The Reproductive Hub, located in Glengarry, Victoria, has partnered with Vytelle to offer hormone-free IVF, servicing producers both locally and internationally.
The Reproductive Hub: a one stop shop
Born and raised in the dairy industry, Declan Patten has always been passionate about agriculture, but recognised that milk production wasn’t necessarily the right path for him.
“My passion lies in the genetics, which aligns really well with what we’re doing here with Vytelle,” he explains.
12 months ago, Declan launched his dream project, The Reproductive Hub, purchasing a picturesque equine facility, and transforming it to become a one stop shop for breeding the next generation of bovine excellence. When choosing an IVF provider, Vytelle stood out as the clear choice.
“When it came to creating the Reproductive Hub, it was a natural progression to align with a company where we had seen some great success in the last couple of years,” says Declan.
The Reproductive Hub provides a comprehensive service that combines Vytelle’s ADVANCE™ hormone-free IVF with onsite recipient cows and boarding options for both dairy and beef operations. Declan’s experience working in the USA enabled him to forge relationships with clients from across the globe. The Hub now services producers from 8-9 countries, including Portugal, the United States, Canada, and Ireland, even conducting IVF work for a gentleman who previously managed the Queen’s herd.
Monthly Vytelle Ovum Pick-Up (OPU) days offered at The Reproductive Hub allow clients to book in at a time convenient to them, and experience the gold-standard service offered at the Hub, in conjunction with Vytelle’s industry-leading technicians.
“The technicians are world class. We have new clients come into the farm, and the level of detail that the technicians go to in explaining to those clients the process, makes my job easy! I absolutely love the customer service that Vytelle has provided,” explains Declan.
Hormone free, stress free
Vytelle’s hormone-free program ensures minimal disruption for animals at The Reproductive Hub. With collections averaging just 15 minutes, after a brief recovery period from the epidural, cattle can return to pasture that same afternoon with minimal handling.
In comparison to traditional MOET protocols, Vytelle’s ADVANCE™ IVF technology does not require a hormone injection program leading up to collection. For Declan, the difference is evident in the animals’ demeanor.
“They’re smart creatures, with MOET injections, the first day they’re fine, the second day not so much, and the third day they know what’s happening and they’re not interested in working with you. It makes it a lot harder.”
With a low-handling environment, Vytelle technology puts the wellbeing of the cattle first.
“Anyone who is in the genetics business, and invests in genetics, they love their animals. The low stress Vytelle OPUs, I think it’s a real game changer,” says Declan.
Breeding tomorrow’s champions
The Reproductive Hub has seen some exceptional Vytelle calves, for both their own breeding program, and their clients’. Declan’s experience with Vytelle predates The Reproductive Hub’s satellite status, having previously collaborated through other facilities to produce large numbers of embryos and observe the exceptional quality of offspring resulting from Vytelle ADVANCE™ protocols.
“Some of the best calves are Vytelle calves. We usually sell animals between 6-12 months of age, but lately we’ve been seeing Vytelle heifers sell at 2-3 months of age, because they stand out in the calf pen,” notes Declan.
Based on his own experience, Declan is quick to recommend Vytelle embryos to his clients. Recounting a conversation with one commercial producer who had never had anything to do with embryo creation, but had a standout heifer with exceptional genetics, Declan’s advice was simple:
“Do you enjoy seeing that cow every single day? Do you want to produce more cows like her? Making embryos, it’s like a Christmas present to yourself, so why not go and make a few embryos.”
Image: Declan with Comestar Larion Goldwyn who was Junior Champion at World Dairy Expo
Accelerating genetic gain, maximising returns
Declan recognises how IVF technology offers clear advantages to the dairy industry, aligning with the aim of boosting milk production whilst optimising resources. For commercial herds aiming to increase the efficiency of their operation, advancing the right genetics faster with Vytelle can enable farmers to reproduce the top 1% of cows and replicate their success.
“Compared to 40 years ago, we’ve drastically reduced our population of cows, but we’ve improved our efficiency. A lot of that has been through genetics and genetic technology. IVF has such an ability to speed up the progression of genetics, and at the end of the day, that’s what we’re looking for as an industry” explains Declan.
Regardless of operation size, efficiency drives success in the dairy industry. The Reproductive Hub, in partnership with Vytelle, views accelerated genetic gain as the pathway forward for individual producers and the industry as a whole.