In this Progressive Dairy podcast, editor Peggy Coffeen takes a deep dive into in vitro fertilization (IVF) with Boviteq’s Dr. Shantille Kruse. They discuss how some herds are using this reproductive technology to move the needle on genetic progress, while at the same time, controlling heifer inventory and adding value to offspring.

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In this episode: 

  • Let’s go over in vitro fertilization (IVF) 101.
  • What are average results from IVF?
  • When we talk about IVF for progressive dairy herds, it may include a flushing program for elite females, however, that is also a narrow scope of the work that you do. Describe a few herd scenarios where in vitro technologies are being used to reach some specific herd goals or benchmarks.
  • Can you give some examples of how you’ve seen some dairy managers streamline the steps for handling and setting up animals for a program, while limiting distributions to the daily routine?

  • We’ve gone over some of the technical side and implementation of an IVF program, but let’s take a moment to also do some expectation setting:

    • How might this sort of system impact pregnancy rates? 
    • What factors play into that (heifer vs. cow, heat stress, etc.)?
    • What about abortion rates?
    • Do we need to handle calving any differently with the births resulting from an IVF pregnancy?
  • What does the investment in an IVF program look like, and at what point can the dairy farmer expect to see the return on that investment?
  • Describe the ideal herd for IVF.

  • Rapid-Fire questions:

    • Favorite quote
    • Last podcast you listened to
    • Favorite steak (cut and breed)
    • One place you want to visit in your lifetime
    • Favorite hobby or pastime
    • Best advice anyone ever gave you

 

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