Taking Advantage of Estrus Expression in Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination

Feb 10, 2022

By Pedro Fontes

While estrus synchronization can eliminate the need for estrus detection, identifying females in estrus can help cattle producers further explore the benefits of technologies such as fixed-time artificial insemination and fixed-time embryo transfer. Research studies performed in different production environments have repeatedly shown that females that express estrus in response to an estrus synchronization protocol achieve greater pregnancy rates compared with females that do not express estrus. In a meta-analysis that compiled data of more than 10,000 inseminations, cows and heifers that expressed estrus prior to fixed-time artificial insemination had 27% greater pregnancy rates compared with females that did not express estrus (Richardson et al., 2016). Similar results are observed in embryo transfer settings. Embryo recipients that express estrus during the synchronization protocol are more likely to successfully establish pregnancy when compared with recipients that ovulate to the synchronization protocol but do not express estrus. Interestingly, cows that express estrus are also less likely to experience pregnancy loss between days 30 and 100 of gestation compared with cows that did not express estrus prior to fixed-time artificial insemination (Pohler et al., 2016).

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Breeding indicator patches are helpful when target breeding females in a fixed-time artificial insemination program.

Cattle producers can use estrus expression information to make breeding decisions that can maximize their return of investment, even if they are performing artificial insemination and/or embryo transfer using a fixed-time approach. In fixed-time artificial insemination settings, cattle producers can restrict the . . .

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Source : osu.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.