LEBANON, Mo. — Driven by a desire to help others learn about the beef industry, Hanleigh Young is taking a different approach to business growth. Her company, Sync Up Breeding, provides artificial insemination services to beef producers, but her focus is small hobby farmers.
Growing up in a big cattle and rodeo family, Young knew early on she wanted to work in the industry.
“My family is all into rodeo and ropes,” she said. “I didn’t like the roping as much as the cattle.”
When she was 14, Young worked alongside her ag advisor, Craig Evans, as an A.I. tech. This experience sparked her interest in cattle reproduction, and she went on to get certification at Cattle Visions in Clark, Missouri.
Breeding for family and friends, Young gained a lot of experience before attending the University of Missouri. There, she teamed up with Jordan Thomas and assisted his research team in developing heifer synchronization protocols.
Not long after, she started her own A.I. business and traveled back and forth from Columbia to Lebanon to breed for clients. Then, in January of 2022, her own pregnancy led her to leave college and head straight into full-time breeding.
“I needed something to do while I had the baby,” she said. “I had all the equipment and had people asking me to do it.”
She launched the business, made a Facebook page and website, and has continued to grow ever since.
In an industry where bigger clients are better, though, Young has found success focusing on smaller producers and hobby farmers. It allows her to spend time developing a relationship with each customer to make sure their breeding season is profitable. And despite having a smaller herd size, this client sector poses a growing demand.
Isaiah Shnurman, owner of Genetic Hedging Solutions, said the average cowherd size in Missouri is 35 to 40 head.
“It can be very challenging for those operations to find a technician,” he said. “But there’s no reason they don’t deserve the same quality of service as big producers.”
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Young works with several clients that are new to the cattle business and enjoys educating them so they can succeed long-term. It’s a calling that sparked from her own experience with raising cattle. About eight years ago, Young and her mom were tasked with caring for a new group of cows her dad purchased from North Dakota. The cows were wild and her dad was busy working the oil field.
“We were on our own for the Missouri winter and we had to learn how to take care of them completely,” she said. “It was fun but also so stressful, and I got the idea that a lot of people may not know how to raise cattle.”
By catering to smaller producers, Young has the opportunity to give advice, answer questions and make sure their beef production experience is enjoyable and profitable.
Outside of the intimate interaction with customers, Young is also drawn to the simplicity and friendliness of small operations. Homesteading is a lifestyle common among her customers, which resonates with Young. And she jokes that those families are more tolerant of a young mother bringing a baby and playpen to the farm.
From the business side, Young runs Sync Up Breeding much like any other A.I. tech. She provides full-scope reproductive services, including bull selection, semen purchasing and storage, heat synchronization and insemination service.
Young starts out new clients with a short questionnaire to determine their needs. She asks for their location, herd size and if the females are cows or heifers. From there, she can customize the bid to be efficient with semen ordering and service needs.
Customers can choose their own bull or use Young’s expertise to select the best sire for their herd’s needs. With a variety of producers to service, Young often pulls from an array of specialty breeds.
“Sometimes I really have to dig to find some bulls because I like to send my customers options,” she said. “But once I can get three or four bulls for them I feel really good.”
While her work has sent her across the Midwest, Young is considering offering a specialized breeding service at her house. One of the biggest challenges she faces is the lack of safe and efficient working facilities on farms.
“I’ve been put in some dangerous positions,” she said.
Shnurman said facilities are one of the biggest limiting factors to producers using AI for their herd.
“More folks making the investment into good facilities is the biggest hurdle to overcome,” he said.
To provide this new service, Young would upgrade her facilities to be conducive for easy handling and allow clients to leave their cattle with her for synchronizing and insemination. She hopes this will make it easier for her customers to get quality service regardless of herd size.
“I find it really exciting when my clients are passionate and excited and can’t wait for the calves to hit the ground,” she said.
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