Socio-Economic and Technical Characteristics of Beef Cattle Breeding in Ndé Division, West Region of Cameroon

Insight is here provided into the socio-economic and technical characteristics of cattle production in the Ndé Division (West Cameroon region). Using a semi-structured questionnaire, information on the activity was assessed following onsite visits and interviewing breeders. Through a random sampling scheme, 110 breeders in the four subdivisions of the Ndé Division were shadowed. The majority (98.18%) of breeders were men aged 20 to 40 and married (91.82%). They belong to the Mbororo ethnic group, having cumulated more than 10 years in the activity. Most respondents (50.91%) did not attend school and earn their living mainly from livestock (78.18%). Cattle were raised for sale and to feed the breeder’s family (77.27%). The main mode of acquisition of animals was through inheritance (81.82%). The cattle breeds were mostly made up of white Fulani (70%), living in private farms using a combination of stake and barbed wires (67.27%) as fences. The combination of natural fodder and cooking salt was used by most breeders (59.09%) as a daily ration. Reproduction was by natural mating (97.07%). Parasites (internal and external) and foot-and-mouth disease were the main diseases reported by the majority of farmers. Self-treatment (50%) was the main prophylactic measure taken by farmers in case of disease symptoms. Cattle herders faced several challenges, such as insufficient pasture (67.27%), agro-pastoral conflicts (76.36%) and diseases (90.91%). Cattle breeding was rather a widespread activity with no particular restriction.

The evolving role of Fourier-transform midinfrared spectroscopy in genetic improvement of dairy cattle

Over the last 100 years,significant advances have been made in the characterisation of milk composition for dairy cattle improvement programs.Technological progress has enabled a shift from labour intensive,on-farm collection and processing of samples that assess yield and fat levels in milk,to large-scale processing of samples through centralised laboratories,with the scope extended to include quantification of other traits.Fourier-transform midinfrared(FT-MIR)spectroscopy has had a significant role in the transformation of milk composition phenotyping,with spectral-based predictions of major milk components already being widely used in milk payment and animal evaluation systems globally.Increasingly,there is interest in analysing the individual FT-MIR wavenumbers,and in utilising the FT-MIR data to predict other novel traits of importance to breeding programs.This includes traits related to the nutritional value of milk,the processability of milk into products such as cheese,and traits relevant to animal health and the environment.The ability to successfully incorporate these traits into breeding programs is dependent on the heritability of the FT-MIR predicted traits,and the genetic correlations between the FT-MIR predicted and actual trait values.Linking FT-MIR predicted traits to the underlying mutations responsible for their variation can be difficult because the phenotypic expression of these traits are a function of a diverse range of molecular and biological mechanisms that can obscure their genetic basis.The individual FT-MIR wavenumbers give insights into the chemical composition of milk and provide an additional layer of granularity that may assist with establishing causal links between the genome and observed phenotypes.Additionally,there are other molecular phenotypes such as those related to the metabolome,chromatin accessibility,and RNA editing that could improve our understanding of the underlying biological systems controlling traits of interest.Here we review topics of importance to phenotyping and genetic applications of FT-MIR spectra datasets,and discuss opportunities for consolidating FT-MIR datasets with other genomic and molecular data sources to improve future dairy cattle breeding programs.

Carcass Traits, Meat Yield and Primal Meat Cuts from Arsi, Harar, Ogaden and F1 Jersey*Horro Crossbred Bulls Fed Corn Silage Based Similar Finishing Diet

This study was conducted with the objective to determine carcass traits, meat yield, and primal meat cuts of Arsi, Harar, Jersey*Horro crossbred, and Ogaden cattle breeds at Haramaya University, Ethiopia. A total of 12 bulls of four cattle breeds (3 Arsi, 3 Harar, 3 F1 Jersey*Horro crossbred and 3 Ogaden) with almost similar ages were randomly assigned to four treatments in a completely randomised design (CRD). Data on carcass traits, meat yield, and primal meat cuts were analyzed using the General Linear Model (GLM) of the Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) 9.4 version. The overall averages of live body weight, hot carcass weight, chilled carcass weight, dressing percentages based on hot carcass weight, and rib eye area of experimental cattle breeds were 215.58 kg, 102.93 kg, 99.56 kg, 47.61%, and 8.13 inch2, respectively. The hot carcass weight and chilled carcass weight of the Ogaden (136.57;133.30 kg, resp.) breed were higher (p < 0.01) compared to other experimental cattle breeds. Dressing percentages based on hot carcass weight were higher (p < 0.05) for the Ogaden (49.61%) and Arsi (49.82%) cattle breeds compared to Harar and Jersey*Horro crossbred (45.73%, 45.27%, resp.) cattle breeds. The average meat yield and proportion of meat yield of cattle breeds were 77.52 kg and 77.46%, respectively. With a linear regression coefficient of prediction (R2) ranging from 52.26% to 93.58%, primal meat cuts significantly (p dicted meat yield. In conclusion, the breed of cattle had a significant (p 0.05) influence on live body weight, hot and chilled carcass weight, dressing percentage, rib eye area, subcutaneous fat thickness, meat yield, and the weights of most primal meat cuts. The Ogaden cattle breed had a higher and better meat yield, carcass traits, and most primal meat cuts compared to other experimental cattle breeds. Furthermore, the inclusion of corn silage in the diet of fattening bulls improved the carcass and meat yield. Therefore, the performance of Ogaden cattle compared to other and previous studies suggests the possibility of using this breed for export purposes in addition to Borana and Harar cattle breeds in the future.

Fishing for Success

Innovative solutions unleash the full potential of Zimbabwe＇saquacultureZIMBABWEAN farmer Abel Gurupira used to think that aquaculture had nothing to do with cattle breeding.As a fact,at Milan Wood,his 15-hectare farm in Mashonaland West Province,fish,cattle and poultry used to be raised separately.But things changed after the visit of Pan Tingshuang,a Chinese aquaculture expert,in the region.