Just south of Kemptville lies a high-tech lab at the heart of a $100-million industry that’s rapidly increasing productivity within the global livestock sector. EastGen’s facility, located just off Highway 416, is a “cornerstone” of a global alliance that markets more than 11 million doses of bovine semen across Canada and around the world. And while the alliance, named Semex, has been handling overseas sales of semen for farmer-owned artificial insemination companies for nearly half a century, recent technological breakthroughs have accelerated its research. Advances in genetics research have allowed livestock farmers to make more informed breeding decisions that allow them to raise healthier animals and respond to changing consumer preferences.