The Beef Reproduction Leadership Team presented Jerald Raymond and Dr. Kristina Porter with Service to Industry awards on Aug. 30 during the Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) symposium in San Antonio, TX.
This award recognizes the outstanding contributions of individuals working in the artificial insemination (AI) industry toward the application or increased use of AI and estrus synchronization by beef producers.
[inline_image file=”0d0fad2aa9aa0dbabbffccba61337fac.jpg” caption=”Jerald Raymond (right), Menan, ID, receives the Service to Industry Award from Boyd Dingus, Estrotect.”]
Raymond, from Menan, ID, is currently the beef coordinator for Select Sires MidAmerica and has also served as a beef specialist during his 39-plus year career with Select Sires. In his direct sales role, he has advised and directed many customers on how to have successful AI programs, along with how to make maximum genetic improvement decisions for their operation. Additionally, he has been involved in developing new AI technicians through training schools, educating on proper technique, the best practices of herd management, reproduction and synchronization.
His knowledge of available sires and reproductive management has benefitted numerous producers over the years. Jordan Willis, a producer from Cokeville, WY, who has been working with Raymond for more than 15 years, says he appreciates Raymond’s hard work, kindness and sincerity. “He’s not there to just sell semen; he truly cares and wants to see you, your family and your operation to succeed,” Willis added. Raymond’s reputation and respect within the industry have benefited his clients by matching their genetic product to the appropriate buyers.
In addition, Raymond’s marketing efforts have been instrumental in connecting stakeholders from Select Sires representatives to Superior Livestock representatives, consignors and buyers to help promote the value of AI-sired cattle to the entire industry.
[inline_image file=”57001e0a705e11ffb8e665fcb38617e5.jpg” caption=”Kristina Porter, Huron, SD, receives the Service to Industry Award from Boyd Dingus, Estrotect.”]
Porter, a vetrinarian and ABS Global representative from Huron, SD, has spent more than a decade as a veterinary practitioner educating her clients on the value of genetic improvement through AI and estrus synchronization.
According to Dr. Nicky Oosthuizen of ABS Global, Sioux Falls, SD, “Dr. Porter inseminates between 8,000 and 10,000 beef females every year and always goes the extra mile for her clients. She is a great example for the AI industry and does an outstanding job communicating the benefits of estrus synchronization and fixed-time AI, as well as the impact of using genetically superior sires.”
Dr. Porter has also made substantial contributions to the development of estrus synchronization recommendations by helping scientists to conduct applied research. “Dr. Porter’s contributions to the research efforts of several members of the Beef Reproduction Task Force (BRTF) are unparalleled,” said Dr. Pedro Fontes, University of Georgia. “Her access to large-scale insemination projects and her willingness to perform research has enabled members of the BRTF to properly evaluate new reproductive technologies that are now standard practice in the beef industry. In fact, it is unlikely that there is a private veterinary practice that has contributed as much as hers to the development and refinement of the estrus synchronization protocols that are currently recommended by the BRTF.”
More than 165 producers, veterinarians and representatives from the AI and pharmaceutical industries attended the ARSBC symposium. The Beef Reproduction Leadership Team’s mission is to optimize the productivity and improve the profitability of cow-calf operations by facilitating the adoption of cost-effective applied reproductive technologies.
For more information about this year’s symposium, visit www.beefrepro.org. — BRTF
