livestock

A Magazine for Livestock and Meat Advisory Council & its allied associations
Mashona Cattle Society marks 65 proud years
continued from page ...9
Twenty years on, this corroborates the Zimbabwe's Mashona breed has also The Indibreed Group Breeding
results of Zimbabwe's most extensive attracted interest in the United States, Scheme, operated by the society for 10
cattle breed comparison trial at w h e r e t h e e m p h a s i s h a s ye ar s, w as established to speed up
Matopos Research Station in the traditionally been on breeding larger Mashona genetic selection and forms a
1990s, where the Mashona was animals. Crossbreeding work in New nucleus herd; in a scheme also
unrivalled on natural veld. During “the Mexico has shown that Mashona cross designed to feed improved stock back
worst drought in living memory” in steers were the only animals to turn a into communal herds for genetic
1992, it was evident that the Mashona profit on natural grassland with no improvement.
were able not only to survive adverse supplements. In meat analysis tests, this
conditions but to produce a calf again “true grass breed” scored a high Today, working in conjunction with
the following year. flavour rating and showed good ZHB, Zimbabwe's Mashona cattle
marbling.
breeders continue to improve the breed
“Kilogram for kilogram, Mashona
for greater productivity and resilience
cattle will give more kilos of calf, per In Zimbabwean cattle research and under climate change—one of the
kilo of cow put to the bull,” notes Dr evaluation, the adoption of the greatest challenges to global
Bruce. On the role that the Mashona Mashona as the baseline breed is a agriculture.
can play in the dairy industry today, the proud achievement for the MCS, which
MCS chairman says. “We can in 1968 initiated the first research work - From the Mashona Cattle Society.
crossbreed for hybrid vigour, with sexed on indigenous cattle
dairy semen to produce hardy, good in the country to
milkers for communal farmers.” demonstrate that
indigenous cattle
The MCS has also devised a breeds can also be
programme to help interested small- genetically improved
scale farmers to become fully w i t h s e l e c t i v e
registered pedigree breeders. In this breeding. In the
open appendix system, new breeders 1960s and 70s the
can register with the Zimbabwe Herd society campaigned
Book (ZHB) and work with the MCS to to save the Mashona
upgrade their foundation Mashona breed from genetic
cows to fully registered stud animals dilution in a massive
over three generations.
A .I. programme
intended to improve
The value of Zimbabwe's Mashona all communal cattle
breed is well recognised today. It is with exotic cattle
understood that the Mashona's small genes, a misguided
size is part of its survival mechanism, policy.
evolved over thousands of years for
productive efficiency under harsh To make best use of
environmental conditions. These Zimbabwe's fine
include heat tolerance, resistance to cattle heritage, new
ticks, flies and parasite infestation, high Mashona genetics in
fertility and reproductive efficiency, a the communal herd
lower maintenance requirement as well must be identified to
as foraging ability and strong teeth for broaden the gene
optimum utilization of the veld and pool for breeding, a
efficient conversion of grass into beef process begun by the
or milk. MCS in the 1990s.
Livestock Today April-June 2016 13