Hidalgo is promoting a new method of artificial insemination (AI) that reportedly allows a producer to accomplish AI efficiently without hiring a technician.

The “Torito” method, demonstrated for members of the Illinois Farm Bureau Market Study Tour of Mexico, uses a tube-like device with a balloon on the end that allows a farmer to perform AI without inserting his or her hand into the cow.

The balloon at the end of the device guarantees that semen is introduced beyond the body of the uterus to the “horns” (bypassing the cervix) where higher pregnancy rates can be achieved, according to Hidalgo. He demonstrated the “Torito” method of AI at the La Piedad Ranch in the Mexican state of Michoacan.

A test of Angus cattle in Mexico found the method improved effectiveness of AI by 20 percent compared to the traditional method, Hidalgo claimed. About 80 percent of large dairies in Mexico, which produce about 70 percent of the country’s milk, use various forms of AI, Hidalgo said.

He now wants to turn his attention to the beef cattle market. In the U.S., only about 5 percent of the herd is bred through AI, Hidalgo said.

Source: Farm Week