Cattle Innovation Station

About Cattle Innovation Station

Discover how to succeed in the beef cattle business and learn practical cattle industry knowledge with Baxter Whitworth and his guests. This podcast offers practical advice for profitable cattle business management, cattle breeding and genetics, reproductive efficiency, cattle business cash flow, cattle marketing, and other beef cattle industry topics. Whether you're a seedstock or commercial producer, learn strategies to innovate your cattle herd and boost your profit in the cattle industry. If you want to be profitable in the cattle business then Cattle Innovation Station is for you. Check out our Partners: EP Cattle -https://www.bestcattlesales.com/auctions/store/ep-cattle (https://www.bestcattlesales.com/auctions/store/ep-cattle) Elgin Breeding Service — https://elginbreedingservice.com/ (https://elginbreedingservice.com/) 79 Cattle Company — https://79cattleco.com/ (https://79cattleco.com/) Infinity Cattle Services — https://infinitycattle.com/ (https://infinitycattle.com/) Thredgil Hay Company Contact Baxter Whitworth: (903) 649-9155 bbwtopnotchcattle@gmail.com (mailto:bbwtopnotchcattle@gmail.com)

Publisher

Baxter Whitworth | Cattle Industry & Business Profitability

Category

business · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Feb 2024

Latest episode

1 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

45 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Sept 2026

   The Fertility Rule Behind a 90% Conception Herd

   What does it take to hit a 90% first-service conception rate — a number most academics say isn't realistic? In this episode, host Baxter Whitworth sits down with Jarrod Muntford, an AI and embryo transfer technician who sells semen for ST Genetics and runs a monthly NAAB-certified AI course in Stephenville, Texas, to break down artificial insemination, sex semen, embryo transfer, and the fertility standard his own operation refuses to compromise on. What Is Artificial Insemination, and Why Use It? Artificial insemination allows a producer to use a bull they could never afford to buy outright across their entire cow herd, breeding far more cows on the same day than natural service allows. Munford explains that a bull can breed 25 to 35 cows over a 60 to 90 day window, while a trained AI technician can breed 100 to 200 cows before lunch — tightening the calving window, increasing weaning weights through front-loaded calving, and cutting the number of bulls a producer has to maintain. How Does Sex Semen Change the Math? Sex semen sorts X and Y chromosome sperm cells to produce roughly 90% gender-pure calf crops. Munford recommends using sex-female semen on cows meant to produce replacement heifers, and sex-male semen on terminal-cross cows — since steer calves can bring $300–$600 more at weaning than heifer calves in a terminal program. For seedstock operations selling bulls at a premium over females, the reverse strategy applies. What Is CSS Certification, and Do You Need It? CSS certification verifies a bull's health status — including lepto, vibrio, and blackleg screening — through a roughly 90-day quarantine before semen can be collected and sold, especially for international sales. Munford notes the cost runs $800–$1,200, and that skipping it on a neighbor's bull is a real biosecurity risk: an infected bull's semen can cause early abortions across an entire calf crop. Embryo Transfer and IVF: When Do They Make Sense? Embryo transfer allows an elite cow to produce 5 to 30 calves a year instead of one, using recipient cows to carry the pregnancies. Munford requires his own donor cows to prove themselves with six calves from six AI services before he'll consider flushing them — he doesn't believe in flushing unproven heifers. He also breaks down the cost and equipment gap between conventional flushing and IVF, and where each tool fits depending on an operation's goals and scale. The Two-Strike Fertility Rule Munford's operation has run 100% AI since 1989 and breeds cows only twice per breeding season. A cow that needs a second service is marked; if she ever needs a second service again in any future season, she and every daughter she's produced are removed from the herd — no exceptions for drought years or "bad luck." The result: a 90% first-service conception rate sustained for over two decades. Getting AI Certified Munford runs a three-day, NAAB-affiliated AI certification course every month in Stephenville, Texas, that has drawn students from 47–48 states and five countries. Classes typically book out one to two months in advance. Key Takeaways: A trained AI technician can breed 100–200 cows in the time a bull breeds 25–35 over an entire season Sex semen produces roughly 90% gender-pure calf crops, letting producers target replacement heifers or terminal steer premiums CSS certification ($800–$1,200) protects herd biosecurity by screening bulls for lepto, vibrio, and blackleg before semen collection A strict two-strike breeding policy, with zero exceptions, has produced a 90% first-service conception rate for over 20 years AI certification courses run monthly in Stephenville, Texas, and are typically booked 1–2 months out

2. 

   10 Aug 2026

   New World Screwworm: First Time for 3 Influential Leaders in One Interview

   New World Screwworm has entered the United States — and in this episode, host Baxter Whitworth sits down with the three people most responsible for stopping it: Admiral Michael Schmoyer, Associate Administrator at USDA APHIS and Director of the New World Screwworm Directorate; Dr. T.R. Lansford, Deputy Executive Director and Associate State Veterinarian at the Texas Animal Health Commission; and Tracy Tomosik, Commodity and Regulatory Activities Associate Director for Texas Farm Bureau. This is the first time all three have appeared together in one interview on the outbreak. What Is New World Screwworm? New World Screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae consume live tissue in open wounds on warm-blooded animals, including cattle, wildlife, and occasionally humans. It's highly treatable when caught early, but left unchecked it can cause severe wounds and death losses in a herd. How Big Is the Sterile Fly Response? Since February, over 627 million sterile flies have been released in Texas as part of a decades-proven population-suppression strategy, according to Admiral Michael Schmoyer. A newer strain called NovoFly allows production of male-only sterile flies, effectively doubling the field impact of every batch produced. Schmoyer says officials are targeting 500 million flies a week to fully contain the outbreak — up from the current 100 million. What Should Producers Do If They Suspect an Infestation? Dr. T.R. Lansford outlines the process: monitor animals for wounds, especially wounds containing maggots. Collect a sample using a screwworm kit (available through a veterinarian or AgriLife Extension), contact the Texas Animal Health Commission before mailing anything, then treat the wound and manage it with an accredited veterinarian. Fast identification allows sterile flies to be deployed into the area within 24 hours. Why Does Livestock Movement Matter So Much? Admiral Michael Schmoyer, Dr. T.R. Lansford, and Tracy Tomosik all point to the same root cause: uncontrolled movement of infested animals is what let screwworm break through the historic biological barrier at the Darién Gap and eventually reach Texas. Movement controls — inspection, ID, and permitting before animals can be transported — are now central to preventing the same failure from repeating. Key Takeaways: New World Screwworm is treatable and not a food-supply risk, but requires fast identification and reporting 627+ million sterile flies released in Texas since February; NovoFly technology is doubling effective output, per Admiral Michael Schmoyer Movement of infested animals — not the fly's own flight range — is the primary driver of spread Case rates are trending flat to down, but Schmoyer cautions it's early — only the second fly life cycle since the outbreak began The long-term U.S. goal is pushing the fly back to the Darién Gap, as was achieved decades ago New World Screwworm Playbook: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/nws-response-playbook.pdf (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/nws-response-playbook.pdf)

3. 

   1 Aug 2026

   Cattle Insurance vs. Frozen Genetics: Which Protects More?

   Most cattle producers know they should protect their herd. Few have a clear plan for how — or whether insurance, frozen genetics, or both make sense for where their operation is right now. In this solo episode of the Cattle Innovation Station podcast, Baxter Whitworth breaks down every option on the table — three livestock insurance policies and two frozen genetics strategies — with real pricing details from Specialty Risk Insurance and Elgin Breeding Service. You'll learn exactly what each option covers, what it costs, and which stage of your cattle business each one makes sense for. You'll learn the difference between full mortality, pasture policy, and embryo calf program insurance, what named perils means and why it matters when you file a claim, how frozen semen and embryos act as a self-insurance policy while also generating cash flow, why one cattle industry expert recommends using insurance until you can get frozen genetics — then using both, and why frozen genetics should never be treated as only an insurance policy. If you have high-value cattle and no protection plan, this episode gives you the framework to build one. Budgeting for Your Cattle Operation (https://www.cattleinnovationstation.show/episodes/from-hobby-herd-to-profitable-cattle-business-mastering-cattle-budgeting-for-growth/) Elgin Breeding Service — Semen Collection and Frozen Genetics (https://elginbreedingservice.com/) Specialty Risk Insurance (https://specialtyrisk.com/) Cattle Innovation Station (https://www.cattleinnovationstation.show/) 00:00 — How to Protect Your Cattle Herd From Financial Loss 01:38 — Introduction: Insurance Policies vs. Frozen Genetics 02:06 — Sources: Jacob Steff of Specialty Risk Insurance and Elgin Breeding Service 04:31 — Full Mortality Insurance: What It Covers and What It Costs 05:59 — Pasture Policy: Protecting Your Entire Herd at a Lower Cost 06:57 — What Named Perils Means and Why It Matters for Your Cattle 07:22 — Automatic Calf Coverage: A Hidden Benefit of the Pasture Policy 07:52 — The Embryo Calf Program: Protecting Your Embryo Transfer Investment 09:31 — When Does Embryo Calf Coverage Actually Start? 11:27 — Frozen Embryos: Using IVF and ET to Protect Your Cow's Genetics 12:48 — Frozen Semen: Pricing and Process with Elgin Breeding Service 14:59 — Pros and Cons of Full Mortality Insurance for Cattle 15:57 — The Cost Problem: When Insurance Gets Expensive Fast 16:56 — Pros and Cons of the Pasture Policy 17:55 — Pros and Cons of the Embryo Calf Program 18:20 — Pros and Cons of Frozen Genetics as a Protection Strategy 19:41 — Use Case: When Full Mortality Insurance Makes Sense 21:07 — The Smart Sequence: Use Insurance Until You Have Frozen Genetics 21:48 — Use Case: When the Pasture Policy Is the Right Move 22:37 — Use Case: Why the Embryo Calf Program Excites Baxter Most 23:33 — Frozen Genetics: Not Just Insurance — It Should Generate ROI 24:26 — Conclusion: Choose Protection That Fits Your Cattle Business Stage

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

2,551

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

26 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

46

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

51

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.