Bull Semen Worth $70K Stolen From Minnesota Farm

In Leroy, Minnesota, police are investigating the theft of about $70,000 worth of bull semen from a farm in southern Minnesota. The theft occurred sometime between April 1 and April 7. The only day that that farm was unattended was on Easter Sunday, when the owner of the farm, Daniel Weness, and his hired hand were away for the day.

The semen was stored in a frozen container that was the size of a milk jug. The semen was inside and divided into vials that ranged in price from $300 to $1,500 per vial, totaling a whopping $70,000. The container of the vials of semen was being stored in an unlocked barn. The theft was reported on Tuesday, and the police have no suspects in the case.

Mark May of the Mower Police Department said there is a big business and high demand for the pricey semen in the farming communities of Minnesota.

“There is a market for this, a lot of people bid on it or purchase it instead of transporting their animals to and from site. They can purchase this vial of bull semen and inseminate their cow and I guess it’s just a more reliable way to do it.”

The semen is costly in part because the process of obtaining it is rather daunting. And why is it necessary? Sometimes the animals do not to wish to mate, or are not on the premises with the female, making artificial insemination of the female necessary. The process also involves tricking a bull to believe he is mounting a decoy steer, and having him have intercourse with an imitation steer vagina, which is purchased at a livestock store. The farmer must watch carefully for the completion of intercourse and ejaculation, at which time he quickly collects the semen from the artificial steer vagina and places it in a vial and puts the fluid on liquid nitrogen. The higher quality the bull, the more his semen is worth. The process is repeated as many times as necessary and the vials are sold to other farmers who wish to add to their livestock through artificial insemination.

You may find this story bizarre, but it’s not the first time the Inquisitr has published a story about bull semen. In 2011, a greyhound bus lost a nitrogen canister full of bull semen which shut down a highway. The canister was emitting liquid nitrogen and a foul odor, and resulted in a net loss of $80,000 in bull semen. You can read that story here.