Beef: Sexed semen is also good for beef

“Beef producers, particular those already using AI regularly, are becoming increasingly aware using sexed semen is equally advantageous for the beef herd as for the dairy herd,” he says.

“Beef farmers who choose to use sexed semen mating systems have more control over their breeding strategy and can benefit both financially and in terms of herd management.”

Mr Brown says a sexed semen mating system can drive rapid genetic progress among cattle, with research showing up to three times the cumulative genetic gain can be accrued over a 25-year period using sexed semen in suckler herds compared with natural service.

“Sexed semen enables the best maternal cows to be selected to breed heifer replacements from female sexed semen,” he says.

“Producers can choose from high quality maternal sires to combine desired traits, such as milk yield and mature size, without compromising on performance traits like growth and conformation.

“Conversely, in some instances, the best carcase trait cows can be used to produce higher value bull calves from male sexed semen, by selecting for qualities such as high growth rate and carcase quality. This may be particularly valuable in the breeding strategy of pedigree breeders.”

Using female sexed semen enables producers to increase their herd size without investing heavily in replacement heifers. This avoids the disease risk associated with bought-in stock.

The system should also result in fewer calving difficulties, as heifers are generally much easier to calve. Consequently, the problems associated with fertility and conception rate within a tight breeding period should be reduced.

Mr Brown says producers should not be concerned about the effectiveness of sexed semen: “Conception rates can be as good as with conventional semen, if producers follow best practice advice.

“Achieving good results with AI, and sexed semen in particular, requires attention to detail at all stages of the process.” (see panel).

Providing producers follow the guidance, using sexed semen can be a cost-effective option.

“The total AI and semen cost when using sexed semen tends to be only marginally higher than when using conventional semen, because fewer cows or heifers need to be served to produce the required number of calves,” he says.

“Using sexed semen from a quality sire may increase the value of the calf crop. This benefit will be magnified for those producers who also exploit the potential of high genetic merit heifers.”

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