Sexed semen vs. conventional: When does it pay?

According to Dr. Victor Cabrera (pictured), assistant professor and extension specialist in dairy management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the answer tends to be an easy one and is often dependent upon just one huge herd performance aspect at each dairy – A.I. conception rate.

In his presentation at the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council’s annual meeting November 19-20 in Boise, Idaho, Cabrera said sexed semen use in heifers in high-conception-rate herds (83 percent and above) virtually always makes sense but tends to rarely be profitable in low-conception-rate herds (34 percent and less).

For average-conception-rate herds, the answer is less clear and depends greatly upon two other factors – what the current market value of heifers is and the price difference between conventional and sexed semen used at the dairy. In general, though, using sexed semen for the first two breedings tends to be more profitable than conventional semen.

“The single most important factor in this decision is current or expected conception rate,” said Cabrera, “and the biggest variable is the value of heifer calves. In situations where heifers are expensive and conception rate is high, five or more A.I. breedings with sexed semen is likely justified. But if heifers are inexpensive, especially if conception rate is low, it may not be wise to use sexed semen at all.”

He added that there are other important factors that each dairy must also consider when making a sexed versus conventional decision which he could not incorporate into his financial computer model. These include decreased biosecurity risks, the possibility of faster genetic progress, and herd expansion opportunities.