Cooperative Extension Service to host artificial insemination training course for cattle producers
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
May 30, 2023
Fast Facts:
- Charles Looney hosting two-day workshop on artificially inseminating beef cattle
- Workshop is June 8-9 at Southwest Research & Extension Center in Hope
- Cost is $450; Register at formstack.com/forms/beef_cattle_ai by June 5
(322 words)
(Newsrooms: With workshop flyer)
HOPE, Ark. — For producers interested in improving their cattle through artificial insemination, the Cooperative Extension Service is offering a two-day training course on June 8-9.
Charles Looney, extension professor of cattle improvement for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will lead the workshop. The training runs from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on June 8 and 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on June 9 at the Southwest Research and Extension Center, located at 362 Hwy 174 North in Hope, Arkansas. Registration is $450, which includes lunch on both days. Participants must register by June 5 at uada.formstack.com/beef_cattle_ai.
“The goal of the workshop is to introduce participants to the practice of thawing, loading and inseminating cows with frozen semen from genetically superior bulls,” Looney said. “We have live cows to practice with, and each participant will have the opportunity to learn the art of the procedure.”
The workshop will also include presentations on nutrition, herd health and record keeping, basic reproductive anatomy and physiology, pregnancy determination methods and more. Looney said the training provides important information about the benefits of AI technology for cattle producers.
“Artificial insemination is one of the most underutilized technologies in beef cattle,” Looney said. “Only about 10 percent of overall producers utilize this technology. Beef cattle producers who raise purebred cattle use this more than commercial breeders, mainly because of the labor and improved facilities that are necessary for AI technology to be successful.”
Looney said cattle producers can also benefit from adopting estrous synchronization technology, which involves manipulating females’ estrous cycle so they can be bred earlier, “thus producing higher weaning weight calves when they are older.” By then using AI technology to breed cattle with high genetic merit bulls, Looney said producers can “utilize the best bulls available at reasonable prices.”
Sponsors for the workshop include Premier Select Sires, CattleMax, Nashville Animal Hospital and Purina. For more information, contact Charles Looney at clooney@uada.edu or 870-777-9702.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact Charles Looney at clooney@uada.edu or 870-777-9702 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061