As I was studying about this breed, and learned about their amazingly low birth weight, I became interested in transferring some embryos into my heifers. With the very capable help of Dr. Tom Rae of Genetics West, we put embryos from Lone Tree Lowline Cattle Company into 31 of our 48 replacement heifers, and had a 58% embryo conception rate. If not for one group if 10 purchased straws that had only a 20% conception rate, our overall conception rate would have been 76%.
          We raised 17 Fullblood embryo calves. The heifers used in the embryo program were bred back to an Angus bull for their second calf and all were found pregnant. This is also amazing because in is commonly known that second calf cows are the most difficult to cycle and breed back. That is the reason that we are now using Lowline bulls exclusively on our replacement heifers.
          Last year we transferred embryos from 5 different customers to 65 of our mature cows. The ultra sound pregnancy scan revealed that we can expect 46 embryo calves in March, 23 heifers and 23 bulls, for an embryo conception rate of 71%.
          We are now making plans to continue our proven embryo transfer program using all 124 of our mature cows. Last year we ultra sound scanned all of our cows for pregnancy and sold all of the cows that will not calve in less than 45 days. This means that only the very best of our cows are left. We hope to transfer about 112 embryos to these cows this year.

Our cows have been selected for calving ease, maternal characteristics, sound conformation and easy fleshing. They are all expected to calve every year without assistance in less than a 45 to 60 day period. Any cow that does not do this is sold and replaced with a replacement heifer bred and selected from the best cows in our herd.