A Different Stripe
These are the things my life is taken up with: discussions about goat and chicken management, putting up food and making the staples and what’s for supper and washing dishes, keeping the fire going for the smores, lots of other similarly real and productive endeavors, and, today, bovine AI.
AI = Artificial Insemination
Now, years ago I did this, actually helping to collect, examine and insert the semen . . . but on a horse farm. And years ago, things were done via palpation and now ultrasound has taken over. Where they used to palpate for follicles and pregnancy checks, now it is ultrasound. And that was horses, not cattle, so my experience is worth even less.
Hey, did you know there were such things as traveling semen salesmen? And sexed semen? I mean, until about yesterday it hadn’t occurred to me to wonder about such things, but there are. There’s also this guy, on a farm a good ways from here, who is willing to come all the way here to inseminate my cow basically as a favor to me. And he doesn’t know me at all. I went to his place today to pick up prostaglandin in order to induce her cycle so as, hopefully, to be more ready to “catch” her. His place is HUGE, more than 400 Holsteins.
I got a paper that listed sexed semen from different bulls with all these numbers telling you how much milk fat, protein, mastitis cells, numbers of lactations, and a whole lot of other things that the bulls offspring have on average. I am like, boys, you all know way more about this than I do. They said, oh, then you are in trouble. Yes, the bulls are fascinating and the men are hilarious.
What I like the very best is the milieu, the culture, my culture. They are willing to do me a favor and to give me a hard time while they are doing it. A girl can appreciate that.
Maybe next time I’ll say yes to their invitation to join them for lunch.
7 comments:
My brothers wifes sisters husband travels around selling Elk Suff.
One of my neighbors is a travelling bull semen salesman. And they have a cattle farm around Pilot Mountain. I love it when they drive through the 'hood in the cattle carrier full of baby cows. Shakes up the place a bit.
LOL! You can definitely hang with the big boys. Go to lunch and tell us all about it. I am astounded by your list from yesterday. amazing.
Oh, and speaking of the big boys (i don't even know if that's the right term) I just recently saw your comment on my blog that you knew Skip Glover! How cool.
There's nothing I can write about AI that won't get me in trouble because I've been having a Beavis and Butthead moment since you posted this and I'm still snorting into my keyboard.
However, I do write to tell you I've left a kickass award for you on my site when you're ready to collect it!
ooo, oo, kickass award! Except I can never figure out the graphics. Oh well. Thanks, I'll be over after the AI guy comes tonight. Yep, that shot seems to have worked in short order and he's coming to time it with this evening's milking. I'll invite him in for supper even if it's just grilled cheese and soup.
And Madeline, YES! I did know Skip at least a three or four incarnations (like, 30 years) ago and truly thought the world of him.
There used, at least, to be a sign in Greyhound Bus stations listing items that couldn't be transported by bus. It included:
BEER
BLOOD
BULL SEMEN
This always gave me an interesting picture. Rodger Cunningham
Oh my goodness! I'm trying to imagine! I do hope the bus comes back as a method of transportation, but no beer, blood or bull semen? What will the world come to?
Speaking of which, I've got a computer on the fritz and a couple posts waiting to see if I can get it running so I don't have to re-write! They'll be back dated when they get here. If they get here. Just an update because the insemination was VERY interesting. May she please be pregnant.
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