With fewer diseases transmitted through breeding a larger percentage of calves can be born, which result in a greater sale price income for farmers. .
Genetics in cattle improve every day; there is always another bull that comes on top. In most calf operations natural service is used; with this comes limitations of genetic improvements. Using the AI method it can cost as little as fifteen dollars a straw for a tube of semen. With such cheap prices the ability to breed in new and improved genetics is endless, compared to a single bull on a farm. Using the same bull to breed hundreds of cows not only keeps the same genetics, but in turn inbreeding may occur, creating birth defects and other abnormalities. Using straws from different lines of genetics can create variety in a herd and have an economic and agricultural improvement as well. Agriculturally, offspring can be bred to have more lean to fat ratio, a larger percent of meat of the carcass, and larger weaning weight. Economically the genetically improved calves can be sold for a higher price because of these ratios. With AI, herds can advance twice as fast each breeding season as to natural service slowly advancing every few years.
The breeding season is very crucial in the spring, where timing is a key factor. AI has been proven to shorten this period of time, and be as twice as effective. While using natural service, the breeding season can last as long as sixty days, before a farmer is confident that all cows in his herd have been bred. A great advantage to using AI is a much shorter breeding season. With AI, farmers just have to detect when the cow is on its heat cycle and ready to breed; within twenty four hours the cow will be injected with the straw of semen chose from a specific bull. Which is better, sixty days of guessing or 2 days of precise breeding? AI is not only faster but the date in which the cow will calf is within a matter a few days vs.
