Farmer 101: A guide on artificial insemination II

In a previous Gather To Grow sessions on livestock artificial insemination, experts weighed in on the importance of artificial insemination and how farmers can best utilise resources closer to them.

In part two of the session on artificial insemination, experts delve deeper into the process that involves semen being collected from a male animal, and deposited into the uterus of the female animal. Costs, genetic compatibility, semen quality, and biosecurity are also covered.

Dr Masindi Mphaphathi, an animal production researcher at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), joined the session. His focus areas are reproduction and physiology in cattle.

Mphaphathi explains that the success rate of artificial insemination differs from one farmer to another due to different reasons.

“In communal farming setups, farmers often struggle to have one proven bull with a good genetic makeup, [which is why some] communal farmers lean towards artificial insemination,” he says.

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Importance of record-keeping

Willem Needham, a smallholder farmer in Centurion West in Gauteng, says farmers should ensure that the genetics of the cow and the bull is compatible. “When you are sure that they are compatible, then you start looking at artificial insemination.”

Needham also explains that small-scale farmers have little leeway to get artificial insemination wrong the first time around. He unpacks how difficult it was for him to successfully run the artificial insemination programme on his cows.

Record-keeping is also important. “Beforehand, you should make sure that the cow is dry and healthy. Also that the cow is at the right weight. You should also look at the season and when the cow is going to calve,” Needham advises.