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Frozen bulls' semen worth £47,000 has been stolen from a farm.

The canister - containing individual vials of prize sperm worth up to £10,000 each - was pinched from an unlocked barn.

The thieves appear to have been specifically targeting the expensive substance as it was the only things taken, cops say.

Chief Deputy Mark May, of Mower County Sheriff’s Department in Minnesota, said “this semen was frozen in a canister, kind of like a milk jug."

(Image: abc6News)

“This semen was frozen in a canister, kind of like a milk jug,” May said.

He said those responsible would have to have known the canister was in the building at the time and of its value.

“A lot of farmers these days use artificial insemination to increase genetic diversity within their herds,” Linnay Yarger, a teacher at Austin High School told abc6 News.

“The range in value depends on the bull it comes from,” she said.

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Ms Yarder said certain genetic qualities in bulls' semen are "more highly sought after than others," hence the difference in price.

It comes after adorable footage emerged of a calf taking her first steps following an operation to fit permanent braces to her legs.

Her plight was first revealed in a video released last year, which went viral and achieved more than one million views.

The footage shows her literally jumping with joy after heading out into the snow.