Why livestock farmers should embrace artificial insemination for their cattle

For farmers to have better breeds and to increase milk and beef yields, artificial insemination (AI) is an option to consider as the benefits are enormous for those farmers who have used it. Some of the advantages and benefits of AI include the following.

It eliminates the maintenance costs of keeping bulls at the farm and avoiding the harm they cause both to other animals and human when they become unruly.

High value, better breeds
Farmers have the choice of getting high grade cattle at little cost with high returns on economic value. Dairy farmers are able to keep smaller herds of high value on relatively smaller pieces of land and yet produce more milk at targeted time at less cost.

There is less risks of disease transmission caused by direct mating between a bull and a cow or heifer.

Farmers are also able to use high quality semen at the same time from the same bull thus producing better animals.

AI also helps farmers to overcome the challenge of being unable to use bulls, which are large in size, in serving cows, which are relatively smaller in size, or females that are still growing (heifers). Some bulls mount heifers when they are still young and at times harm them because of their weight.

The cost-saving also goes to the government as in reduction of the expenses of importing live animals, of a required superior breed, from other countries and the subsequent transportation to the different parts of the country.

Getting the services?
Famers should always seek advice from the respective district veterinary offices and Naads coordinators as well as from private but approved service providers who are recommended by National Animal Genetic Resource Centre and Data Bank (NAGRIC&DB).

There are also non-governmental organisations that offer AI services or facilitate their access and delivery. NAGRIC&DB plays a leading role in the provision quality AI services to the country of animal breeding through importation of semen, AI equipment and dissemination of information.

Dr Benon Mbabazi Kanyima, the outgoing chairman NAGRIC&DB board of directors, says farmers are trained on how to handle AI on a three weeks course so as to go and help their fellow farmers. “We train farmers who have a certain minimum level of education on how to handle the technology at our headquarters at Entebbe so that they can render the services to fellow farmers.”

In the training, the farmers are also shown the economic benefits of AI and given the basics of animal reproductive health management.

Training the farmers
“Farmers are trained in profit-making dairy and beef farming practices, nutrition and feed management and the impact on successes of AI and cattle genetic improvement,” Kanyima says.

The Centre also trains extension service providers, provides farmers with AI service recording materials and supplies quality breeding heifers at affordable prices.

There are satellite centres in the different regions where farmers can access AI services like at Mbarara Zonal Agriculture Research and Development Institute (MBAZARDI), at the headquarters in Entebbe, in the central region, Kyengera veterinary services in Luwero, among others.

To have good results from AI, farmers are expected to keep records of heat detection, insemination dates, repeats of AI and abortion for easy management and monitoring of the herd’s performance.

When a farmer is expecting the cow to go on heat soon, he or she should ensure that he checks it out three times a day for a period of at least 30 minutes per each observation.

When a cow willingly accepts to be mounted by a bull should be the time when insemination should take place as this is the sign of standing heat.

However to have good results, a farmer should ensure that animals which are about to be serviced in a period of two to three weeks are fed on well balanced feeds, for better results.

To avoid a mix-up of which animal has gone on heat, farmers are expected to label their animals for easy identification through ear tags, freeze branding, tattooing or permanent paint.

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