KIRUHURA, UGANDA.
Uganda’s iconic Ankole Longhorn is
taking on a new dimension at Nshaara Conservation Ranch, where the National
Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) is using
systematic genetic selection, pedigree management, performance recording and
improved nutrition to develop a high-milk-yielding pure Ankole dairy population
without replacing the breed with exotic dairy genetics.
Approximately three years ago,
NAGRC&DB initiated a deliberate programme to identify superior pure Ankole
cattle with greater milk-production potential at Nshaara Conservation Ranch in
Kiruhura district. The programme involved screening animals within the
available population and incorporating selected superior Ankole genetics from
other recognised sources, including the Kisozi Ankole Longhorn conservation and
improvement herd. The intention was not to crossbreed or replace the indigenous
Ankole with exotic dairy genetics, but to exploit the natural genetic variation
that already exists within the breed and progressively concentrate desirable
dairy traits through selection.
The programme began by establishing
clear selection criteria for the nucleus population. Milk yield was prioritised
as the principal productive trait, followed by lactation length, udder
conformation and calving interval. This allowed the ranch to identify cows that
combined relatively high milk output with sustained lactation and reproductive
efficiency. Replacement heifers were subsequently evaluated using information
on their dams’ milk production, growth and fertility together with physical
assessment of body structure, udder characteristics and temperament.
As superior female lines became
identifiable, the programme increasingly focused on the selection of breeding
bulls from high-performing maternal families. Because genetic improvement of
milk production can be transmitted through sires to their daughters, candidate
bulls are selected partly on the milk-production performance of their dams.
This is complemented by assessment of growth rate, body size and stature, age
at maturity, reproductive soundness, testicular development, libido,
temperament and other functional characteristics. Bulls originating from highly
productive cows are consequently prioritised to advance the milk-production
trait within subsequent generations.
According to Dr. Innocent Tuwangye, Manager of Nshaara Conservation Ranch, the approach is centred on improving the Ankole from within its own genetic population. “We are not trying to turn the Ankole into an exotic dairy cow. We are identifying superior dairy traits that already exist within the pure Ankole population and systematically selecting and multiplying those genetics. The objective is to develop an Ankole animal that produces more milk while retaining the adaptability, resilience and genetic identity for which the breed is known,” he said.
The production records are
complemented by information on reproductive events and animal health. These
data are maintained in physical farm records and in NAGRC&DB’s Integrated
Livestock Management Information System (ILMIS), allowing the breeding team to
progressively build individual performance histories and link production
outcomes to particular animals and maternal lines. Historical performance,
including peak yields across successive lactations, is then used to inform
subsequent selection decisions.
By 2023, the programme had generated
sufficient production records to begin demonstrating measurable performance at
herd level. Average recorded milk productivity stood at 5.2 litres per active
cow-day, with annual recorded production of approximately 56,040 litres. The
active milking population increased from 24 cows in January to 35 cows by
December of that year.
Selection, performance recording and
herd management continued into 2024. Average productivity subsequently
increased to 7.0 litres per cow per day, while annual recorded milk production
rose to approximately 106,358 litres. The milking population also expanded from
36 cows at the beginning of the year to 47 cows by December.
By December-2025, average productivity
had risen further to 8.6 litres per cow per day, while annual recorded
production reached approximately 168,285 litres. The milking population
expanded from 47 cows in January to 60 cows by December. Taken together, the
records indicate an approximately 65.4 percent increase in average productivity
between 2023 and 2025, alongside a progressive expansion of the selected
milking population.
At individual-animal level, the
improvement has been equally encouraging. Whereas an Ankole cow under the
traditional production conditions produces averagely 2 litres during morning
milking, selected cows in the programme are now regularly recording
approximately 5–10 litres from a single morning milking session with a few exceptionals
that produce up to 12 litres between the
second and seventh lactations.
The emerging results also demonstrated
that genetic potential alone was insufficient to sustain higher production.
NAGRC&DB therefore strengthened nutritional management by supplementing
conventional grazing with hay and silage produced at Nshaara. The highest
individual yields were observed under this improved feeding regime, providing
an important practical link between genetic improvement and adequate nutrition.
“Our records are
increasingly showing us that breeding and feeding must move together,” Dr. Peter Beine - the Executive Director NAGRC&DB explained. “Selection
identifies the animal with superior genetic potential, but nutrition determines
how effectively that potential is expressed. We are therefore using the
production data not only to select our breeding animals but also to refine
feeding and management protocols for the emerging Ankole dairy population.”
The programme is now entering an
important phase in which the emphasis shifts from identifying a few exceptional
animals to consolidating superior performance across families and successive
generations. An individual cow attaining a peak morning yield of 14 litres
demonstrates the productive potential present within the Ankole population, but
the longer-term breeding objective is to make superior performance increasingly
repeatable, heritable and predictable. This will require continued pedigree
recording, identification of elite cows, selection of replacement heifers from
proven maternal lines, use of bulls originating from superior dams and
systematic evaluation of the resulting progeny.
“Our real measure of
success will not simply be one exceptional cow,” Dr. Peter Beine said. “The breeding
objective is to establish a population in which superior milk production can be
consistently reproduced from one generation to another. That is why pedigree
integrity, individual animal identification, performance recording and
selection of proven maternal and sire lines are central to what we are doing at
Nshaara.”
What began at Nshaara as the
identification of naturally superior milk-producing Ankole cows is steadily
developing into a structured breeding programme aimed at producing a
genetically stable, productive and resilient pure Ankole dairy population placing
Uganda’s own indigenous cattle genetics at the centre of the country’s future
livestock productivity agenda.