It's that Time of Year Again...

Most everyone I have talked to lately are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the spring.  My favorite season, which happens to correspond pretty closely with spring, is already upon us, at Genex we call it Beef Season!  For most of the Genex employees this means gearing up for biggest time of year for beef sales, admiring the new beef bulls that the genetics staff has procured, anxiously awaiting to hear calving reports on our up and coming bulls, and figuring out their breeding project calendars.  For me, it means gearing up for and hitting the road to teach A.I. schools.  Each year I do a series of A.I. schools in Montana and South Dakota for producers who want to learn to breed their own cows.  Last week was the first of these classes, and my travels took me to Britton, SD.

In Britton, 12 beef producers from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota gathered at the Britton Livestock Sales Barn to learn about A.I.  Each school that I put on fulfills the recommended standards for Artificial Insemination Training as set forth by the National  Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB).  These standards include classroom instruction that covers the anatomy of a cow, insemination technique, semen handling, heat detection, and of course, lots of hands on (in?) practice with cows.

Next week I'll be loading up my supplies again and heading to Winner, SD for a school there, then it's a home game for me, with a school scheduled in Billings for the end of the month.  While both of those schools are full, if you are interested in taking an AI school this spring, there is still time.  I have a few spots left in the April 28-30 class that will be held in Glendive, MT and the May 9-12 class that will be held in Billings, MT.  You can register on-line here.  Don't put off registering too long as the classes are filling up quickly!

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Author, Sarah Thorson, is our Beef Education Manager. Sarah grew up in Eastern Montana on her family's ranch. She is a graduate of Montana State University and has been a member of the Genex team since 2004. Sarah works closely with the Genex Beef Marketing Staff, providing training to the cooperative's nearly 200 Independent Contractors. She also provides Artificial Insemination training for Genex members and customers and reproductive consulting.