time. It also can provide an additional revenue stream for you by selling his genetics to other breeders without the risks of exposure to other animals that can occur with live breeding. Frozen semen straws do not go bad or expire, provided they are maintained in liquid nitrogen and handled properly. Clients often worry that the initial cost of semen collection make it too expensive for their herd sire. The average meat buck can produce 50 straws of semen in a collection. Each straw is extended to a concentration that can breed one doe. That means in the event of injury or death to your buck you would have the ability to still breed 50 does.

More recently we have been educating producers on our ability to harvest viable semen from recently dead bucks. This process is known as epididymal sperm collection. The process involves harvesting sperm cells epididymis of each testicle. This process can vary in success from buck to buck and most importantly the cause of death. Bucks whom have suffered from high fever, infections or testicle trauma are the most variable in producing viable sperm post-thaw.

There are few things to consider when you decide that you want to have your buck collected. Semen straws must be stored until time of use in liquid nitrogen. This is done in a liquid nitrogen dewar (commonly called a semen tank). Semen tanks are easily found on the internet and can be shipped right to your door. A typical tank will cost ~ $550 to $600 and will hold more semen than most breeders will require. Some key factors to think about when purchasing a liquid nitrogen tank are: 1) how many straws do I want to hold 2) How often does the tank need to be filled 3) Are there any tank filling services offered in my area. Another option is to let someone store and ship the semen for you. There are many commercial storage and shipping facilities, like ourselves, throughout the US. They have large semen tanks that are filled on a routine basis and monitored weekly by employees. Many facilities also offer handling and shipping services for you, if you choose to sell or needed your straws shipped for an artificial insemination project. When going into the summer months, it is important to be thinking about your fall breeding program and your buck’s insurance policy. At B & D Genetics we are currently taking reservations for fall semen collection dates. Our facility is designed to house and maintain mature bucks for extended periods of time for those clients wanting a high number of straws. We also offer custom semen storage and marketing for our customers who have their bucks collected.

B & D Genetics is a full-service ruminant reproduction company. We offer custom semen collection, semen storage and marketing and boarding for bucks during semen collection. Our female services include: artificial insemination, custom donor management programs, embryo collection and transfer embryo freezing, recipient program and pregnancy detection.

Why Freeze Semen?

Semen is frozen for any number of the following reasons: • As insurance against the loss or infertility of a valuable sire. • For the purpose of making semen available for sale to other breeders. • To deliver “semen shares” in bucks that have multiple owners. • To send semen a long distance, interstate or international. • To use a sire in an AI program that cannot be used for natural mating.