Why It Matters:
If you asked the average American consumer, they probably have very little knowledge of the production of their food. In America today, most people are at least 3 generations removed from the farm, many being even farther removed from agriculture. This leads not only to misconceptions about production and negative propaganda from organizations that don't agree with animal agriculture, but also to a general lack of knowledge of the significance that animal science plays in our lives. Many medical discoveries, inventions and research is first conducted in animal medicine and then used to benefit human beings. When health problems arise or disease outbreaks happen in our food supply, public service professionals and veterinarians often make medical discoveries that are intended to increase animal welfare, health and production, before the same technologies are used to improve human lives. Technologies such as prosthetics, organ transplants, bone reconstruction, etc have originated in veterinary medicine. A.I is no different. Reproductive technologies develop in animal science long before they are utilized by human infertility specialists, simply because, the reproduction of our food source tends to outweigh the ability of a couple to have a child.
In general, A.I has had profound effects on the production of our food, fiber and companion animals. The ability of producers to ship semen, as opposed to transporting live animals, has made it much easier to breed to sires states, even countries away. This has led not only to increased genetic diversity, but also improved stock. The quality of the offspring is no longer restricted by the available sires in the area, now we can breed to superior animals, no matter the distance. Additionally, A.I improves the reproductive efficiency of male animals as one ejaculate can be used to breed multiple females with A.I., while one live breeding can only breed one female. The use of semen straws by an A.I tech is more easily manipulated to be timed at the optimum moment to increase chances of conception than a live cover, and it can be done at the convenience of the producer's own farm, cutting down in transportation (and associated cost). A.I. is also more practical when breeding large amounts of females (such as on a dairy farm) and frozen semen can be stored almost indefinitely. Artificial Insemination has exponentially increased reproductive efficiency in the U.S. and we have exported those technologies to help many developing countries.
Not only has A.I affected agriculture and human medicine, but it has also become a key component in wildlife conservation. Many endangered animal breeding projects utilize A.I to improve the genetic diversity of a very limited amount of breeding animals. Science Daily recently featured an article about the birth of an endangered white rhino, conceived through A.I.
In general, A.I has had profound effects on the production of our food, fiber and companion animals. The ability of producers to ship semen, as opposed to transporting live animals, has made it much easier to breed to sires states, even countries away. This has led not only to increased genetic diversity, but also improved stock. The quality of the offspring is no longer restricted by the available sires in the area, now we can breed to superior animals, no matter the distance. Additionally, A.I improves the reproductive efficiency of male animals as one ejaculate can be used to breed multiple females with A.I., while one live breeding can only breed one female. The use of semen straws by an A.I tech is more easily manipulated to be timed at the optimum moment to increase chances of conception than a live cover, and it can be done at the convenience of the producer's own farm, cutting down in transportation (and associated cost). A.I. is also more practical when breeding large amounts of females (such as on a dairy farm) and frozen semen can be stored almost indefinitely. Artificial Insemination has exponentially increased reproductive efficiency in the U.S. and we have exported those technologies to help many developing countries.
Not only has A.I affected agriculture and human medicine, but it has also become a key component in wildlife conservation. Many endangered animal breeding projects utilize A.I to improve the genetic diversity of a very limited amount of breeding animals. Science Daily recently featured an article about the birth of an endangered white rhino, conceived through A.I.