Artificial insemination is an extremely useful tool to allow new genetics to be brought into the herd without the disease risk of bringing a live animal into the herd or the cost of buying a bull of high genetic merit. Artificial insemination (AI) is well established in the dairy herd as a way of increasing the rate of genetic improvement within the herd and this principle is just as applicable to the beef herd.
As an additional benefit, AI allows replacement heifers to be bred on farm that are not related to the stock bull, allowing the stock bull to be kept for longer and reducing bull replacement cost. Using AI on replacement heifers also reduces the risk of bulling injuries. Dyfed Farm Vets offers an AI and semen storage service, which we can easily combine with a synchronisation protocol. Please ask us for more details.