Abstract
Recent technological advancements in biology including the use of immunological tools have relevance to the livestock industry. These technologies are in support of and expected to contribute most importantly to the cattle artificial breeding and embryo transfer industries. At present nearly 70% of 11 million U.S. dairy cows are mated by artificial insemination. Genetic improvement in dairy cattle through artificial insemination has resulted in a doubling of milk production per cow over the past 30 years. Little progress has been made in genetic improvement by selection of offspring from superior females because a cow produces relatively few calves per year or in a lifetime. To multiply the progeny from an outstanding female or mating, a commercial embryo transfer industry has developed. This industry last year performed approximately 100,000 transfers in the USA and 200,000 in the world of which approximately 25% were with frozen embryos. Its present armament of technologies include the ability to superovulate cows, collect and transfer embryos nonsurgically, store embryos frozen and divide each embryo into two viable embryos. At present 20–30 calves can be produced from one valuable donor cow/year by use of embryo transfer.
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