– Kate Hornyak, OSU Extension Program Coordinator, Delaware County (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)
How do your repro practices correlate with genetic improvement, efficiency, and productivity of the operation?
It is valuable to observe shifts in breeding practices and understanding the focus of other operations to optimize management techniques tailored to your specific needs. The primary goal of dissecting breeding strategies is to not only boost profitability but ensuring that operations are sustainable in the long run. In result of wanting to harness these insights on a broader scale, OSU Extension spurred the Beef Cattle Breeding Program Impact Survey Study, to be featured in the 2024 eBarns publication. The study gathered detailed information on breeding practices, directly correlating these practices to genetic improvement, efficiency, and productivity of operations.
We reached 68 producers who manage over 3,800 head of breeding cattle, primarily located in Ohio with smaller numbers in Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The cattle population covered by the survey included 3,068 mature cows, 617 replacement heifers, and 147 bulls, totaling 3,832 head of beef cattle. In regard to breeding preferences, natural service was preferred by 45% of the respondents, artificial insemination by 40%, and embryo transfer by 14%. This variety in breeding preferences underscored the continued importance of advancing bull genetics in the industry.
Sire selection is a critical area of focus when breaking down breeding practices. Herd sire selection is meant to improve the next generation of calves and is dependent on the breeding choices you make. Birth weight and reproductive performance each considered the top priority by 25% of the participants, indicating the importance of maintaining productivity. Confirmation and structural soundness are also highly valued, with 23% of respondents ranking it as high importance factors.
The cow-calf enterprise structure was broken down into three categories: commercial, seedstock, and club calf production. 50% of respondents were involved in commercial production. Of the commercial producers 66% prefer a natural breeding method. 44% of respondents indicated they were seedstock producers. Of this group, the preferred breeding methods were artificial insemination (83%), embryo transfer (40%), and natural service (36%). Meanwhile 6% of the respondents selected club calf production as their operation type. Their most common preferred method of breeding was natural service.
Despite progression in the breeding industry, there are still barriers that producers face in their operations. Among the obstacles highlighted by respondents for not utilizing artificial insemination were time constraints, inadequate facilities, cost, labor, knowledge, and logistics of managing cattle in remote pastures. These barriers can play a large role in hindering the producers’ ability to fully leverage the full potential of breeding programs and technologies.
In terms of specific breeding operations, 42% of producers personally handle and the breeding process themselves. On the other hand, 31% of the respondents employ alternative methods, such as utilizing a bull or relying on family assistance for their breeding needs. Meanwhile, 25% of the producers turn to external expertise, professional service, or consulting with individual breeding experts to optimize their efficiency in their operations.
Benefits can be seen to each producer for their preferred breeding method. The benefit that filtered to the top from our respondents was genetics and genetic improvement. The focus on genetic enhancement is crucial for improving the overall quality of the industry, ensuring that operations can meet current demands and future challenges. Alongside genetic improvement, these preferred breeding methods can lead to operational benefits, such as time, labor savings, as well as flexibility and variety in sire selections.
With this being said, it remains true that producers are sticking to what has proven effective for their specific operation. From the data gathered, it is clear that the industry has made significant strides in advanced breeding techniques, leading to better genetic outcomes. Regardless to these advancements, producers are still faced with challenges ranging from logistical hurdles to economical constraints. This underscores the producers’ obstacles to fully take advantage of these advanced techniques and methods. As the industry continues to evolve, there remains a critical need for continuous learning, resources, and support from local Extension programs and related sectors. This support is essential for bridging the gap between current and more advanced practices. The integration of continuous learning and collaborative industry partnerships is critical for enabling producers to move beyond the traditional methods and fully influence the benefits of advanced breeding techniques.