Shannon Pastoral’s challenge: Breeding better cows from their best genetics in a time and cost efficient way without sacrificing production.
How Vytelle helped: Hormone-free IVF system done on-farm, removing the need to segregate milk and allowing for collection of an increased number of embryos.
About J&M Shannon Pastoral Company
A 4th generation family owned & operated dairy farm in the Goulburn Valley, milking over 1000 cows in two recently commissioned sand bed freestall barns and maternity/special needs barn.
Breeding the Best
Fourth generation Katunga dairy farmer Nathan Shannon has always been “keen” on genetics and improving his herd.
Not wanting to rely on regularly buying top genetics to improve his herd, Nathan carefully selected some superior family lines to breed from, with varied embryo transfer and IVF results in the past.
He wasn’t trying to breed stud sires or ribbon winning show cows or one single high producing cow, but rather consistent animals out of the top 10 percent of his herd.
This was proving difficult and costly before he introduced Vytelle ADVANCE™ into his breeding program.
It is a hormone-free in vitro fertilisation (IVF) system that provided Shannon Pastoral with a more efficient, animal-friendly approach to genetic improvement.
By removing the need for follicle-stimulating hormone injections, Vytelle’s process allows for weekly oocyte collection without compromising the health – or milk production – of the donor animals.
At Shannon Pastoral, Vytelle ADVANCE has been achieving five to six embryos per donor, with more than 50% pregnancy results, which has encouraged Nathan to schedule fortnightly donor collections.
Easier programming
The hormone-free aspect of Vytelle ADVANCE has been the highlight for Nathan, who says previous systems had required labour intensive injections.
“I can draft a cow out of the dairy that morning, run her through the chute, and in eight days time I’ve got embryos in the tank ready to come back and they can be implanted the day after that,” he said.
Aside from improving cow, water and land efficiency, the barns have provided a much greater level of control for individual cow management. Cows can be easily grouped, drafted, worked with and returned to the comfort of the sand free stalls and ad lib feed quickly and easily, making donor and recipient management easy.
Focus on recipients
While much of the attention in an IVF program is placed on genetics and embryo quality, Nathan knows that the success of any program hinges just as much – if not more – on the selection and management of recipient females. It’s a critical step that’s often underestimated but, for Nathan, it’s non-negotiable.
Having easy access to a reliable milking herd and maiden heifers, means he can seamlessly integrate the Vytelle IVF system without disrupting daily operations.
Cows that are anywhere from 60 to 150 days in milk are drafted off after they’ve displayed a strong heat 7-8 days previous, and like donors, are returned straight back to their stalls after implantation.
Nathan believes consistency is key. He sticks to a proven formula and doesn’t take shortcuts when it comes to recipients.
“Stick to the formula, do what works, and if you’re sceptical of a heat, don’t put her up – it costs money to get an egg in the tank, don’t just throw it away – they’re important.”
By treating recipient management with the same level of scrutiny and care as the genetic side of the equation, Nathan maximises both conception rates and ROI.
Information access
One of the key advantages Nathan sees in working with Vytelle is the access to real-time data through their online platform, Vytelle.io. It allows him to track the performance of each OPU collection, view semen inventory and evaluate which matings are yielding the highest number of embryos.
“I need that info straight away,” Nathan says. “If a cow’s not producing, I want to know. If a bull’s giving me better results, I want to use more of him.”
The ability to monitor outcomes quickly and clearly helps him make informed decisions ahead of each new collection. Looking ahead, he expects around 80% of his herd’s replacement stock will come from Vytelle-implanted embryos.
