The Value of A.I. Professional Training

By Jenny DeMunck

Training Programs Manager, CRI

Synchronization strategies and program compliance are two of the most recent reproductive headlines in any dairy magazine or paper you pick up these days. While these two topics are very important, even if done correctly the person inseminating the cows could be making critical technique or semen handling mistakes that diminish the effects of consistent management on the front end of a breeding program.

Putting a value on a pregnancy has proven difficult to measure in the dairy industry. However, some reports show a cow open beyond 90 days postpartum costs from $2.50 to $7.50 per day in lost milk and replacements. At this expense, getting cows pregnant in a timely manner is important. A.I. technique can be a critical player in how quickly farms are able to get cows pregnant. Being trained properly is crucial whether it is a professional Genex technician or on-farm inseminators and herdspersons.

During A.I. training it is important to understand the anatomy and functions of reproductive tissue and organs because failure to do so may lead to consistent errors in insemination technique. To develop the manual skills of A.I., a person should receive considerable practice inseminating a number of live cows. The intensity of training and specific recommendations given to the participants may vary among training programs. Genex offers two training options to producers - the A.I. Certification Program and on-farm training/refreshers.

A.I. Certification Program

During this program, trainees work with numerous reproductive tracts and receive considerable practice inseminating live cows. Six hours of live cow insemination completed during three consecutive days is required for NAAB certification. Each student has a minimal of ten cows to practice with throughout the live cow instruction process with a maximum of eight students per instructor.

Along with learning the technique to pass through the cervix, the importance of cleanliness is emphasized and skills are perfected to consistently identify and accurately deposit semen in the proper site. Compliance with proper semen handling procedures is essential and discussed in great detail during the training. A total of 12 hours of classroom discussion is necessary to cover the topics of anatomy, A.I. technique, semen handling, physiology and the estrous cycle as well as genetics. The A.I. Certification Program provides the most complete and thorough training.

On-Farm Training and Refreshers

Certified programs may be difficult or inconvenient for a producer to participate in due to time constraints on the farm. In this case, Genex offers on-farm A.I. training in some areas. During this training, a Genex representative will come to your farm and work with you on A.I. technique and semen handling. In this case, the producer needs to provide open cows for hands-on cow practice sessions. This is not a certificate program.

Even if a person has already been trained to inseminate, a brief refresher to revisit proper technique and semen handling may be of benefit if the herd is suffering from unexplainable, lowered conception rates.

If you are interested in professional training, please visit our Web site http://genex.crinet.com/page393/AITrainingClasses or contact your local Genex representative. Do not expect a couple of days of cow practice to make you an expert inseminator. It will take continuous practice and determination to develop the skills necessary to become consistent in your approach.