A.I. & BREEDING

Technological advancements are credited with helping the dairy industry propel itself into a modern era of efficient production, striving to attain the ability to provide food for an ever-growing world population.

There are many ways to benchmark your herd’s reproductive performance. But pregnancy rate is the best measurement to use when it comes to getting a sense of how well your whole herd is doing.

Embryo transfer has evolved since its inception in North America in the early 1970s. Today, it is a worldwide, established industry focusing on genetic improvement, with more than 500,000 dairy and beef embryos being transferred annually.

Over the past decade, the dairy industry has undergone an unprecedented shift in the manner in which the underlying genetics are managed for improved productivity and health of dairy cattle. Few individuals (experts or otherwise) saw this sea change coming.

Inbreeding continues to receive increasing attention on progressive dairy operations – and appropriately so.

With an annual pregnancy rate of 21 percent, the herd at D&D Dairy near Rushford, Minnesota, significantly exceeded the industry average for reproductive performance. But co-owner Dean Smith knew the dairy could do better.