NAAB Symposium
They Call Me Dr. Discard
BOZEMAN, Mont. (June 1, 2011) — He’s a 43-veteran of the semen evaluation, processing and marketing industry, and he’s been with Select Sires since 1989. His name is Clif Marshall, but you can call him “Dr. Discard.” The moniker stems from Marshall having discarded so much bull semen over the years — in excess of 30 million straws — because it didn’t meet quality standards. As Select Sires’ vice president of production, Marshall’s mantra is “When in doubt, throw it out.”
Marshall addressed the audience gathered for the National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) Symposium, hosted Wednesday, June 1, in conjunction with the Beef Improvement Federation’s annual conference. He explained how NAAB/Certified Semen Services (CSS) serves as a watchdog for the industry and has established quality control standards for members to follow.
It starts with standardized health testing of sires from which bull studs collect and market semen. Prospective artificial insemination (AI) sires are isolated at a member firm’s facility for a minimum of 60 days while undergoing testing. Even after that, sires are subject to semi-annual health tests at their resident herd site. Further specialized disease testing is required before semen may be marketed for export.
Marshall said strict standards apply to semen collection and evaluation of sperm cells, as well as the extenders and preservatives used to make semen ready for freezing. Quality control standards apply to hygiene practices at collection facilities and laboratories, maintenance of equipment and calibration of sensitive instruments.
“Our industry goal is to provide highly fertile semen from high genetic value bulls. Maintaining quality control along each step of the way takes a lot of time,” Marshall said. “But it’s important so that we can eliminate the garbage and predict fertility ranking for sires. It’s not perfect, but we’re always looking for more and better ways.”
To listen to this presentation and to view the PowerPoint that accompanied it, visit the Newsroom at www.BIFconference.com.
BIF’s 43rd Annual Research Symposium and Annual Meeting was hosted June 1-4 on campus at Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont.
Editor’s Note: This summary was written under contract or by staff of Angus Productions Inc. (API). Through an agreement with the Beef Improvement Federation, we are encouraging reprinting of the articles to those who will adhere to the reprint guidelines available on this site. Please review those guidelines or contact Shauna Rose Hermel, editor, at 816-383-5270. PowerPoints are posted with permission of the presenter and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the presenter.
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