Most folks get to share “Peanut” photos of their kids, so I figure it’s only fair I get to share one from our cows
During the month of April, my schedule is jam packed and I’m finding myself on the road nearly every day. It’s breeding season for our cattle in Tennessee and it’s the best learning experience a guy could ask for! I’m ultrasounding for the presence of ovarian structures (signs of estrous activity), synchronizing estrous cycles, using artificial insemination to breed cows, collecting embryos from 15 donor cows, and doing fresh embryo transfer to 75 recipient cows. Then, in another month, I’ll be doing more ultrasound work to determine pregnancy rates. With over 700 cows and heifers to work with, my arms will definitely be sore.
Here’s your chance to learn more, pick my brain, and aid in my study skills.
What questions do you have about biotechnology as it relates to cattle reproduction?
Submit your questions in the comments below or submit a private message through the Ask a Farmer tab. Once my schedule relaxes a bit toward the end of the month, I will do some Q&A posts to share my experiences.
To get you started and give you an idea of what I’m talking about, any of the activities listed above are fair game, and these links should give you some good background reading material.
- Emerging Technologies in Reproduction from the University of Tennessee
- Major Advances Associated with Reproduction in Dairy Cattle from the University of Florida (older but still good info)
Get to submitting those questions! I can’t think of a much easier opportunity to ask. Follow along on my Facebook page and Twitter feeds for updates and photos.
