Thousands of dollars worth of bull semen is now in the wrong hands. Tanks filled with bull semen were stolen from a truck in Turlock, California Sunday and it could be a big loss for the dairy industry.
The semen is highly valuable and the tanks stolen this week are valued at about $50,000, according to CBS Sacramento. The semen is shipped to farms around the world to impregnate cattle. Farm owner John Azevedo told the site that 70-75 percent of all cattle in the U.S. are inseminated artificially.
The tanks were stolen from Anthony Reis’ work truck. They included 3,500 units of sperm and could impregnate over 1,000 cattle.
“You’re trying to make a living — the loss of all those units of semen, and probably taken by someone who had no idea what they were stealing, is very frustrating,” Reis told CBS Sacramento.
The tanks could be very dangerous for the thieves because they are filled with liquid nitrogen, which is used to keep the sperm frozen.
According to a report by Bloomberg this week, farmers could spend up to $200 for a vial of bull semen that would only have X chromosomes. Farmers prefer to use artificial insemination to help make sure that they only breed female, milk-producing cattle.