Staff
The National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) is developing a high-milk-yielding population of pure Ankole cattle at Nshaara Conservation Ranch in Kiruhura District, using selective breeding rather than crossing the indigenous breed with exotic dairy genetics.
The programme, which began about three years ago, seeks to identify and multiply naturally occurring superior milk-production traits within the Ankole Longhorn population while maintaining the breed’s genetic identity, adaptability and resilience.
NAGRC&DB has been screening cattle at Nshaara and introducing selected superior Ankole genetics from recognised sources, including the Kisozi Ankole Longhorn conservation and improvement herd.
Rather than introducing exotic dairy breeds, the breeding programme focuses on concentrating desirable traits already present within the Ankole population.
Selecting Ankole Cattle for Higher Milk Production
Milk yield is the programme’s primary selection trait, followed by lactation length, udder structure and calving interval.
Replacement heifers are assessed using information from their mothers, including milk production, growth and fertility, alongside physical characteristics such as body structure, udder development and temperament.
The programme also places particular emphasis on selecting breeding bulls from high-performing maternal families.
Candidate bulls are assessed partly on the milk-production records of their mothers, together with growth rate, body size, age at maturity, reproductive soundness, testicular development, libido, temperament and other functional characteristics.
Dr. Innocent Tuwangye, Manager of Nshaara Conservation Ranch, said the objective is to improve milk production without changing the identity of the Ankole breed.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Milk Production Rises
NAGRC&DB has combined breeding records with information on animal health and reproduction. The data is maintained through physical farm records and the organisation’s Integrated Livestock Management Information System (ILMIS).
The records allow the breeding team to track individual animals, maternal lines and production across successive lactations.
The programme recorded significant increases in average milk productivity between 2023 and 2025.
In 2023, average recorded productivity stood at 5.2 litres per active cow per day, with approximately 56,040 litres of milk recorded for the year. The active milking population grew from 24 cows in January to 35 by December.
In 2024, average productivity increased to 7.0 litres per cow per day, while annual recorded production rose to approximately 106,358 litres. The number of milking cows increased from 36 to 47 during the year.
By December 2025, average productivity had reached 8.6 litres per cow per day, with annual recorded production of approximately 168,285 litres. The milking population had also grown from 47 cows in January to 60 by December.
According to the programme’s records, average productivity increased by about 65.4 percent between 2023 and 2025.
Feeding Supports Genetic Potential
The programme has also demonstrated the importance of nutrition in achieving higher milk yields.
NAGRC&DB strengthened feeding practices by supplementing conventional grazing with hay and silage produced at Nshaara. The highest individual yields have been recorded under the improved feeding system.
At individual level, selected Ankole cows are now regularly producing approximately 5 to 10 litres during a single morning milking session, compared with an average of about 2 litres under traditional production conditions.
A few exceptional animals have recorded up to 12 litres during a morning milking, while one cow has reached a peak morning yield of 14 litres.
Dr. Peter Beine, Executive Director of NAGRC&DB, said the results demonstrate that genetic selection and feeding have to work together.
“Our records are increasingly showing us that breeding and feeding must move together,” Beine said. “Selection identifies the animal with superior genetic potential, but nutrition determines how effectively that potential is expressed.”
He added that production data is being used not only to select breeding animals but also to improve feeding and management practices for the emerging Ankole dairy population.
Programme Targets Consistent Performance
NAGRC&DB is now shifting its focus from identifying exceptional individual animals to establishing superior performance across families and successive generations.
The long-term objective is to make higher milk production increasingly predictable and heritable through continued pedigree recording, identification of elite cows, selection of replacement heifers from proven maternal lines and the use of bulls from superior dams.
Beine said the success of the programme will ultimately be measured by the ability to reproduce higher milk yields consistently across generations rather than by individual exceptional animals.
“Our real measure of success will not simply be one exceptional cow,” he said. “The breeding objective is to establish a population in which superior milk production can be consistently reproduced from one generation to another.”
The Nshaara programme therefore represents an effort to place Uganda’s indigenous Ankole genetics at the centre of efforts to increase livestock productivity while preserving the breed’s genetic identity.
