Is artificial insemination right for your farm?

Artificial insemination is a good way to improve your herd, as you can purchase top-quality genetics without having to buy in a bull, says Dr Ben Greyling, programme manager at the Agricultural Research Council.

- Dr Ben Greyling

FAST FACTS

Artificial insemination (AI) enables farmers to improve their herds through buying the semen of top quality bulls at an affordable price.

AI also allows for more efficient usage of a bull.

Despite its advantages, however, AI can be expensive; it also requires the right skills and knowledge.

Approximately 60% of the 13,84 million cattle in South Africa are owned by commercial farmers and 40% by emerging and communal farmers. The latter keep their cattle on communal grazing land and rely more than commercial farmers on indigenous knowledge to manage their herds.

Productivity from this farming system is likely to be affected by drought, stocking density, livestock reproductive diseases such as brucellosis and vibriosis, and poor genetic improvement due to high rates of inbreeding and poor-quality bulls.

In addition, poor or improper fencing contributes to uncontrolled matings, the spread of disease, and an undesirable bull-to-cow ratio, amongst other problems. Buying good quality bulls is also problematic for communal farmers due to the high cost of these animals, and maintaining them and keeping disease-free in this system is anything but easy. All of these challenges tend to result in poor-quality beef cattle with low weaning weights, low calving rates, and calves born to dams infected with diseases such as brucellosis.

BREEDING CONCEPTS EXPLAINED