GETTING STARTED WITH LOWLINES

There are three ways to get started with breeding purebred Lowlines:

Each option has its good and bad points and the choice will essentially come down to which one best suites your needs.

This is the cheapest way to enter the business. You can buy frozen embryos from the females and bulls of your choice.

It is important that you buy quality genetics, seek advice from someone with experience if you do not have the required knowledge.

Embryos are also fully tax deductible for bona fide primary producers. It is generally quite difficult to obtain insurance cover for a minimum success rate in an ET program. Some insurers used to offer minimum 50% success rate. However this is now only available on larger numbers of embryos if available at all.

When purchasing frozen embryos it is best to buy grade 1 (highest grade embryos). Grading of embryos refers to their potential viability in the embryo transfer process and does not have any bearing on the quality of the offspring. As the freezing and thawing process can in some cases cause a small downgrade in embryo viability it is best to start with the highest grade embryos.

Some vendors offer a guarantee on the embryo quality at thawing. Ideally you would want embryos to thaw out as they were graded prior to freezing. Guarantees of conception rates are not frequently offered as there are many factors that determine the success rate of an embryo transfer program.

It is a good idea to find out where the embryos were collected and frozen. Most embryo collection is performed by highly qualified vets either on farm or at licensed centres. Just make sure you know where the embryos you are buying were collected and make yourself comfortable with the reputation of the vet or centre.

Now you have selected the genetics, you’re happy with the reputation of the vendor and the collection vet or centre the next step is the all important embryo transfer program. The bottom line is converting these embryos into pregnancies and ultimately live calves. (seek advice from a recognised ET vet before you start).

With embryos you can organise for the embryo transfer to be conducted under contract at a number of centres in Australia as well as by a number of breeders who conduct their own ET programs. Alternatively you can run your own recipients and have the embryos transferred on your property. Considering the value of Lowline embryos it would be inadvisable to conduct you first ET programs without advice from an experienced ET vet or from operators who are experienced in running ET programs.

The biggest risk with buying embryos is the success rate in the ET program. Success rates do vary with seasons and particularly when implanting small numbers of embryos. A reasonable number of grade 1 embryos in a well run ET program should result in pregnancy rates greater than 50% but when you start implanting small numbers the results can be variable. For example you can transfer 4 embryos and get 3 pregnancies for a 75% success rate. You could also end up with 1 pregnancy for a 25% success rate. It’s just a matter of biological variability. The bigger the numbers the greater the chance of achieving average or better results.

Utilising the services of a reputable embryo transfer vet and management of the recipients are the critical factors in achieving good pregnancy results. If you are inexperienced with ET programs it is best to speak with a number of experienced operators and get their ideas.

Some people prefer heifers to cows, dairy cross to beef cows as their recipients. As a minimum, recipients should be in good health, on a rising plane of nutrition, have adequate levels of vitamins and minerals in their diet and have acceptable temperament for all the handling they will receive in the program.

PREGNANT RECIPIENTS

To avoid the work and the risks associated with buying embryos some people prefer to purchase pregnant recipients. If you do not intend to buy at least 8 to 10 embryos then buying a pregnancy is probably the better choice. The costs are higher than buying embryos, but the risks are greatly reduced and you know exactly where you are. All the expenses in purchasing a pregnant recipient are tax deductible except the actual capital value of the recipient.

Most vendors calculate a pregnant recipient price based on the cost of 2 embryos, the costs of achieving a pregnancy including the recipient and a premium for doing the ET work and taking the risk with the embryos. For this you receive a recipient confirmed in calf at 90 days. A number of livestock insurers offer cover for the pregnancy right through until the calf is 30 days old. Considering the costs involved, insurance offers very good peace of mind and capital protection particularly for purchasers of smaller numbers of recipients.

After satisfying yourself that the genetics of the pregnancy ( most important that you are buying from quality seed stock) are what you are after you might want to ask a few questions about the quality of the actual recipient. When you think that not only the gestation but also the rearing to weaning is preformed by the recipient the quality of this female is very important, ideally you want a female that will calve easily, has good milking potential and a quiet temperament.

HEIFERS AND COWS

To breed cattle you eventually need females. So why not buy a heifer? The value of Quality Lowline females in Australia is still very high and considering the demand for this breed this should remain the case for some time. So the biggest hurdle in buying a female is the cost and being able to find a quality female. Most people are anxious to keep their best stock so you must be careful.

Once you have a female you would want to utilise her as an embryo donor. The biggest risk here is the variability in females in their ability to produce viable embryos. This variability applies to all breeds of cattle. The flushing history of the female or her mother may give some indication of how the animal will respond.

If you are lucky, a heifer you purchase may be a very good embryo producer and pay for her purchase price very quickly. However equally likely is the prospect that a heifer may not be a good embryo producer and may need a natural calf before she will respond adequately to the super ovulation drugs. And some females just never seem to make good donors.

While vet examination can determine if a female has active ovaries and is reproductively sound there is still no way to accurately determine her flushing ability. If you can buy a proven donor then that’s a good option. But you want to make sure you get the entire flushing history of a donor to make sure your not just told of the good flushes. And some donors can stop producing embryos and need a natural calf to get them back on track.

The best way around this is to play the numbers game and buy a number of females. While this adds expense it increases the likelihood of purchasing a good embryo donor. One good donor out of the three would be a fair result and make the exercise worthwhile. Purchasing of females is a capital item and is not tax deductible. Females can be readily insured.