Is Embryo Transfer Work Worth it for Cattle Producers?

Question of the Week: What are your calves worth?

This week’s podcast episode focuses on the ROI of embryo transfer work. A key component to calculating the ROI of any investment or process is knowing the value of your product.

As you take a few minutes this week to regroup and keep moving in the right direction. Think about what each one of your calves is worth to your buyers.

Is Embryo Transfer Work Worth it for Cattle Producers?

It’s no secret that understanding the genetic value of your cattle is critical to garnering an ROI. This is especially true for seedstock producers and those who live to raise the next grand champion. But how can you capitalize on genetics and ensure you get an ROI from the process? Craig Gana shares his personal experience in the embryo transfer space and how working with companies like Vytelle has impacted the profitability of not only his own cow herd but those of his customers too.

Craig Gana is the owner of Recip Solutions in south central Nebraska. Recip Solutions serves cattle producers by supplying recipient cows that have been carefully selected for the embryo transfer process.

“Once we get the potential recip cows onto our location, we test them for a variety of diseases and ensure they are structurally sound. Only 7 out of every 10 cows that we purchase make it into our program,” says Gana.

Gana grew up in the beef industry and has passion for raising great cattle. This was an opportunity for him to apply his passion in a way that positively impacts the genetic progress of other cow herds too. 

Working with Recip Solutions is a straightforward process. Simply call and ask if they have recip cows available. As a producer, you need to know what month you want calves born and they work backwards to set the rest of the process. Gana has an excellent team to work with that helps get you on their calendar once you ship your embryos to their location. After that, they take care of the embryo transfer and pregnancy checking. They guarantee a 100-day pregnancy on their cows and give you a two-week window to come pick up the bred recip cows and take them back to your own herd. 

Gana doesn’t handle the embryo transfer portion of the process himself. He uses Reproductive Services LLC – a Vytelle Satellite partner – to collect IVF embryos from donor cows and transfer them into recipients. Vytelle is a precision livestock company that helps beef cattle producers advance their herds through genetic selection. They differentiate themselves from other companies with their proprietary IVF media R&D and production, 7 regional labs in the U.S., 32+ satellite partner networks, hormone-free IVF process and outcome-based pricing. They are truly a game changer for beef producers. 

You may be asking, what about the ROI? That’s what this article and podcast are about, right? The truth is like any technology and input in business, the ROI depends on your own model and goals. However, there are ways to determine if embryo transfer work is in fact the right solution for your herd.

“I think a producer must start by looking at their end plan. They need to know how they will be marketing these calves and what the calves are going to be worth. If you raise a lot of bulls and know that you will average a certain amount at your sale the next year, then back figure your expenses from there to determine your ROI,” says Gana.

Now that’s from a big picture perspective, but what about determining ROI on a per embryo basis. Vytelle offers outcome-based pricing, which is beneficial to all cattle producers regardless of their size. This outcome-based pricing allows cattle producers to budget better and understand their true ROI because prices determined on a per embryo basis and there are no other upfront fees. This means if your donor cow has a bad day and doesn’t produce embryos, you won’t get charged.

So, what’s the consensus on if embryo transfer work is worth it? You tell me! It all depends on your operation. If you are placing high emphasis on the genetic quality of your herd and want to increase the progeny you are getting out of your elite females, then look into working with companies like Recip Solutions and Vytelle who can get you started on the right foot. Just make sure you follow through with your marketing plan and do your due diligence beforehand to determine if this is the right business decision for you and your operation.