Biology h/w-Horse sperm?

The sperm selected tends to be from horses of known pedigree that's held to be excellent in some trait or other. Not any old nag need apply for the job. We're talking in terms of top notch thoroughbreds rather than riff raff. The right sort of supply is relatively low, thus the high price.

If you've got some kind of problem with the engine in your Rolls Royce, you could phone that bloke round the corner who'll take a look at it for a fiver and a cup of tea. However, that money-saving option could turn out to be a very expensive mistake. It's not mechanics that are expensive. It's top notch mechanics. Similarly, it's not horse semen that's costly. It's the quality product.

(By the way, I'm largely guessing. I don't personally dabble in horse semen.)

GENERALLY, a good has more value when it is relatively scarce, but it also must be desirable. A horse can be quite valuable when it has the potential to be extraordinarily fast. When the racing phase of his life has past, a horse’s reproductive value determines his worth. A horse with an excellent pedigree can fetch a fair sum if he might spawn the next Secretariat or Babaro. What determines a good pedigree involves a fairly complex process with experts acting as Walrasian auctioneers/match makers. Despite a fair degree of uncertainty it turns out to be a fairly efficient market. Horses with exceptional DNA fetch a higher value and get paired with equally illustrious partners.

All the more puzzling the same effort is not applied to human reproduction. Most sperm banks impose basic rules for the age, height and educational achievement of donors. Subject to that, they charge and pay a single price—with a $100 premium if you want sperm from a donor willing to be be identified to an eventual off-spring. A rare exception is Fairfax Cryobank, which charges a mere $90 premium for sperm from a PhD. Given the five to seven years it takes to complete a doctorate this seems to be a good bargain.

However, you would think other qualities would also fetch a higher value. For example, should donors be compensated extra for every inch of height? Or for being fine featured? And what about athletic prowess? Surely some donors are more popular than others—and thus their sperm should exhibit greater scarcity and desirability. Why does the market not price that?

Further, perhaps more accomplished donors would step forward if they were compensated more handsomely for their achievements. More aggressive bidding for sperm could raise the quality of donors, leading to more options for customers, and—who knows?—more talented children. Permalink Comments (3)

Maybe because it takes too much time to take it out and preserve it!