Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 13, 1995                   TAG: 9504200028
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: S-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: AIMEE RATLIFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COUPLE TURNED THEIR HOBBY INTO A FERTILE BUSINESS

Jim Crump, a registered pharmacist for about 19 years, runs the family-owned business with his wife, Julia and son, John.

``When I should've been studying physics and calculus, I was actually in the library studying how to freeze stallion semen,'' said Crump, who has been interested in the process for about 20 years.

Julia Crump has a lot experience in the handling of stallions, but it was their mutual interest in Arabian horse breeding that brought them together 15 years ago. That interest also fostered their decision to investigate stallion semen freezing, a brand-new process at the time.

In 1984, the Crumps ``commercialized'' the hobby and began Roanoke A.I. Services. They now have a roster of 140 stallions that they have used to collect semen; about half of those stallions are still breeding.

The Crumps usually board two or three stallions on their farm at a time to do the collections.

``That is all we would ever want to undertake,'' said Julia Crump, explaining that they take three collections from each horse a week, and the process takes two to three hours.

This process is performed in a special breeding barn that contains a phantom mare - a horse dummy covered with four inches of foam and canvas. This is often used as a tool for the stallion to have a successful collection.

``All the stallions are different and so are the ways they like to breed. Some will walk into the breeding barn like they have no idea why they are there, and others are literally dangerous when we bring them in,'' said Julia Crump.

Jim Crump collects the semen in a special container that is encased in plastic and lined with rubber.

If the sample has a successful fertilization quality, or a high motility, it is placed in unit dose straws, which are put in a computerized cell freezer and the contents will be frozen using liquid nitrogen. The frozen semen is stored at -320 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Crumps keep records for each stallion on a computer, but each stallion's owner must authorize shipments of the frozen semen - which is stored at the farm for a monthly fee - to a mare owner. The mare's veterinarian will perform the artificial insemination with the thawed semen.

``The benefits of using this service as opposed to natural cover breeding is that it allows the mare to stay at her own farm,'' said Julia Crump. Many times the mare already has a foal who would have to travel with her and could become ill."

``It also allows stallion owners the freedom to show, sell or geld their stallion and have him at stud during the same time. Some owners stock up so that when the stallion dies they still have a part of him left to pass on," she said, adding that many of the stallions they work with "have great sentimental value to the owner.''

The Crumps have also been working with two species of zebras. The Grevy's zebra is considered an endangered species, and the Grant zebra is considered threatened.

The Crumps charge for each usable dose straw that the stallion produces. The cost includes a collection fee and freezing charge.

``This makes it fair for the person whose horse doesn't produce as many straws,'' Julia Crump said.

She said the business had a lot of opportunity to increase its business.

``About 75 percent of the farms in the breeding business will not allow their stallions to leave the farm so really we have only tapped 25 percent of the market,'' Jim Crump said.

Julia Crump, who serves primarily as the barn and stallion manager, said some of the frustrations of the job include stallion owners who give conflicting breeding histories on horses. This information is vital in dictating the approach the Crumps will take when it is time for the collection.

Weather also has been another factor. Jim Crump recalled past winters when there was an inch of ice on the ground and they had four stallions in the barn waiting for collection, yet it was too dangerous to attempt to lead them from one barn to another.

As far as competition is concerned, Jim Crump said the horses they work with come from as far away as Canada. Also, he added, "our competition is located pretty far away, and they deal on the high money end of the market."

Roanoke A.I. Services can be reached by calling 774-0676.