Genetic and economic evaluation of alternative breeding objectives and schemes using deterministic simulation in Kenya
- Publication Type
- Contribution to conference
- Authors
- Kahi,A.K.; Nitter,G.; Thorpe,W.; Gall,C.F.
- Year of publication
- 2000
- Published in
- International Conference on Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Forestry
- Editor
- Hohenheim University
- Page (from - to)
- nnb
- Conference name
- International Conference on Tropical and...... Subtropical Agriculture and Forestry
- Conference location
- Stuttgart, Germany
- Conference date
- 11th - 12th October 2000
Deterministic simulation was used to evaluate alternative breeding objectives and schemes in a synthetic cattle breed in Kenya. A two-tier open nucleus breeding scheme and a young bull system (YBS) were assumed. Apart from one breeding scheme in the beef objective, all breeding objectives and schemes realized profits. In the breeding objective that assumed that payment is based on fat content, the difference in profit per cow between the scheme that assumed records on fat yield (FY) were available for use as selection criteria and that, which assumed no records on FY were available, was small. Therefore, under the current production and marketing conditions, a breeding scheme that requires measuring of the fat content seem not to be justified from an economic point of view. There is evidence that a well-organised breeding programme utilizing an open nucleus, a YBS and the smallholder farms as the commercial population could sustain itself