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By Webb D. Fields, Associate Director Semen Storage and Distribution Grabbing the Bull by the Nitrogen Tank

W hat an exciting process. An anticipated mating hits the tions in his initial expected progeny dif- ferences (EPD) run, and just continues to perform. Light birth weight, heavy weaning weight, excellent scan data, yearling weight, scrotal, and he has all the look on hoof you could ask of one. Once the genomic data gets back, accuracies increase and the numbers continue to impress. Or maybe it’s not one you raised, but a bull you come across in an upcom- ing production sale catalog. As you start to look through the sale book, you realize they are offering a bull whose pedigree you are familiar with and desire in a package that would add the extra power and genetic performance on paper you are after. As you sort through the pens on arrival, this stud of a bull turns the corner around the feeder and has a jaw-dropping amount of eye appeal to make him, in your mind, the entire package. But once the long yearling bull you raised or your recent purchase is ready to collect semen and start recouping some investment, where do you start? How do you go about collecting and storing semen? Will you need help dis- tributing semen or is this something an individual can do on their own? These are all questions I will answer as we go ground, and it’s a bull calf. He has all the right genetic tabula-

step by step over the collec- tion, storage and distribution portions of marketing your AI sire. Before semen collection

can occur, a simple breed- ing soundness exam (BSE) should be administered on a young potential sire. This will ensure that the bull is not only fit to breed cows, but that he is ready and capable of collecting semen. The best ejaculates at the stud facil- ity derives from a bull mounting a live steer or dummy, so making sure that he is ready and capable (from both a reproductive and maturity standpoint) for mounting, extending and ejaculating quality semen is an important piece of the puzzle. Once the bull is considered mature and sound as described by his BSE, the bull is now ready to enter a collection facility. Prior to this, however, a plan should be set in place. How much semen to put up on the bull? Sexed vs. con- ventional options? Should you collect semen at a Certified Semen Service (CSS) facility for potential to export to foreign countries? All these questions should be asked prior to entering the facility so you have a plan and can formulate a budget prior to starting. The answers, however, are not in black and white. You need to ask how much semen you will realistically need

for in-herd use, to sell and a poten- tial reserve to have as insurance in case something happens to the bull. Each operation and situation is differ- ent depending on how much semen is planned to be used by the owners and how much early interest has been gar- nered by the bull; however, 500 to 1,000 units of semen are more than enough in most scenarios on an initial run. If you want to qualify for foreign markets, additional measures must be taken to quarantine the bull at a CSS facility prior to collection and additional health testing will need to take place. I recommend working directly with the collection facility as they can give you a timeline on how long this process will take, as well as some guidance on different requirements for different countries or regions that you are hoping to sell semen to. There are multiple professional and high-quality bull studs across the country, so giving them a call and allowing them to help you set

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