NAGRC develops high milk-yielding improved Ankole dairy breed

The National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) has announced a major breakthrough after it developed a high performance and milk-yielding pure Ankole dairy cattle, without replacing the breed with exotic dairy genetics.

The new breed of Ankole Longhorn that was developed at Nshaara Conservation Ranch in Kiruhura district using systematic genetic selection and high pedigree management will be a huge boost to the dairy sector in Uganda.

Dr. Innocent Tuwangye, Manager of Nshaara Conservation Ranch, made the revelation during an interview with New Vision Online on Tuesday (September 29).

Tuwangye noted that whereas an Ankole cow under the traditional production conditions produces averagely 2 litres of milk in the morning, selected cows in the new breeding programme are now regularly recording approximately 5–10 litres from a single morning milking session, with a few exceptions that produce up to 12 litres of milk between the second and seventh lactations.

Tuwangye said  NAGRC&DB initiated a deliberate programme to identify superior pure Ankole cattle with greater milk-production potential at Nshaara about three years ago.

“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,” Tuwangye said.

He revealed that 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,” Tuwangye added.

Explaining the process used, Tuwangye said 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,” he stated.

Tuwangye said the approach was centred on improving the Ankole cow from within its own genetic population.

“We are not trying to turn the Ankole breed into an exotic dairy cow. We are identifying superior dairy traits that already exist within the pure Ankole cattle 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.

He said the production records are complemented by information on reproductive events and animal health.

“This data is maintained in physical farm records and in the 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,” he stated.

Tuwangye said 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 per 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, he noted.

“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 of that year,” he noted.

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 in 2025. Taken together, the records indicate an approximately 65.4 per cent increase in average productivity between 2023 and 2025, alongside a progressive expansion of the selected milking population.

Tuwangye said the emerging results also demonstrated that genetic potential alone was insufficient to sustain higher production.

Therefore, NAGRC&DB strengthened nutritional management by supplementing conventional grazing with hay and silage produced at Nshaara ranch.

The highest individual yields were observed under this improved feeding regime, providing an important practical link between genetic improvement and adequate nutrition.

Dr. Peter Beine, the executive director of NAGRC&DB, said their records are increasingly showing them that breeding and feeding must move together.  

“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,” Beine said.

He said the programme is now entering an important phase where emphasis shifts from identifying a few exceptional animals to consolidating superior performance across families and successive generations.

Beine said an individual cow attaining a peak morning yield of 14 litres demonstrates the productive potential present within the Ankole cattle 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," he observed.

He said NAGRC&DB's real measure of success will not simply be one exceptional cow.

“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 ranch,” he added.

Beine said 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.