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The West Virginia Statewide Business Plan Competition has announced 10 finalist teams. Six of the teams honed their plans in the Davis College’s Rural Enterprise Development course, taught by Fonda Holehouse, assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics in the Division of Resource Management.

Over the next several days, we’ll be introducing these six teams and sharing their media summaries:

Bulls-I Breeding Technology, by Meg Grzeskiewicz, an animal and nutritional sciences student from Colden, NY

Artificial insemination (AI) has been the primary force behind genetic improvement in the livestock industry for decades. However, the procedure can be very difficult in beef and dairy cattle due to certain anatomical features. The Bulls-I Positioner is an addition to the existing AI rod that makes rod placement within the reproductive tract faster, more accurate, and easier for new technicians. This product has great potential to benefit West Virginia because of the state’s large and economically important beef cattle industry.

Cutting breeding time reduces animal stress and allows technicians to service more cattle faster. The Bulls-I device will increase the percentage of females that are bred successfully, generating greater revenue from calf sales. AI poses less risk of disease transmission than natural breeding, and eliminates the costs associated with keeping bulls on the farm. The greatest benefit of using AI is the ability to produce genetically superior calves sired by industry-leading bulls. Semen straws can be priced as low as $20-$100 each, whereas purchasing a top-quality bull can cost up to five figures. AI boosts the pace of herd genetic improvement at a price even the smallest farms can afford. The Bulls-I Positioner will bring these benefits within reach for any cattleman. every occasion.