How efficient is your semen tank?

Semen tanks are not all alike.    We have now used cryogenic (liquid nitrogen) semen storage for sixty years in the cattle breeding industry.    Some 30/ 40/ 50 year old equipment is still in use.    This is amazing, given the more reputable tank builders still only warranty new tanks for five years…    

Considerations in choice of tanks
The first question is,  “does my tank retain a nitrogen charge a practical length of time, so that it fits into available service routes?”     For most people this will mean a tank capable of a 12-week hold, so it has a safety margin on our eight-week service schedule (we could get snowed out of your neighborhood for a week in a bad winter storm, or have a truck breakdown that takes us a week to get fixed).

The second question is, “am I going to be storing any embryos?”    The embryo is so much more complex than the sperm cell, making it more fragile, it is best it remain as much as possible in liquid nitrogen immersion.    Thus with eight week service routes, tank that has a safety margin after sixteen weeks (such as the newest 20-week hold time models) would insure your embryo is not forced to rise to vapor temperature (-140 F) and plunge back down to liquid temperature (-320 F) on a recurring basis.

The third question is, “how much semen am I going to be stocking?”    We all seem to have the tendency to let semen inventory “breed” (multiply) in our tanks.    Once canisters are filled with canes, it is harder to locate the bull you intend to breed with, maybe harder to extract a straw with the canes all gripping each other.    Newer model tanks of standard size have slightly larger canisters than the earlier models, thus IF you can discipline your buying, you can avoid making the straw extraction from the canister for each breeding slower, putting your stored semen at risk of damage from temperatures rising above -140 F vapor temperature.

The fourth question is, “am I a breeder collecting herdsires, thus needing more tank capacity?”   Keep in mind that larger capacity tanks, especially with bigger neck tube openings to handle wider canisters, cannot retain nitrogen as long as standard size tanks.    You might consider an option to store semen beyond your seasonal use at a storage facility rather than have it all on your ranch.    Otherwise, to spread risk, you could have multiple tanks on site and not keep all of your rare herdsire in a single tank  (eventually, every tank ever made is going to fail—we just have to be prepared for a possibility we do not catch it before it goes “warm” and spoils all the semen content in it.

Mark measures every tank we fill, before he puts nitrogen in it.    Those measurements get written at the bottom of your delivery invoice.    Thus we try to help you monitor each tank.

Best wishes to you and your family for a blessed holiday season

We appreciate the opportunity to be of service in your genetics and reproduction program.

New  “Cattle Vision”  sire catalogs should be printed right after the coming Denver stock show  (the industry’s meet and greet event).

The Byron Seeds “early Order Guide” is available if you want to get any spring seed needs reserved.

We are happy to announce that nitrogen service prices should be stable for next year.   We will have confirmed prices for 2026 from our supplier usually in January.

MIch Livestock Service, Inc          “For the Best in Bulls and Seeds”
phone (989) 834- 2661        email  “greg@michiganlivestock.com”

Confirming pregnancies on weaned-off cows and first-time heifers

We continue to stock the EmLabs “P Test” which is a urine test for pregnancy hormones.     Very accurate once a pregnancy is past 60 days.     If you did early confirmations with ultra-sounding it is still a prudent idea  (especially if you are close on winter feed supplies)  to recheck animals who are past the 90-100 day mark, when the gravid uterus has sunk into the body and becomes difficult to reach with ultrasound equipment.   Lots of animals under the stress of a heavy nurse-calf can lose early-day pregnancies, as full “fetal attachment” does not occur until six+ weeks.

 

Mark Curry        (989) 984- 7027      Route services and sales/ Ov Synch group AI

Sue Palen           (989) 277- 0480      Semen and Product order desk

Greg Palen         (989) 277- 6031       Certified Seed Specialist/  AI refresher training

Mich Livestock Service, Inc    “For the Best in Bulls”   “High Energy forage seeds”
PO Box 661   (110 N Main St)   Ovid,  MI  48866         Office ph (989) 834- 2661
email:  greg@michiganlivestock.com        website:   www.michiganlivestock.com

 

Keeping calves warm and dry when born in damp winter

  We introduced “calf jackets” and “calf earmuffs” at last year’s Michigan Cattleman’s Association Beef Expo.    We intend to have a “meet and greet” booth at the MCA event again this year with displays of our product lines.    The latest in calf jackets will be on display then, but if you expect to have special calves born this winter, we have them in stock. 

Mark Curry        (989) 984- 7027      Route services and sales/ Ov Synch group AI

Sue Palen           (989) 277- 0480      Semen and Product order desk

Greg Palen         (989) 277- 6031       Certified Seed Specialist/  AI refresher training

Mich Livestock Service, Inc    “For the Best in Bulls”   “High Energy forage seeds”
PO Box 661   (110 N Main St)   Ovid,  MI  48866         Office ph (989) 834- 2661
email:  greg@michiganlivestock.com        website:   www.michiganlivestock.com

 

The importance of good pelvic structure for lifetime cow function

 

As we study skeletal structure in dairy cows, we should grasp how “three dimensional” pelvic capacity needs to be, for a cow to succeed in all these functional expectations:

The pelvis houses the mammary system
The dimensions of a productive and long-lasting UDDER depend on the cooperation of pelvic bones and the capacity they create.    All the supporting “girdle” to the udder (both center and multiple lateral ligaments) are suspended from the pelvic bones.    A level pelvis with a larger interior spread will help to keep the udder floor level for her entire productive life.

The pelvis contains the calving channel and aids in timely reproduction
Broad hips, wide thurls and “open” pins reduces the chances of a calf getting “stuck” during the delivery process.   Calving Ease really starts with a fully three dimensional pelvic bone structure.
The involution of the uterus after calving is enhanced when the pelvis has proper interior slope from hips to pins, and has allowed minimal trauma to all the interior muscles during parturition.

 
The pelvis is the anchoring point for the hind legs
Hind legs begin with their “thurl socket”, enclosing the swivel ball in the base of the pelvic bone formation.    When the thurls are “wide” it sets the legs out to the side from the body, minimize squeezing of the rear udder between legs that can abraid the udder ligments during movement.
The closer to “central” that thurl position is within the length of the pelvis, the better will be the weight bearing on the foot (minimizing uneven growth requring frequent hoof trimming).

The pelvis can aid in ease of rebreeding cows for their next calving
When thurls are too far back, the pins rise and hind legs kick out behind the cow.    This shifts rear end weight onto the loin, which is not designed to carry that added stress;  flattening the spine, leading to abraded or pinched nerves passing across the back to run rear end functions.
Cows with level pelvis, central thurl, straight spines, get through calving easier, recover faster for rebreeding, and when you have your arm inside to breed her you find the cervix where it needs to be for easier insemination.    

How does the “aAa” process aid you to consistently produce desired pelvic shape?

aAa #1 “DAIRY”  can make hips broader, setting up the forward pelvic dimensions.
aAa #2  “TALL”    helps to raise hips above pins, so you have the proper interior slope.
aAa #3  “OPEN”  helps to make the pelvis wider between thurls and pins for easier calving.

Mating selection can simultaneously increase milk check income potential and also extend the functional lifetime potential   IF you choose bulls in this way.

Inside you will find a discussion on shifting component selection in favor of more Protein while maintaining butterfat  (what traits to consider first).

You will also find a discussion on the importance of pelvic structures for all those functions we expect from a cow   (the most direct guides to make desired change)

It is in the nature of any commodity production, that the model that produces a commodity at the “least cost” generates profits, whereas trying to maximize yield generates increased costs;  incremental yield gains can cost more than they give us in profit.    We can apply genetic selection better to lower costs first, improve yields only as they can provide increased income at a below average cost.

 

Mich Livestock Service, Inc.   For the Best in Bulls -- and the forages to feed them
PO Box 661   Ovid  MI  48866   ph (989) 834- 2661    Your alternative to “generic”

 

What is going on in the milk market(s)? How do we breed for income now?

 

The latest milk report from Co-Bank’s Corey Geiger indicates that the price of butterfat dropped 25% of its value since 2025 began.    This ends eight years in which butterfat exceeded the price for protein.    Meanwhile, this year, the price for protein has started to climb; it now exceeds the butterfat price by $0.75.     Does this mean we should change any of our breeding focuses?

The three  highest heritable traits measured are Lactose %, Protein %, and Butterfat %.   While we do not get paid much for “lactose” (milk sugars),  under component pricing formulas it is the Protein and Butterfat yields that account for over 85% of your total milk check.  Your most direct route today to increasing your milk check pay price is to select in favor of both PTA pr% and PTA bf%  (not pounds, as you have been told by everyone for decades.  I will explain why.)

Let us say you already produce 80 pounds per cow daily.    Following industry recommendations you feed a total ration that is “balanced”-- between forages (component stimulants) and grains (fluid stimulants).    Encouraged to reach higher pounds yields, you add more energy dense feed stuffs (maybe oilseeds, maybe bypass proteins).   Added energy density inputs increase the cost of the ration.   Do we get more components, or do we just get more milk, at the same bf% and pr% levels as before?   An extra 5 pounds of milk per day might mean 0.20 pounds butterfat and 0.15 pounds of protein to sell—worth (0.2 x $1.80) + (0.15 x $2.30) 70 cents per cow per day.  If your hauling costs (priced on pounds) are $2.00/cwt, deduct 10 cents for added weight; the net income gain (before added feed costs) is then 60 cents per cow daily.

If instead we accept the yield pounds we currently produce, but concentrate on raising percent of salable components, using bulls +0.15% butterfat and +0.10% protein, we gain 12 pounds of butterfat (worth $1.80 x 12 = $2.16) and 8 pounds of protein (worth $2.30 x 8 = $1.84) which is a total of $ 4.00 per cow per day.  There is no added hauling (same pounds total weight) and if your ration stayed the same, your feed costs stay the same.     Why do we get more?   Because in selecting directly for percent of components, we alter all 80 pounds of the cows’ daily yield, not just the incremental 5 pounds (what you can expect from more energy density)…

This explains why many western dairymen have switched from Holsteins to Jerseys over the last two decades.    With fluid utilizations at 40% or less, and skim milk jugs selling at a loss in major supermarket chains, these dairymen figured out producing more pounds was working against them.    They chose instead to switch to production models that produce more value.

Here are examples of  “more value”  bulls -- for surviving milk price fluctuations

525 HO 146   Garden-State Feature- P *RC   (aAa: 423615  “Strong, Tall, Open”)
He is that rare combination of A2A2 for Beta Casein and BB for Kappa Casein
His Butterfat % rating is +0.15%  (95 pctile)   and his Protein % rating is +0.12%  (99 pctile)
His calving  ease is 2.4% which is an acceptable level – generally safe for heifers.
His dam, with 145,077 pounds of 4.4% butterfat and 3.7% protein lifetime production, is a
sixth generation “Excellent” rated cow who goes back maternally to the “Finesse” family.

515 HO 402   Siemers Tao Prada              (aAa:  561432  “Smooth, Style, Dairy”)
Again, we have that rare combination of A2A2 for Beta Casein and BB for Kappa Casein
His butterfat% rating is +0.15%   (95 pctile)   and his Protein % rating is +0.08%  (90 pctile)
His calving ease is 2.3% which is acceptably safe for heifers.
His DPR rating is +1.9% -- which among bulls plus for PTA Milk is exceptional.
He also shows a +1.41 linear score for teat length--  also exceptional when so many modern bulls seem to shorten teats to the point where milking claws fail to stay attached.
His dam is a third generation of cows producing over 1000# protein and 1500# butterfat—that means over $5000 in milk check income for a single lactation!

515 HO 516   Ar-Joy El Fenomeno -PP        (aAa:  426531  “Strong, Tall, Style”)
Not only homozygous polled but another source of A2A2 Beta Casein and BB Kappa Casein
His butterfat % rating is  +0.06%  and his protein % rating is +0.04% 
His calving ease is also 2.3%  which is in the safe range for heifers.
Maternal grandsire “Parfect” is starting to show up in pedigrees of better conformation sires;
“Fenomeno PP” has a PTA Type of +2.05 which is exceptional among “pure polled” AI sires

Each of these three have physically sound physiques with durability in their leg structures.

Winter AI Training Schools—first-ever joint venture

  Many of you have been interested in attending an AI training school.    Chris McTaggart, noted Shorthorn breeder and Reproductive Specialist for Central Star-Select Sires, is organizing a few sessions to be held near Elsie, Michigan.    These will be  “first come, first served”  (each school limited to a dozen students)  and Greg offered to help Chris in the barn for live animal practice.
If you are interested in attending such a session, let Sue know and we will help finalize this. 

 

Mark Curry        (989) 984- 7027      Route services and sales/ Ov Synch group AI

Sue Palen           (989) 277- 0480      Semen and Product order desk

Greg Palen         (989) 277- 6031       Certified Seed Specialist/  AI refresher training

Mich Livestock Service, Inc    “For the Best in Bulls”   “High Energy forage seeds”
PO Box 661   (110 N Main St)   Ovid,  MI  48866         Office ph (989) 834- 2661
email:  greg@michiganlivestock.com        website:   www.michiganlivestock.com