Natural or artificial? SCIENTIFICALLY ADVANCED BREEDING OFFERS SEX-DETERMINED EMBRYOS By Manny Piñol

Alaminos Goat Farm owner Rene Almeda posted these two photos of two pairs of goats taking part in a reproduction process which may appear obscene to some but not to animal breeders like myself.

I am sharing these photos of the Almeda Anglo Nubians in the act of mating because of a new breeding method which is now being employed by big animal breeders.

Just like In-Vitro Fertiization for humans, animal genetic scientists have now perfected the Embryo Fertilization for animals, especially cattle.

The fertilized embryos have pre-determined sex, meaning that a cattle breeder could order female Embryos for his heifers with 99% accuracy.

This method is now being used in most cattle raising countries like Argentina, Brazil, Australia and the US.

This is now being introduced in the Philippines as the government starts a program to double the cattle population from 2.5-million heads today to 5 million by the end of the term of President Rody Duterte.

I am open to the idea of employing artificial breeding methods to increase our cattle, goats and carabao population.

But if asked, I would still prefer the natural breeding method where the animals are left on their own to decide when is the right time to mate.

Which reminds me of the visit made by then Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban to my goat farm when I was still Governor of North Cotabato.

Impressed by the beauty of my dairy goats, sec. Panganiban suggested that I use artificial insemination in my breeding.

To that, I replied: “Do you know that it only takes a few seconds for a buck to mount a doe and complete the mating process?”

“And so?” Sec. Panganiban asked.

I answered: “Should we deprive these animals of seconds of pure ecstacy?”

He almost rolled on the ground laughing.

Moral lesson: Natural is still the best way.

(Photos downloaded from Alaminos Goat Farm Facebook page.)