Discovering "Cow Tech" at the National Western Stock Show

"People don't know much about what goes on at a modern farm," I commented to Veterinarian Dr. Don Coover, owner of S.E.K Genetics of Kansas, who looked like the stereotypical image of a rancher rather than a genetics expert. "Absolutely nothing," he replied succinctly. I'm not sure why we're not hearing about it, but at the National Western Stock Show I discovered that there's a lot of "high tech" going on at farms of all sizes in America. Just be warned, this article discusses the modern version of the "birds and the bees," though not in detail.

Probably the biggest technology active on the farm or ranch is genetics, which is basically just taking some of the breeding done for centuries into the laboratory and performing it on a cellular and statistical basis. The mechanics are similar to human fertility clinics. Even the cow's ear tags, though, come with a variety of technologies, from insecticide that keeps those pesky flies away so the cow doesn't swat with her tail all day, to RFID tags that allow automatic tracking of cows passing through sensors in the barn or elsewhere. Grazing land management is a complex subject as well, critical to success of the enterprise. The University of Nebraska at Lincoln has a host of programs for agricultural management which make it clear that a farm or ranch these days, large or small, is a well-run, technology based business.

After watching the judging of the woolly Highland Junior Heifer Show, presented by their young owners in the youth competition, my first stop in the exhibits surrounding the arena was a pair of booths offering genetic material and a computerized way to determine when to use it. The heatwatch® II system from Cowchips, LLC (makers of Mount Count® devices as well), uses a star network of sensors glued to cows. These sensors relay information on when the cows' mating habits begin to a central point in the field, which channels the information to the ranch computer. The rancher used the computer to keep track of when it's time for Bessie to have a "date," either with a well-bred bull, or a test-tube ("straw," they call it). According to Dr. Coover, this monitoring gives about a ten-hour window when artificial insemination (A.I.), or natural is optimal.

It turns out you can do this at home, too! While I was talking with Dr. Coover, a ranching family walked up to the booth and family members were discussing how the whole family is involved in breeding the cows. Dr. Coover explained to me that even a 14 year old girl such as the rancher's daughter, with training, can do what's necessary to inseminate a cow. His company supplies the straws of semen as well as fertilized and cloned embryos, and support services. The girl's father was discussing the price of embryos, and the veterinarian had catalogs to offer, listing prize bulls and their characteristics. The answer to the question about price was, by the way, usually starting at about $500, up to about $2000. In my mind I thought of stud service, livestock auctions, and trailering animals around, all replaced by liquid nitrogen and Fedex.

While the Doctor's business is full-service, the reduction of animal husbandry to trading genetic material has spawned a new business, and Universal Semen Sales of Montana does just that. In place of farmer-to-farmer stud service, this company supplies the "straws" just as a human sperm bank would. Though owner Jack Ganje said that city folk seem to buy their logo merchandise without other interest, genetic material is just another part of agricultural business these days.

Given the FDA's recent approval of cloned animals for food, I wanted to know more about how cloned animals might be different from those from a breeding program. Basically, Dr. Coover explained, the substitute DNA which is placed in a host egg supplies the genetic material for a "copy" of the original animal, such as a prized bull. There is another, limited source of DNA in the egg that isn't replaced, though, the mitochondrial DNA. According to sources such as the University of Texas, this DNA focuses on the energy and aging aspects of the animal. Since it comes from the mother, it seems that a cloned bull might not even pass this DNA on to its progeny. This whole process is a world away from actual genetic modification, tinkering with DNA such has been done in crops. Dr. Coover, while acknowledging that individual reactions to the new technology should be respected, noted that breeding and selecting for traits is an ancient practice, and the laboratory version has a similar yet more predictable outcome. Some genetic sources even offer "sexed" products for gender selection.

Blame it on a city dweller's ignorance, but I was surprised at the way farm and ranch families, parents and children, easily discussed new technologies along with animal handling and feeding. Maybe it's not as romantic, but next time I'm driving down the highway, I'll be looking at the cows in the pasture and thinking, "wow, how high-tech!"

www.sekgenetics.com/
www.casnr.unl.edu/
www.cowchips.net/
www.universalsemensales.com
cellbio.utmb.edu/cellbio/mitoch2.htm