My TransOvaLog In
May 12, 2026
By Diane Broek, Advanced Technologies Sales and Marketing Manager
Every program has a few animals that rise above the rest: the rockstars of the barnyard.
They might not always be the prettiest animals or those that win the most in the showring, but they are the ones that:
These are the animals that shape the direction of your herd, not just for today, but for the next generation.
The reality is:
One truly elite animal can influence your program more than dozens of average ones.
And once they are gone, so is that exact genetic combination—unless you’re prepared.
More producers today are thinking beyond just the next calf crop.
They are asking:
The key shift is genetic strategy is moving from reactive → to intentional.
The best time to think about preservation or cloning is before you need it:
Waiting too long often limits your options.
In simple terms, genetic preservation is: Saving an animal’s DNA today so you can use it in the future.
Trans Ova Genetics Advanced Technologies (TOGAT) makes it easy to preserve the genetics that matter most to your program. We’ll send you a simple collection kit that allows you to take a small tissue sample from your animal’s ear and return it to our lab. From there, the sample is cultured into a cell line or genetic preservation (GP), helping protect future opportunities for your operation. The process typically takes one to two weeks.
For producers looking for a more economical option, express tissue banks (ETB) offer large-scale DNA preservation for animals you may want to clone in the future. ETB allows you to preserve genetics now while keeping your options open down the road.
That gives you flexibility to:
Think of it as a DNA insurance policy on your best genetics.
You may never use it, but if you need it, you will be glad it is there. And the real beauty is that the ETB or GP can be stored long term in liquid nitrogen….just like semen and embryos.
Cloning is simply creating a genetic copy of a proven animal. We say, “producing an identical twin just born at a later place in time”.
Why does this matter? Cloning allows you to:
Clones are not the end goal—their offspring are.
They allow you to put proven genetics back into production and continue moving forward.
A GP can be used to produce cloned animals multiple times, and additional cells can be grown as needed, creating a long-term source of preserved genetics.
Not every animal needs to be preserved or cloned. These tools are typically used for animals that are:
Common situations include:
It comes down to one question:
“If I lost this animal today, would I regret not having a way to bring it back?” or simply, “Is this a once in a lifetime animal that will be almost impossible to replace?”
Your best genetics are the foundation of your program. Planning ahead is not about doing everything, it is about knowing what matters most, protecting it, and keeping your options open.
Because in this business, you cannot go back and recreate a great one—unless you’re prepared.