The National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) is developing a high-milk-yielding population of pure Ankole Longhorn cattle at Nshaara Conservation Ranch in Kiruhura District through selective breeding, improved nutrition and detailed performance recording.
The programme, which started about three years ago, aims to increase milk production while maintaining the genetic identity, adaptability and resilience of Uganda’s indigenous Ankole cattle. Rather than introducing exotic dairy genetics through crossbreeding, NAGRC&DB is identifying naturally superior milk-producing animals within the Ankole population and using their genetics to improve future generations.
The programme involves selecting animals based on several important characteristics, with milk production being the main trait. Other factors considered include lactation length, udder structure, calving interval, growth, fertility and general body structure. Replacement heifers are assessed using the performance of their mothers, as well as their own physical and reproductive characteristics.
As superior female lines are identified, the programme also focuses on selecting breeding bulls from high-performing maternal families. Bulls whose mothers have demonstrated good milk production are given priority, alongside assessments of growth rate, body size, maturity, reproductive soundness, testicular development, libido, temperament and other useful characteristics.
Dr. Innocent Tuwangye, Manager of Nshaara Conservation Ranch, said the programme is focused on improving the Ankole from within its own genetic population. He explained that the intention is not to turn the Ankole into an exotic dairy breed, but to identify and multiply the superior dairy traits that already exist within pure Ankole cattle.
The breeding team has also been keeping detailed records of milk production, reproduction and animal health. The information is maintained through physical farm records and the NAGRC&DB Integrated Livestock Management Information System (ILMIS), allowing the organisation to follow the performance of individual animals and their maternal lines over time.
The records show significant growth in milk production at the ranch. In 2023, average milk productivity stood at 5.2 litres per active cow per day, with total recorded annual production of about 56,040 litres. The number of active milking cows increased from 24 in January to 35 by December.
In 2024, average productivity increased to 7.0 litres per cow per day, while annual recorded milk production rose to approximately 106,358 litres. The active milking population also grew 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. During the same year, the number of active milking cows increased from 47 in January to 60 by December.
According to the records, average milk productivity increased by about 65.4 percent between 2023 and 2025. The growth has been accompanied by an expansion of the selected milking population as the breeding and management programme continues.
At individual-animal level, some of the selected Ankole cows are also producing significantly more milk than is traditionally expected from the breed. While an Ankole cow under traditional production conditions may produce an average of about two litres during morning milking, selected cows at Nshaara are regularly recording between five and 10 litres during a single morning milking session, with a few exceptional animals producing up to 12 litres.
The programme has also shown that genetic potential alone cannot guarantee high milk production.
NAGRC&DB has therefore strengthened feeding programmes at the ranch by supplementing conventional grazing with hay and silage produced at Nshaara. The highest individual milk yields have been recorded under the improved feeding system.
Dr. Peter Beine, Executive Director of NAGRC&DB, said the experience has demonstrated the importance of combining breeding with proper feeding and management. He explained that while selection identifies animals with superior genetic potential, adequate nutrition helps those animals express that potential.
The programme is now moving into a new phase focused on consolidating superior performance across families and generations. Although individual cows have demonstrated exceptional production, the long-term goal is to make high milk production increasingly consistent, heritable and predictable within the pure Ankole population.
This will involve continued pedigree recording, identification of elite cows, selection of replacement heifers from proven maternal families and the use of breeding bulls from superior dams. The performance of their offspring will also be monitored to determine whether the desired traits are being successfully passed on.
Dr. Beine said the real measure of success will not be an exceptional individual cow, but the establishment of a population in which superior milk production can be consistently reproduced from one generation to another.
He emphasised the importance of animal identification, pedigree integrity, performance recording and careful selection of maternal and sire lines.
What started as an effort to identify naturally superior milk-producing Ankole cows at Nshaara Conservation Ranch is therefore developing into a structured breeding programme. The initiative seeks to improve the productivity of Uganda’s indigenous cattle while preserving the genetic characteristics that make the Ankole adaptable and resilient, placing indigenous cattle genetics at the centre of the country’s future livestock development.
