The IRT Mission:
Provide Reproduction Technology to Drive Pork Industry Success.
Economics. Here's why!
Economics of Post-Cervical Artificial Insemination
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Reproduction is a core process for agri-businesses involved with livestock rearing. Animal Science and Animal Husbandry practices developed along-side key aspects of farm-based economy in our rural communities. So, it is natural for us to bring in this key point ECONOMICS.
IRT started with core knowledge in pig production, reproduction and artificial insemination and data management. Two new developments from Europe – the extensive use of lower concentration artificial insemination doses in Netherlands and the extensive use of a different insemination method in Spain – caught our attention and we applied some reasoning and ECONOMICS to them.
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University of Alberta researchers had been paving the way on core technology advancements and the SCIENCE. They also suggested the Big Hairy Audacious Goal for the industry – moving towards use of advanced genetics and reduction in both numbers of spermatozoa and doses to accomplish great improvements in end-results.
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As part of conservation of resources, farmers naturally simplify methods developed early into more efficient and reproducible results. In 2010, we were novices and had little experience with the new technique, post-cervical artificial insemination (PCAI). Before we could insure it would succeed, we saw the economics.
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Consider the impact of these potential changes:
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Reduction from North American “standard” A.I. dose (2.75 – 3.25 to 3.5 Billion SPZ/80 ml dose) to the extent accomplished by the Dutch industry (1.5 Billion SPZ/80 ml dose).
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Implementation of intra-uterine deposition of the A.I. dose to the extent which the Spanish industry had from 2000-2010, reaching essentially 70% utilization.
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Corresponding reduction in boar inventory necessary to produce doses for a more efficient North American industry.
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The impact of quantitative genetics, application of tested indexes and enhanced utilization of the very best boars in every breed and every commercialized genetic line.
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Foxcroft and his colleagues gave us a lot of “food for thought”. Today I am no less
impressed with the impact of these new reproduction techniques (PCAI and Low Dose) for the over 8.0 Million sows in North America.
A Leman Conference 2012 paper following Foxcroft’s 2010 IPVS predictions suggested that for 10,000 sows the improvement from baseline could be in excess of $500,000 (per year). I believe that level is very close to the potential for some herds, but we also believe based on results since 2010 that for some herds which were clearly below average in use of core techniques, the potential may understate the industry’s return on investment in this area.
A Leman Conference 2012 paper following Foxcroft’s 2010 IPVS predictions suggested that for 10,000 sows the improvement from baseline could be in excess of $500,000 (per year). I believe that level is very close to the potential for some herds, but we also believe based on results since 2010 that for some herds which were clearly below average in use of core techniques, the potential may understate the industry’s return on investment in this area.
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Today, we believe that based on +150 Million market hogs produced and + 4.5 Million breeding gilts added to maintain herd production, the impact of these techniques will be in excess of $600 Million per year, or more than $4.00 per market hog produced, maybe in cases $5-10 per market hog. These techniques enable a new level of genetic technology to be fully implemented. An important point for all producers is that for the end market - grocery, retail or food service - these types of gains are there for multiple traits. Of course Feed Cost/Pig and Growth Rate are economic drivers today, but primal yield and intramuscular fat and other meat quality traits may be even more important. PCAI drives uniformity - not just efficiency. The producer ultimately can chose the economic opportunity to pursue and then configure the production system for proper growth period but take steps to remove excessive variation from the system. In this, all producers regardless of genetics and marketing strategy can use new technologies in the critical development of differentiated or branded food products for markets domestically and internationally.
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When we understood the steps and saw the initial results - IT WAS CLEARLY GO TIME for this technology. (and IT IS STILL GO TIME!) Don't let current excellence - like 90+% Farrowing Rate on traditional A.I. interfere with taking the right steps for your future long term success. IRT predicts that USA and Canada will implement PCAI technology to the level of 90% by 2023.
If you haven’t yet taken time to evaluate PCAI and its potential impact to your business, then contact us and let us help you evaluate with on-farm training session and a review of what it takes to fully implement PCAI techniques and technology with your sow farm and the boar stud providing AI doses to you today.
Neil DeBuse, DVM
Innovative Reproduction Technology, LLC