Integrated Systems Heifer Development Research
and Synchronized Timed AI Producer Surveys
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Douglas Landblom
DREC Beef Cattle and Integrated Systems Specialist
Dickinson Research Extension Center
Office: 701-456-1109; Mobil: 701-690-8245
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Drawing together strengths of more than one enterprise in which complementarity capitalizes on component feedback consistently results in enterprises being stronger and more efficient than when managed independently as stand-alone enterprises. Case in point, crop and beef cattle production businesses are for the most part managed as separate entities. But when managed together, capitalizing on annual forage grazing of forages grown on cropland, the net return per land unit is greater. Melding multi-faceted management strategies within the beginning to small and medium sized farm base provides the farm manager greater flexibility and internal control over multiple activities and associated expenses. Strategies of importance relative to complementing systems include reproductive efficiencies, multi-crop grain-oilseed-forage rotations, animal growth profile manipulation, growing animal muscle-marbling enhancement, delayed feedlot finishing growth and feed efficiencies, and greater ending hot carcass weight and more system net return. To new and established small to medium sized farm managers, reproductive efficiency improvement begins with accessing the merits of artificial insemination, i.e., 1) Reproduction is the most profitable single management tool for the beef cattle enterprise, 2) heifers that calve early with their first calf (first 21 days of the calving season) produce more pounds of beef compared to their later calving counterparts, 3) Heifers that calve early with their first calf have greater herd longevity and lifetime productivity, 4) accessing elite sires artificially insures replacement heifers have above average production potential, 5) replacement heifers bred to elite sires replace themselves with enhanced genetic potential, and 6) appropriate use of sire selection EPDs and Maternal index aid in reducing mature cow weight of replacement heifers.
Integrated crop-livestock beef cattle systems research at the North Dakota State University, Dickinson Research Extension Center (DREC), has shown that regardless of steer frame score extended grazing of perennial and annual forages and delayed feedlot entry supported comparable meat quality and was consistently more profitable than feedlot control steers (Senturklu et al., 2018; 2019). This previous yearling steer grazing performance would be nutritionally supportive and is an ideal platform for replacement heifer development. First service TAI using a 14-day Controlled Internal Drug Release® (CIDR)-PGF2α (PG)-66-hour TAI ± 2 hours results in consistent pregnancy rates of 50-60% (Perry et al., 2012, 2015). A principal result from the use of progesterone delivered from a CIDR is to manipulate follicular waves by preventing the negative effect of premature PGF2α release from the uterus on corpus luteum survival (Patterson et al., 2019. For virgin heifers, a 14-d CIDR followed by PGF2α 16 d after CIDR removal and GnRH at the time of insemination 66 hr.±2hr after PGF2α administration has been a cost-effective TAI program. Heifers that conceive and become pregnant at the first service have a greater probability of becoming pregnant early in subsequent breeding seasons (Burris and Priode, 1958). Research has shown that females conceiving early in the breeding season and calving during the first 21 days of the calving season have increased longevity compared to those that calve in the second 21 days or later (Cushman et al., 2013). Moreover, using a single-TAI procedure produces heifers that are timed to calve early and the cost for keeping easy-calving heifer bulls year-around is eliminated.
Considering the potential value for using artificial insemination within the integrated crop-beef cattle systems research at the DREC, heifer development research is in progress. Compared to a conventional Single-Timed AI (Single-TAI) heifer breeding program, two non-confined pasture-based systems are being evaluated. The Single-TAI grazing systems include the following: 1) a grazing system in which virgin heifers graze a combination of native range and annual forages (winter wheat, field pea/barley mix, and unharvested corn), or 2) a native range only system. For the grazing system comparison, the heifers are inseminated only once and no cleanup bulls are used. After pregnancy testing in October each year, the non-pregnant heifers are grown with baled hay grazing until December at which time they are transported to the University of Wyoming, Sustainable Agricultural Research Extension Center, feedlot for final finishing and slaughtered at the federally inspected Cargill Meat Solutions packing plant located at Fort Morgan, Colorado.
Coinciding with the estrus synchronized heifer development research at the DREC, a voluntary beef producer heifer synchronized Timed AI survey is being conducted to evaluate drylot and grazing artificial breeding programs in southwestern North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. Beef cattle producers that have heifer groups of 50 heifers or more are encouraged to fill out and return a fully completed survey along with a completed IRS, W-9 Taxpayer ID Form. Producers that submit a fully completed survey with W-9 are compensated $900.00. Survey and W-9 forms are available upon request by contacting Douglas Landblom at douglas.landblom@ndsu.edu. The number of surveys for the 2023 breeding season is limited to 14; however, there is space for 4 additional surveys.
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