Frozen bovine semen

Using frozen semen for dairy cattle has been done since the 1950's. The oldest semen believed to be in existence was from a sire named Cottonade Emmet, who was a member of the American Breeders Service sire battery in 1952. Semen was collected on Emmet in November 1952 and has been used several times to produce offspring. However, the last time any such offspring was born was in the mid-1980's. Osborndale Ivanhoe, who was probably the most famous Holstein bull of the early semen era, died in November 1963. From time to time calves will still be born from his frozen semen. Ivanhoe was a member of The Atlantic Breeder's Co-op Sire battery. His sons who have had considerable influence include, Penstate Ivanhoe Star, Provin Mtn Ivanhoe Jewel, and Fleetridge Monitor. His grandson's who have dominated the Holstein breed include Carlin-M Ivanhoe Bell, and Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation.

Types Of Semen Packaging

Semen in the early days of artificial insemination was delivered everyday to Technicians by bull studs as semen was not frozen at this point. It was not til the addition of glycerol to semen extenders that semen could be frozen. In those early days semen was extended by bulls stud in to a type of bottle, or test tube, kept at low temperatures, and delivered to Technicians. When the freezing process was discovered by a man named Polge. It was placed in containers called glass ampules, sealed, frozen in dry ice and alcohol and kept in that type of solution until it was needed for insemination. Later the liquid nitrogen refrigerator was invented by Union Carbide with money given to them by John Rockefeller Prentice, who used it exclusively for his bull stud before a number of years later giving it to the entire A.I. industry at no charge or royalty. Liquid nitrogen temperature is 320 degrees below zero, thus almost an absolute temperature that allows very little deterioration of bovine semen. It is also a safe product as it is not flammable. The ampules were fasten to a cane which was placed inside the canister. When the Technician needs to inseminate the cow he merely opens the tank, pulls up the desired canister, selects the cane and puts the ampule in a water bath usually of an ice cube and water mixture. The ampule thaws for several minutes and the top is broken off by either the ampule being pre-scribed or cut with a scribe. Then the semen is drawn up into a pipette which is about 21 inches long. A polybulb or syringe is attached to the end of the pipette to facilitate this.

Other semen packages that have been tried include the "Magic Wand". This was a frozen pipette that contained about .75 cc of extended semen. With the use of a connector and adapter which had a syringe or rubber bulb attached it was air thawed or thawed in the cow. The frozen polybulb was another semen package that had some usage. Semen was actually placed in a plastic polybulb and frozen on canes. The polybulb was thawed, sealed end cut, and attached to a pipette. The semen expelled through the pipette. There were several size of ampules used during the early days. The 1cc ampules were used by Curtiss Breeding Service, .75cc ampules were used by Tri-State Breeders Co-op, and the .50cc ampules were almost excursively used by American Breeders Service. The .75 and 1cc ampules were usually attached 6 to a metal cane. The .50 cc ampules were attached 8 per cane.

The Coming Of The Straw

In the 1960's a straw package that utilized a plastic straw was invented by the Robert Cassou family business called IMV in France. This straw was made of PVC material and had two cotton plugs with powder in-between them. This was called the factory end. The other end was open. Semen was sucked up into the straw. Then the straw was placed directly onto a comb and semen was expelled to make an airspace. Then the straw was placed directly into a pile of PVC powder that sealed the straw. Then the straw was placed into a water bath. Left to sit for a period of time and then dried and frozen on metal racks. After freezing the straws were placed in 95 degree Fahrenheit water thawed for 40 seconds and placed into a stainless steel gun. A sheath was placed over the gun and locked into place by an o-ring. Then the cow was inseminated the usual way.