History

In the 1970s, Dr. Marco Antonio Hidalgo, a professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and an expert in animal reproduction with broad international and national experience was contacted by the engineer Malcom Niven, a successful businessman and owner of Don Tomás Ranch in San Luís Potosí and Dr. Hidalgo proposed a development method to make artificial insemination of cattle easier.

Dr. Hidalgo also consulted with Dr. Raymond Zemjanis (School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota), his adviser and teacher, who encouraged him to continue developing the "TORITO" Method.

Dr. Hidalgo has always been involved with farming and ranching and with the people who carry out the work. This has allowed him to experience many of the daily issues that arise.

Development

Despite the many efforts made by educators to disseminate the use and application of artificial insemination techniques in Mexico, unlike the larger dairy ranches that can hire full-time technicians and veterinarians to implement the techniques, smaller ranches do not have the means.

Together with Malcolm Niven, Dr. Hidalgo seized the opportunity to experiment and expand on his work using hormones to synchronize the ovulation cycle and from 1966 to 1970 he focused on designing the Torito technique. Dr. Hidalgo then embarked on developing a system that would not require introducing a metal tube through the uterus using a hand through the rectum and holding the cervix, but that could, instead, push the semen from the entrance of the uterus all the way inside. The device would then block the return of the semen. Also, a speculum would be used to locate the proper entrance of the device.

Niven began to produce different designs based on the studies of Dr. Hidalgo who was responsible for the remaining research. This work took place over a long period of time, years actually, but gradually the design was perfected, developing into what it is today: a device that anyone can use.

An initial study was carried out and published at the XIII International Congress on Animal Reproduction in Australia. This technique has been applied in many ranches throughout Mexico and roughly 10 thousand cows have been inseminated using Dr. Hidalgo´s technique, which is becoming well known for its excellent results.

Over time and with the use of this technique, greater conception rates have been achieved—

rates as high as those of the best inseminator technician—reaching a rate of 60 to 90% of pregnant cows with only one application service for small producers.

The Instituto Politécnico Nacional supported this project by creating an educational video that many people have used to learn this technique. Currently, there are many efforts being made to share this technique with more small producers that have not had the opportunity to improve their cattle using artificial insemination. Recently, important changes have been carried out to make this method even easier to use and more effective.

Recently, TecnoGen has developed his newest product: RamGo a special AI device or sheep with the same advantages as the "Torito" version for cows