Trailblazer Kristen Fredericksen paves her path in bovine reproduction

Founded in 2021, KB Livestock Services offers sale and pre-breeding bull semen checks, semen freezing, pregnancy testing and artificial insemination to producers in the Molong, Orange, Bathurst, Blayney and Oberon area.

With great support from local producers, Dr Frederickson said she's been kept busy.

"The business has grown quickly which is really exciting as you don't know how these things are going to go," she said.

"However, I saw a need for somebody in the area as it was under serviced, especially in bull semen testing, and I was pretty driven to work for myself.

"It was pretty daunting but I love it. I really enjoy the flexibility, and sense of ownership and responsibility."

Growing up on the land, Dr Frederickson's curiosity for bovine reproduction was sparked through her parent's stud, Dalwhinnie Angus.

"I loved the experience that I had with mum and dad's stud as we've always done artificial insemination and embryo work," she said.

"I found it fascinating how you could manipulate it all, and for the genetics side as well it was something I found really exciting and appealing to be apart of.

"The reproductive side has always been in the back of my mind, so when I was ready to step out of mixed practice for a while, it was a no brainer choosing that over anything else."

Now in her third year of business, Dr Frederickson services a range of commercial and seed-stock clientele.

"I added the semen freezing side of the business about 18 months ago and I honestly didn't realise how big of a demand there was locally," she said.

"There has never really been anyone based in the local area that offers that, it has always been serviced by people outside of the area.

"Initially I thought it would just be limited to the seed-stock guys but a lot of the commercial guys who are using artificial insemination in their programs have really taken it on board and are keen to give it a go with bulls they're purchasing."

Dr Frederickson believes the biggest driving factor in this shift is the current price of bulls.

"A lot of commercial producers already have experience with artificial insemination as they do it with their cow herds," she said.

"To be spending a lot of money on a bull, it seems silly not to use him over as many cows as they possibly can."

More recently Dr Frederickson spent four weeks in Joliet, Montana, America, undertaking an internship with reproductive business World West Sire Services.

"Last year I went over with Jack Laurie [Breeder Genetics Australia], on one of his big tours throughout the states looking a bulls," she said.

"I did go to look at the bulls, but I also wanted to get an idea of how their collection centres are laid out and work.

"It was a really cool opportunity to go back and work with the people at World West Sire Services. They're a family owned business who run a big collection centre.

"I was keen to learn how their barn works, from the flow of the bulls coming in and out to how they collect them."

During her time Dr Frederickson said she had open access and gained an in depth understanding of their semen handling processes.

"It was fantastic, while I was there they were housing 160 to 170 bulls and some days we were collecting and freezing 70 so it was a really eye opening experience.

"I went right through the process from freezing to checking it post thaw and I don't think there would be many places that I could get that kind of experience, it was incredible."

Dr Frederickson said it was a wildly different way to how she manages bulls at the moment, but that's exactly why she went.

"Everybody brings the bulls to them, whereas I'm going to the bulls and we're doing everything on farm," she said.

"I'd love to be able to turn what I'm doing now into something a little more along those lines.

"I think the bulls got a lot less sour on them than what they do with us on farm if you're going back multiple times.

"They were also able to get a better quantity and quality of semen out of the bulls in that environment."

For Dr Frederickson, the biggest takeaway from the experience was how they handled the bulls.

"At the moment we reply a lot on the electro ejaculator but I would really love the ability to change over a little more to the way they're handling the bulls in that they're jumping them in a more natural sense.

"The flow is so much easier on people and the bulls in that you can just have them all there, you're set up and you can do bulls from all sorts of different people all in the one day."

While Kristen hopes to continue her current work on farm, in the long term she hopes to integrate those differences.

"My biggest plan is that we grow to be able to house bulls ourselves," she said.

"My partner and I have just bought a little property so that plan is already set in motion.

"As for the time frame, I'm not sure yet, but at least within the next year or two I'd love to be able to house bulls for people and collect semen in our own little set up however that turns out to be.

"To be able to freeze and do everything from there for the guys who want as little or as many straws as they need is the goal."