Arizona vet lends hand in embryo transfer operation
WILLIAMSBURG - In a small,
well-lit barn office, the two
veterinarians set up their
laboratory equipment - a
microscope, several cell culture
dishes and straws similar to those
used for artificial insemination -
and began their search.
One by one, three culture dishes
filled with a mixture of saline
solution and embryonic fluid were
placed under the microscope.
Using a probe, one veterinarian
sifted through the liquid while the
other stood by patiently waiting for
the results. Then, slowly at first,
the awaited news began to
materialize.
First one, then two, three, four,
five and six round objects ap
peared under the powerful
microscope lens. They were
perfectly shaped, one veterinarian
exclaimed, even though all six
objects showed a different stage of
development.
What veterinarians Dr. Barry
England and Dr. W.E. Merritt
found was the result of a 5-day
process involving hormone shots
given to a strong pedigreed
Holstein cow. The six objects were
fertilized embryos, all part of an
embryo transfer project.
For Dr. England, the process
was nothing new or unusual. For
Dr. Merritt, however, watching
and participating in the embryo
transfer fulfilled a desire to leam
more of the technique on a fir
sthand basis.
A resident of Sierra Vista,
Arizona, Dr. Merritt arrived in
Pennsylvania May 20 with plans to
participate in an embryo transfer
project under the supervision of
Dr. England, Fredericksburg, and
partner Dr. Walter North, New
Enterprise. Dr. Merritt had his
wish fulfilled when the project took
equipment will rest against the cow.
graduated cylinder where the flushed embryos will be placed.
place two days later.
But why would one travel from
Arizona to Pennsylvania to see an
embryo transfer operation?
According to Dr. Merritt, no one
in Arizona is doing embryo tran
sfer work. “We have done flushing
(of the eggs) at Arizona State,” Dr.
Merritt said, “but we don’t tran
sfer the ova.”
A 1938 graduate of lowa State
University, Dr. Merritt has had a
longtime interest in reproductive
physiology. He was, in fact, the
first person to successfully ar
tificially inseminate a cow in lowa.
“I have the first AI calf in that
state,” he said with a proud gleam
in his eyes.
It has been in recent years, Dr.
Merritt said, that his interests
have turned to embryo transfer
work. At 74 years of age, he has a
plan to set up a million dollar show
place with his two sons, and the use
of embryo transfer would speed up
the process of breeding a reputable
herd of Angus cattle.
Forming under the name of
Merritt Enterprises, the Angus
show place will be located in
Duncan, Oklahoma. It is here that
son W.E. Merritt Jr., also a
veterinarian, owns a ranch. Son
James, a minister, lives near
Durango, Colorado, where he plans
to set up a Christian School and
later get a ranch.
Because of his sons’ other
commitments. Dr. Merritt said he
will be responsible for most of the
work on the Angus ranch. James
and W.E. Jr. will help coordinate
the operation and provide financial
backing, he said.
The Merritts plan to buy their
foundation cattle from a couple of
ranches in California. “We’re
looking for good progeny,” Dr.
Merritt said. “We want the highest
With a microscope, Dr. Barry England searches for fertilized eggs while Dr. W.E
Merritt, Sierra Vista, Ariz., awaits the results.
producers we can find.”
They plan to buy a few cows to
start with, Dr. Merritt explained,
and breed two lines of Angus
cattle. This is where embryo
transfer becomes significant in
their operation.
“We want to buy a couple of cows
to start with,” Dr. Merritt said,
“and we’ll use scrubs for embryo
transplants.”
Dr. Merritt said they plan to
have a herd size of 25 head. Using
embryo transfer will help them
reach this number more quickly
and will allow for earlier mer
chandizing of their animals.
“Five or six calves bom per year
are better than one,” Dr. Merritt
said, explaining his desire to learn
how toperform embryo transfers.
Mastering the art of artificial
insemination in a time when the
process was making its way into
the cattle industry, Dr. Merritt
said that AI and embryo transfer
are very similar, but added that
“embryo transfer is a technical
operation that doesn’t work as
easy as it sounds.”
With this in mind, Dr. Merritt
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Traveling from Arizona to Pennsylvania, Dr. W.E. Merritt, right, gets a firsthand look
at the embryo transfer technique of Dr. Barry England during an operation performed at
the Frederick England farm in Williamsburg, Blair County.
Nonsurgical embryo transfer equipment includes these
syringes filled with a modified saline solution. Approximately
600 cc’s of the fluid will be injected into each of the cow’s
uterine horns to aid in removing the eggs.