Dr Charles Looney of the Southwest Research and Extension Center held conducted a two day workshop March 22nd and 23rd on Artificial Insemination of cattle.  He stated it is a miracle calves are produced when one realizes the process. Dr. Looney started off by learning about the participants, where they were from and what they were working with. One person came from as far away as Georgia. Others came from Fayetteville, Hot Springs and Nashville.

Dr. Looney spent time talking about the different hormones involved.  He went over the phases of the estrous cycle – when the cow is in heat, estrogen levels are high. This cycle alternates between estrogen and progesterone. Dr. Looney covered related other hormones that worked in tandem and are used to regulate the estrous cycle so that cows will produce calves as a group. He talked about the conditions needed to help the process – saying that eliminating stress for cow was important so that the cow was docile.

Dr. Looney also talked about how cows could be kept out of heat if needed.

Dr. Looney talked about the seeder, where it was produced,  and other equipment required.  He talked about Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone – an ovulatory drug that is used at the beginning and end of a follicular wave to reset it.  Dr. Looney talked about where on the cow to insert the needle.

Another hormone that Dr. Looney mentioned was Prostaglandin (PGF) and said that it would cause cows to go into heat in 72 hours.  This would allow the owner to breed the cow when it was convenient to them.

Dr. Looney went on to talk about how to detect a cow being in heat and then proceeded to show how AI was done through images.  Later on in the workshop he would go into further detail and physical demonstrations ending with a test of the participants.