Three Pioneers Who Changed Cattle AI Honored by Beef Reproduction Task Force

Fifty years ago, breeding an entire herd of beef cows in a single day with commercial-grade conception rates was little more than a visionary dream. Today, it is a standard management practice that drives profitability, tighter calving windows and uniform calf crops across millions of acres.

During the 2026 Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) conference in Des Moines, Iowa, the Beef Reproduction Task Force recognized three men whose boots-on-the-ground grit and scientific rigor turned modern estrous synchronization into everyday ranch reality: Michael Smith, Jay Nansel and Ron Lenth.

(Beef Reproduction Task Force)

The Visionary: Dr. Michael F. Smith

Smith, University of Missouri Curators’ distinguished professor emeritus, was presented the Marvin and Arlene Large Pioneer Award.

When he arrived at Texas A&M’s Beeville Experiment Station in January 1975 to begin his graduate work under legendary reproductive physiologist James Wiltbank, the toolbox was virtually empty. There were no CIDRs. GnRH had not arrived in beef systems. Prostaglandin was not yet commercially available.

“He convinced me of the importance of getting cows to conceive early in the breeding season,” Smith recalls of Wiltbank. “He told me his vision was that one day producers would be able to breed all their cows on a single day with acceptable pregnancy rates. I just wish he could be here today to witness the great work that has resulted in where we’re at today with this technology.”

Smith spent more than four decades on faculty at the University of Missouri building the science behind that vision:

• Short-Term Calf Removal: He was among the first researchers to prove that 48-hour temporary calf removal could break postpartum anestrus, kickstarting non-cycling cows to ovulate.
• The Wiltbank Principles: He brought body condition scoring (BCS) and postpartum interval biology directly to cattlemen, illustrating how nutrition and days open dictate weaning weights.
• The Next Generation: Through Mizzou’s Miller Internship Program, Smith mentored 12 to 15 students annually, providing hands-on chute-side synchronization and breeding experience across commercial ranches nationwide.

(Beef Reproduction Task Force)

The Field General: Jay Nansel

Nansel was presented the service to industry award in AI service technician category. If researchers like Smith developed the science, field leaders like Nansel proved it could withstand real-world range conditions.

For more than 30 years across Montana and Wyoming, Nansel built a reputation with Select Sires for executing mass-scale synchronization projects that turned skeptics into lifelong AI adopters.

Jeremy Kueffler, who stepped into Nansel’s former role at Select Sires, remembers the inflection point in the early 2010s: “At that time, Jay bred 3,000 to 4,000 head a season, with 300 being a big project,” Kueffler says. “Two or three years later, he was approached about breeding 4,000-plus heifers for one ranch, with the biggest synched bunch being 2,200 head. Within a couple years, we were doing 1,000-head and bigger projects for three to four different ranches who hadn’t AI’d before — all on the reputation and results of that first 4,000.”

At the Ward Ranch in Thermopolis, Wyo., Paul and Ginger Ward credit Nansel with transforming their business model. After expanding AI from replacement heifers to the entire cow herd, the ranch now calves approximately 75% of its cows in the first 30 days, yielding heavier, more uniform drafts of calves every fall.

Nansel’s non-negotiable chute-side rule: Master the fundamentals.

• Handle semen fast, dry and meticulously.
• Keep cattle calm before, during and after breeding.
• Refuse to compromise on facility cleanliness or protocol timing.

(Beef Reproduction Task Force)

The Educator: Ron Lenth

Lenth was presented the service to industry award in Extension and education category. Long before synchronization protocols were mainstream, producers had to learn how to pass an AI rod themselves. For cattlemen across Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, the teacher was Lenth.

During a 39-year career with ABS (1970 to 2009) — including 32 years as a field representative — Lenth trained more than 1,200 beef and dairy producers through his hands-on AI management schools.

After studying whole-herd reproduction on California dairies, Lenth helped build the ABS Reproductive Management Service (RMS) model in the Midwest, helping seedstock and commercial producers coordinate breeding, sire selection and calf buy-back marketing programs.

“Ron had a very deliberate, methodical system of teaching how to successfully breed cows,” says Iowa beef producer Jeff Ryan, who first attended Lenth’s school in 1983 as a ninth grader. “I can still hear his voice reciting the instructions as I breed cows today. I have no idea how many classes he led and how many individuals he collectively taught not only how to get a cow bred, but why the effort is worth the time.”

Today, Lenth continues serving northern Iowa cattle producers as an ISU Extension and outreach county director in Bremer County and as treasurer of the Tri-State Dairy Youth Expo.