50 years of getting cows pregnant

Getting cows in calf is the most critical aspect of any dairying operation. No calf, no milk, so a good conception rate is vital. When Justin Rivers started his career as an artificial insemination technician back in 1959 he was just 16. Fifty years on, he has no plans to retire.

"I used to go round with the local LIC AB tech when I was 14 or 15 and couldn't wait to be able to do the job myself. In those days AB was new science – not many farmers were using it, and to be involved was really exciting because you felt you were part of something pretty big."

When Mr Rivers started, the average milking herd was 30 to 50 cows, 80 was a big herd, and a good percentage were ayrshire.

"Today the majority of cows in Hawke's Bay are friesian but we also have a lot of jersey and cross-bred cows, and herd sizes now average 300 to 400 milking cows.

"Farm facilities for the AB technician are definitely better today, when I started there weren't any good tanker tracks and the first part of our job was to round up the cows, that often would be in a 20-acre paddock, so half my time was spent chasing cows. Today I just drive up and the cows are waiting for me."

Semen technology has changed. Once carried in ice, today it is in liquid nitrogen. In the past, straws contained about 25 million sperm, today, Long Last Liquid straws (fresh semen) contain 1 to 2 million sperm that last up to four days.

Mr Rivers said learning to perform artificial insemination at a young age was key to his ability to consistently get cows in calf.

"I was interested in the job, and I was a good stockman and that's essential.

"The quicker you can perform an insemination the better for both the cow and the technician's arm and where I probably don't have the speed I had a few generations ago, I know the process so well I could do it blind-folded.

"Keeping up with new legislation and regulations can be challenging, particularly as farmers like to talk to people face to face and owner-operators will still do a deal on a hand-shake – so receiving letters and paper-work with new rules in the post can cause stress and bureaucracy and red tape can be stifling." Mr Rivers milks his herd each morning before going out on his AB run and again at the end of the day.

He said his conception rates average 72 per cent most years.

He has got as high as 87 per cent.

Fifty years is a significant milestone and Mr Rivers was presented with a gold watch when he achieved 40 years with LIC, and a presentation was made at the conclusion of the 2009 AB season.

"I've got no plans to retire now I've achieved 50 years, I've got my sights set on another decade.

"I do this job because I love farming and helping other farmers."

- Central Districts Farmer