Extra Embryos?

By Diane Broek

Do you have frozen semen or embryos you are not using?  This reminder comes from our friends at the Livestock Conservancy:

“The Livestock Conservancy partners with the USDA to save frozen semen, embryos, and tissues as a cryopreservation safety net in case genetic diversity is needed in the future.  This gene bank includes cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, and fish, including breeds not listed on the Livestock Conservancy Priority list (this list can be obtained at info@livestockconservancy.org).”

They are particularly interested in donations of older semen reserves from dairy cattle.  The majority of dairy cattle have been artificially inseminated since the 1940s, allowing rapid advances in production traits.  Today, many dairy cows are closely related and older stores of semen are important for genetic diversity.

The gene bank is operated by the National Animal Germplasm Program, and it’s easy to donate.  You can obtain more information by emailing info@livestockconservancy.org.

Learn more about Trans Ova’s Genetic Preservation and Cloning services in our blog or on our website.

How can we help?