Artificial insemination available for local cattle

By Andrea Arnold

McBride resident Tanner Ferenczi has been offering artificial insemination for both dairy and beef cows since his family arrived in the area three years ago. He started about 15 years earlier when they lived in the lower mainland and used artificial insemination for their own cattle. For 10 years he worked in both full-time and part-time capacity for WestGen – originally known as the Lower Fraser Valley Artificial Insemination Association. When the family moved to McBride, he saw an opportunity and decided to continue offering bovine insemination services. 

Ferenczi said the ideal time to breed a cow is 12-16 hours after it has reached “standing heat.” This time in a cow’s cycle is not an exact time frame, but can be determined by individual monitoring.  

“If a cow is not bred during her cycle, she will go into heat again 21-days later,” said Ferenczi.  

The insemination process starts when the semen specimen is collected from a bull. 

“Bulls in a stud farm are brought into a stall where the semen is teased out of him,” he said. “An artificial vagina is used to collect the specimen.”

From there the semen is tested for mortality, genetic diseases, communicable diseases and STIs. If all the testing comes back clear, the specimens can be cleared for export around the world.  

“There are some diseases that are already known and widespread within Canada, so samples with these are still able to be used within the country,” said Ferenczi. 

Some of the specimens are divided to create collections that contain higher male or female producing semen.

The semen is cryogenically frozen using nitrogen in straws in either half or quarter cc units and can be stored, frozen, indefinitely. 

“Both amounts contain about a million sperm cells,” he said.

Ferenczi orders up to 20 straws at a time, picking through a proof sheet to select from bulls with desirable qualities. 

“I try to vary which bulls I select from to help keep genetic variety in the area,” he said. 

When a cow is ready, Ferenczi thaws the straw at 95 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-40 seconds, or a bit longer for the genetically selected straws. 

“I load the straw into…a steel syringe, after I’ve warmed everything up, and put a plastic sheath over it,” he said. “The set up has to remain at body temperature until the injection.”

Ferenczi said that he has bred cows in stalls, in a field, and even tied to trees.  It doesn’t matter where, but it is better if he is as clean as possible, he said.  

Once he’s with the cow, he has to palpate her and find her cervix. He puts the syringe rod through the vagina into the uterus where he injects the semen. 

“From there it’s up to the sperm cells to decide which side ovulation has occurred,” he said. “They have 24 hours to find the egg for implantation to occur.”

If the insemination is successful, it can be confirmed 28 days later, and calving should occur 280 days later. 

“With dairy cows there’s a 40 per cent-60 per cent success rate, 60-80 with beef cows,” said Ferenczi. 

Since beginning his career in artificial insemination, Ferenczi figures he’s bred between 30 and 40 thousand cows, about 300 in the Robson Valley. He only works with bovine breeding. 

“I decided to offer service in the valley because it was a skill I have to offer,” he said. “I feel that a genetically sound herd can over time directly affect the profitability of a farm, by breeding for higher-yielding animals that are more fertile and more efficient. Genetics is a variable that the farmer can directly control.”

Using artificial insemination is also a more affordable option to grow a herd. Ferenczi said the cost of a straw varies between $25-$100 depending on the bull selected, and his services start at $20 per cow. 

“It’s a lot cheaper. Bulls are hard on cows, feed, fences and wallets,” he said. “And you don’t know, a bull might get injured while unloading or be a dud, then you’re out $6,000.”  

Ferenczi offers his services from Valemount to Dome Creek and will travel further for bigger herds (with additional travel fees). He can be reached at 604-615-6138