Holstein Group Sees Embryos At Barn Meeting
BY SUE CROW
Maryland Correspondent
EMMITSBURG, Md. - A cold
drizzly October day last Saturday
greeted those in attendance at the
Maryland Holstein Association’s
barn meeting. They group wit
nessed an informal demonstration
on the flushing, splitting and im
planting of embryos, performed by
Dr. Allen McCauley and his team
from Em-Tram, Elizabethtown,
Pa.
McCauley and Dr. Boyd Hen
derson demonstrated the flushing
technique by using five cows
provided by Hills-Hope and
Coldsprings Farms. Although he
explained the basic principles
from a beginner’s standpoint,
McCauley’s also bought out points
useful for the most experienced
person in ET work.
At the beginning of the
demonstration the cows were
given a injection of Lydocane, a
spinal block. Lydocane prevents
the animal from straining against
the vet while he performing the
flushing procedure by numbing the
back end of their bodies.
The entire process for the five
cows took two hours and netted in
18 embryos from one recipient.
Beth Grove assisted with the
flushing procedure which
resembled an assembly line.
McCauley noted this practice is the
only way to be cost effective.
McCauley also emphasized the
importance of using healthy
heifers as recipients. He noted that
animals they could have used in
the past as recipients, would never
qualify now. He said this is one
place corners can’t be cut.
Although the whole process is not
very complicated, McCauley
pointed out, it all has to be done
correctly to work.
The afternoon session featured
McCauley’s wife, Susan Hallowell,
demonstrating how embryos are
split. She worked through a
microscope which was hooked up
to a television monitor, permitting
the group to view the process.
McCauley concluded the day
with a discussion on the future of
ET’s on the farm.
He emphasized the need to work
only with cows that have
marketable eggs, especially male.
So far no reliable sexing procedure
is available; experimentation in
this area is ongoing, McCauley
said.
The goal for ET work is to be
able to freeze and thaw the embryo
in a cotton plugged straw and then
place the embryo in the cow with a
minimum of handling in between.
Last year Em-Tram posted a 64
percent survival rate with frozen
embryos; at Em-Tram West,
Turlock, Calif., they recorded a
rate of 75 percent.
This year’s host farm for the
bam meeting was Hills-Hope run
by David and Sally Hill, Em
mitsburg.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 1,1986-A37
Dr. Boyd Henderson of Em-Tram, Elizabethtown, Pa.,
points out embryos in various stages of division on the
television monitor.
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