Beef producers from central Queensland are implementing a new method of pregnancy testing into their herd that is providing almost instantaneous results at the crush.
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Wes and Hayley Offord own and operate Brigalow Texas Longhorn stud situated 45kms south of Rockhampton, Qld.
Previously running a commercial red Brahman operation, the pair began breeding Texas Longhorns in 2015.
The producers currently run 75 head of registered Longhorns on their property and utilise on-farm pregnancy testing to check the fertility of their herd.
Artificial insemination is conducted with imported genetics from America.
Ms Offord said the couple initially began using tail blood testing after seeing results from American breeding counterparts.
However, due to the nature of the testing method, Ms Offord said they had to wait several days to get a result.
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The couple have now begun utilising Alertys OnFarm Pregnancy Test kits, allowing them to take a blood sample and apply it to a plastic device, similar to what humans have been using for COVID RATs, and receive a result within 20 minutes.
Pregnancy can be detected from as early as 28 days post breeding and 70 days post calving.
"We have only been using the new blood test kits for a couple of months," Ms Offord said.
"They are 99.7 per cent accurate at 28 days post mating and 98.1pc accurate 70 days post calving.
"We found that it was also cost effective, and we could use them ourselves to identify open or pregnant cows quickly.
"Meaning you can make decisions while the cow is still in the crush. We sell the majority of our animals privately and using these tests we can let purchasers know pregnancy status straight away and not have to wait for a vet."
Dr Libby Harriman of Great Artesian Veterinary Surgery in Hughenden said many of her clients were opting not to use the tests due to larger scale operations, but said the method was applicable for artificial breeding technologies or fixed time programs.
"It is a lot slower than doing your manual preg testing," she said.
"It works really well however for early pregnancy diagnosis."
The method only currently offers a positive or negative result.
Zoe Thomas
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
