Using indigenous cattle breeds to enhance resilience and maintain productivity
John Crawford, third generation Zimbabwean commercial beef and dairy cattle producer from Chinhoyi, recently hosted a field day to showcase the value of indigenous Sanga Tuli and Mashona breeds for crossbreeding with exotic breeds for beef and dairy production.
Events like this are a wonderful way for farmers to look, to learn and to share experiences and information. It was an informal day with interaction and questions invited as onlookers moved from paddock to paddock along with the speakers. The demonstration paddocks were grouped with cattle according to breed types and crosses. Breeds are shuffled and mixed up to produce different combinations of the various crosses but the focus of the programme remains central: performance. This programme aims to exploit heterosis or hybrid vigour across breeds. “No one breed excels in all areas that lead to profitability and to take advantage of breed complementarity, breeds must be paired such that they excel in different areas that are critical to the overall production goals.” (The Value of Heterosis in Cow Herds, Range Beef Cow Symposium 2007).
The cattle bred from the crosses have smaller frames, meaning less feed needed to thrive. The indigenous Mashona or Tuli have adaptability as well as excellent mothering traits, the British breed and European breeds bring in early maturity and performance. As Crawford is also a maize producer, the cattle are grazed on the stover during the winter months and this is enough to see the herd through to the rains.
Discussions during the event highlighted the practical advantages of crossbreeding indigenous and exotic breeds, focusing on genetic diversity, enhanced productivity, and sustainable farming practices. Nuggets of information were shared on calving and conception, longevity, teeth and grazing on sourveld, as well as breeding for polling and the value of the mother line being indigenous versus exotic.
Crawford was joined by Jan Kageler to talk on the Tuli breed and Mark Stubbs on the Mashona. Andy Locke was also on hand to provide an insight into his Mashona with Boran cross breeding program and about the excellent conversion and carcass quality of the steers from this type of cross.
Later, Zimbabwe Herdbook’s Dr Mario Beffa, spoke on the exciting resurgence of the Zimbabwean indigenous breeds in the cattle sector. He also congratulated Jan Kageler on becoming the newest member of the Mashona Cattle Society, having, earlier this year, established the Oldonyo Mashona stud herd.
The value of indigenous hardiness
Central to Crawford’s crossbreeding endeavour has been his recognition of the inherent strengths of indigenous cattle breeds like Mashona and Tuli. These cows are noted for their remarkable hardiness, disease resistance, and remarkable ability to thrive in challenging conditions with minimal resources.
In recent years, Crawford lost several head of his dairy herd to Theileriosis. Dealt a crippling economic blow, part of his financial recovery process has been to take a long and hard look at how to minimise unnecessary expenditure while maximising productivity. At the field day, he acknowledged the role that this cross breeding programme has played in this.
He shared his personal experience with crossing Mashona with Simmental as well as Mashona with Ayrshire. By artificially inseminating the indigenous cows with Ayrshire semen (the latter known for their high milk production potential), Crawford has been capitalising on the hardiness of the indigenous mother cow line whilst still providing milk yields from the exotic dairy side of the cross.
Farmers witnessed firsthand how this blend combined the best of both worlds - the resilience and hardiness of indigenous cattle and the milk production capabilities of Ayrshire genetics. This practical application of crossbreeding underscores the value of leveraging traditional strengths such as the ability to adapt to diverse climates with extremes of heat, efficiently utilise available forage resources, and deliver impressive milk yields while maintaining their robustness and health.
The success of blending indigenous Mashona and Tuli breeds with exotic highlights the potential for excellence in both resilience and production - be it for beef or milk - and showcases how crossbreeding can lead to more robust, adaptable cattle that yield, an encouraging outlook for the future of sustainable livestock farming.
Mukono putting the magic into bull breeding
The day finished off with a look at the “Mukono Magic” programme bulls. This is a collaboration with Jan Kageler and it ties in with low cost, low maintenance, high production animals that are hardy and fertile. “Mukono” is Shona for bull. “Magic” is resultant animal on offer.
The Mukono Magic partnership between Crawford and Kageler, started well over ten years ago, draws on a combined wealth of cattle rearing and breeding experience and the result is a pool of genetics that is guaranteed to improve any commercial herd anywhere in Zimbabwe.
Bulls bred under the Mukono Magic concept are hardy, fertile, hard working and adapted to suit a minimal feeding and low maintenance regime. Only bulls considered worthy of sale under this banner have been selected, ruthlessly judged against traits such as disease resistance, fertility, ease of calving and low maintenance. Tuli and Brahman bulls currently fall under this partnership banner.
By the time they are two years old, the bulls are ready to work, and can be siring calves a year earlier than the conventional idea of buying a three-year old bull. This translates into more value for the farmer’s purchase as that bull has a longer working life.
These bulls are run as one unit. “I believe that these bulls being in such a big group eliminates the chances of favourites. Bulls need to have a desire to get on with life, as tough as it might be. There is no room for ‘sissies’. If they can’t compete for their food, they won’t do well, and will be ‘eliminated’,” John says. That there is no preferential feed or management ensures any differences in performance are more to be likely genetic.
Even though Crawford has thirty years experience of cattle management under his belt, he modestly says he does not have all the answers. But seeing how well his cross breeding programmes’ cattle are doing, it would seem that despite his modesty, he may be close to finding them.
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Good presentation John and very informative. The audio is very clear. However in future have the camera man zoom in on the subject be it the presenter, audience and the animals presented.
Thanks for the kind words. The camera was operated by me (David) and I will try to make a better job of it next time but the camera that we use in these instances has very limited zoom functionality. I’m glad you enjoyed John’s presentation, it was very interesting.