Beef embryos are becoming a part of many dairies' targeted reproductive programs, use of these embryos results in a higher value calf and can help improve reproductive performance during the heat of summer. In today’s episode, we will visit with Skylar Gericke of Triple G Dairy in Buckeye, Arizona, about his experience using HerdFlex beef embryos.

The 2023 Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) annual meeting had an agenda packed with presentations discussing reproductive health, new approaches to management, beef-on-dairy markets, fertility, and calfhood health effects on reproductive performance that kept the more than 200 attendees busy over the three-day event.

“I used to raise a lot of heifers just because it was cheap to raise them and if one didn’t work out, there were others to replace her,” Souza says. “That doesn’t work anymore. You have to be very intentional with the heifers you choose to raise.”

Regardless of your type of plan, why do we wait for pregnancy check day to evaluate reproductive data?

In recent times, the use of beef semen by dairy herds has gained traction. Previously, breeding beef-on-dairy was typically used to generate additional income from a few crossbred calves or as a final recourse for cows with problems becoming pregnant.

Beef embryos offer value and flexible solutions for dairies seeking to add new revenue streams and diversification opportunities. But does it work as well for dairies of different sizes?

As a dairy geneticist, I am trained to preach precision breeding for high genetic gain. Therefore, mixing multiple bulls in one semen straw felt counterintuitive. But the dairy industry is not what it was 50, 30 or even 15 years ago.