Raising the bar for the livestock industry

The practice and concepts behind sustainable agriculture might conjure ideas and images of eco-friendly field management, farms running on solar power, or crops specifically bred to adapt to changing climates.

For those hard at work raising cattle and developing Canada’s beef and dairy industries, sustainable practice is vital. And it’s why Dr. Tyson Buyer (DVM) started a business to help producers advance their herds through assisted reproductive technologies.

“We focus on producing top quality animals that will ultimately perform better in their environment,” Buyer said. “We focus on feed efficient animals that will gain more pounds of meat from fewer pounds of feed. Our goal is to produce these animals in conjunction with seed stock producers to then market to the commercial producer for a terminal cross to end up in the feedyard.”

Raised on a beef farm in Carbon, Alta., and later in Carnduff, Sask., Buyer has always been interested in large animal sciences. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) in 2012, where he started to turn his interest into a career. In 2016 he earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at USask, and shortly thereafter he started a large animal veterinary practice in Carnduff. In 2021, Buyer moved his practice and family from Carnduff to Moose Jaw where he became part owner of Peak Veterinary Health, specializing in herd medicine and farm animal reproduction.

Earlier this year, Buyer and his wife Ashley set out to turn their interest and knowledge about bovine reproduction into a business and opened BoviGen Genetic Services. The state-of-the-art facility, located just outside of Moose Jaw, provides a range of services designed to help ensure a robust industry and sets out to assist animal producers in both the buying and selling of genetics. The business offers producers with a range of services including, but not limited to, embryo transfer, invitro fertilization, and donor housing.

“We specialize in bovine in vitro fertilization and our goal is to help producers advance their herds through assisted reproductive technologies,” he said. “Our business allows producers to propagate the genetics of their most valuable animals at a very rapid rate. Through in vitro fertilization we can vastly shorten the time needed to develop new traits, allowing producers to make genetic progress at a faster rate.”

BoviGen offers producers with the ability to sell genetics through an exclusive online marketplace. It also carefully selects genetic materials to enhance fertility, improve calving ease, and improve feed efficiency – all of which help increase overall producer profits. Their team of experts is comprised of skilled technicians, reproduction specialists, and herdsmen to ensure that each animal is well cared for.

“Our goals are to expand into the international semen distribution market,” said Buyer. “We are currently shipping worldwide but we’d like to expand that market into more countries. Our goals are to start using more technologies to develop animals that have better feed efficiency, which we can then market.”

Buyer is driven to ensure that the future of the industry that he loves so much is bright. From keenly understanding the specific needs and demands to watching market trends, Buyer said his motivation to succeed first started when he was attending classes at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources.

“I took an animal science degree in which I enjoyed the upper-level classes the most, including cow calf management and feedlot management,” he said. “The area I’m in is fairly niche, and wasn’t exposed to it a lot in university but my experience and the entire environment at USask put the drive in me to do more or expect more out of myself. It also gave me the background knowledge and foundation to start a career with a solid base.”

While his area of expertise is not something many students consider as a career option, Buyer said that his journey could have been very different if he didn’t first earn his BSA.

“Being in such a niche market there has been a lot of self-learning over the years, but my education gave me the foundation to start with and build on,” he said. “The professors at the university have been instrumental in my learning post-university. They also still make themselves available for questions, or debate, even after all these years of being out.”

Buyer also made some lifelong friendships and connections that continue to help elevate him in his career.

“The connections that I made at university are lifelong and I still to this day have colleagues and friends that I attended university with,” he said. “I really enjoyed my time at USask. The networking and social atmosphere is one you’ll never be able to find anywhere else.”

Agknowledge, Fall 2024