Join us to explore how targeted beef-on-dairy breeding decisions can address key dairy farm challenges, including calf value optimization and breeding efficiency.

Join Jeremy Howard, senior sales and marketing manager at Simplot Animal Sciences, and Lauren Kimble, manager of the Select Sires ProfitSOURCE program, as they discuss the current beef-on-dairy market and implications for dairy producers.

How can IVF embryos be used by dairy and beef producers to meet the changing market dynamics? Listen to this episode to find out.

Dairy farmers have several options when designing and implementing beef-on-dairy programs. One approach is breeding dairy cows to beef sires, producing crossbred calves that enter the beef value chain. However, an increasing number of dairies are choosing HerdFlex beef embryos, which result in full-beef calves. Evaluating embryo quality is crucial for dairy farmers when considering beef-on-dairy options.

HerdFlex beef embryos are great tool for dairies that are taking advantage of the beef-on-dairy trend. Embryos offer more than obtaining calves with a higher market value. A number of farms have also found embryos can have a positive impact on dairy herd reproductive performance, especially in the case of cows that have been bred with semen multiple times without conceiving.

Dairy farmers are reaping the benefits of current high prices for dairy-beef crossbred calves thanks to historically lower cattle replacements and strong beef demand. Opportunities for beef-on-dairy strategies remain strong, especially beef embryo-based programs. Feeders and packers seek uniformity between animals and efficient growth. They are willing to reward dairies for these efforts, at least while the national beef herd rebuilds following years of drought, wildfires and economic hardships. Simplot’s Jeremy Howard and Select Sires Lauren Kimble discuss the market outlook and how it might affect your beef-on-dairy programs.

Interest in beef-on-dairy remains at an all-time high. In fact, it’s estimated that the industry will produce 3.22 million beef-on-dairy calves in 2024. Incorporating full beef embryos into a dairy’s reproductive program is one way producers are taking advantage of this growing trend. HerdFlex beef embryos from Simplot Animal Sciences are available through Select Sires, offering a team approach to help producers achieve their goals.

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 integration of beef into the dairy industry has reshaped the market as we know it today and has furthered the potential to foster the development of a sustainable beef industry. Simplot Animal Sciences has elected Luis Davalos, who is a farm manager for Corrales Dairy in Roswell, New Mexico, to speak on this topic as he has extensive knowledge in what it takes to run a successful breeding program.