|
Northeast Iowa | You can also start collecting from the donor at an earlier age with IVF than you can successfully get an embryo flush with ET. One technician was telling me about a dairy heifer they were using for IVF from a relatively unpopular breed. She was on track to have 190 calves on the ground before she had her first one as a two-year-old. Genomics drives a lot of those decisions.
Cost per live pregnancy is the main driver that limits widespread use of IVF in commercial cattle. Pick the right purebred, and you may be able to sell progeny that will recover the cost. If you have regular commercial cattle, there may not be enough extra gross to cover it reliably. Sexed semen and an A.I. program will get you larger numbers of daughters in less time than natural service without being several hundred dollars per head that IVF can cost.
| |
|
Question on the ivf thread from below
