Tips and Resources
Some tips that can help better your odds with AI:
Nutrition is the most important factor in obtaining good results. Ensuring the cow has a rising plain of nutrition, gaining weight prior to and after joining.
Quiet handling of the cattle and good facilities.
Using high quality semen.
Ensure cattle are cycling prior to starting AI by observing if the cows are coming into heat.
Cows have calved at least seven weeks before joining. Plan ahead.
Order your semen in advance, supplies for DIY, make sure you have enough feed. The critical period is three weeks prior to insemination and five weeks after. We recommend good general care, including quite handling during this period.
Useful Video Links:
Heat Detecting: 
Using heat detectors on your cows improves the accuracy of knowing when your cows are in heat and gives you better AI timing. These are especially useful for detecting silent heats or shy breeders.
InCalf estimate that each missed heat costs $100 from your bottom line.
To heat check cows you are best to do it morning and night and spend at least half an hour. During the half hour, push the cattle together.
Automated Heat Detection Activity Meters are now available to detect changes in the cows physical behaviour to determine the onset of heat along with any health issues.
Alerts are then sent to the farmer via computer software and the farmer can determine the optimum time to inseminate. There are a range of brands available.
Some tips for semen collection:
After 10 days the quality of a bulls sperm decreases dramatically. To increase the quality of the sperm we recommend collecting sperm from a bull within five to ten days of their last service
If bulls are over fat their sperm quality begins to decrease.
Collect the semen in the cleanest possible environment preferably with shade as sunlight can kill sperm. It is essential to keep dust and pollutants to a minimum to give the most contaminant free specimen.
A good quality crush to hold them in place well while the collection is being taken.
Semen frozen by Northern AB is post thaw tested using the latest technology. CASA (Computer assisted Sperm Analysis) for Motility and concertation. Every batch is also Morphology tested.
Bulls should be tested each year. The fact that they performed well last year does not mean you will get the same results the next year