# AI jobs



## rittert3 (Dec 10, 2009)

I know at least one of the reg.s in here is an AI Tech. had some quick questions. The local university here dose a 2 week clinic (aimed toward beef cattle) open to the public on AI for $200 with I think 20 free units of semen and a certificate of completion at the end. I've seen AI done many times and ET done a couple time. Now I have a few questions, Is this considered an actual AI certificate? What is the difference between having a certificate and being an AI Tech.? Are jobs readily available? And would I beable to expand to other speices or dairy cattle from working working with?


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## jhm47 (Dec 10, 2009)

For a 2 week course at $200 it's a pretty good value.  If you also get 20 units of semen thrown in, the training is actually free, provided the semen is of good quality.  

I'm not sure what you mean about an AI certificate.  A certificate of completion is a certificate, and there are no industry wide standards that I know of.  I did my training in the '80's first, and did my own cows for about 10 years.  I finally became a Beef representative for Genex, and took their training course.  I already knew a lot about AI, but learned a lot from their trainers.  

Breeding cows is basically an art that you need a lot of practice to become proficient at.  Beef cattle and dairy cattle are virtually the same, but other species are totally different.  

If I were you, I'd take the course and learn all you can.  Then, I'd contact one of the major AI companies and see if they need any AI techs in your area.  They will also help you to get proficient at it, but it likely will cost you some extra $.  

If you live in an area where there are a lot of dairy cows, you could possibly be quite busy year round.  If you are in a beef area like me, you will be busy for about 6 - 7 weeks a year, and then nothing.  It will cost you some $ to get equipped.  A semen tank is around $600 - $1000, and the rest of the equipment will be around another $300 or more.  Then, you need to keep your tank charged with LN, and that will cost you about $50 a month or so.  Personally, I have 4 tanks that I keep charged year round, and I keep a fair amount of semen on hand, so my inventory is also quite a few thousand $.  

Breeding beef cows is sometimes a bit dangerous.  Some cows are a bit high strung, and you must be on the lookout for your safety at all times.  Some kick like a horse, and you must protect yourself with a post or bar behind them to block the kicks.  Then---inevitably when you get your arm way into the cow, she will decide to drop down, and you will be in danger of breaking your arm.  

After a long day of breeding cows, I come home saturated with a lot of some kind of brown stuff that cows secrete from their posterior end.  I have quickly learned that it's best to keep my mouth shut when I'm back there.  Those cattle on lush, green grass sometimes can squirt that brown stuff where you don't want it to go.  Some of my friends make fun of my job.  They teast me that I spend my time with my arm up a cow's posterior, and I tell them that I'd rather have my arm up there than my nose up their bosses posterior like they have to do.  That usually ends the discussion.

Good luck, and let me know how things turn out for you.  The cattle AI industry is a wide open field, and there is a lot of business out there if you're good at it.


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## rittert3 (Dec 10, 2009)

Well thanks for the input. I've worked cattle only salebarns the last 3 years so I klnow all about the crazys, Most of the set ups I've seen around here have a breeder box with a swinging door that helps with the kickers and the dark helps keep 'em calm. Most of our cattle around here are beef with the exception of 1 jersy dairy, the colleges, and the guys that buy their holstein steers. I tend to be covered with the brown stuff my self especially on wet fall day when we run close to 2500 head. It's just something I've considered and wanted to learn more about the ET is catching on quick so I may still consider it as a jumping off point, but there is also big money around here in AIing horses, meat goats, and bulldogs... so we'll see where it goes. The semen comes from moderatly high grade angus bulls that are owned by K-state now that I recall it is 10 units that you recive , which is still great and an added benifit of the corse, but would be of no benifit to me having no cattle of my own.


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## Nicki (Dec 10, 2009)

Not sure where you are located but I know with more small backyard type farms popping up we would much rather do AI then have to keep a bull but we could not find anyone willing to come out and do AI not to mention I would much rather have a pick of any bull in the country.  Eventually I would love to find a class in Washington so far we found a course back east that if I remember was a couple weeks and about 800 dollars or so.  I know from what I have read that trying to do AI for cows the way we do for horses just does not work as well.  For themost part for horse breeding we just take the horse to the vet clinic and get it done but most everyone I have talked to has said cows just dont settle well if you are transporting them basicly wasting your time and money.


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