These traits include sale weight for steers and heifers,
dressing percentage, consumable meat percentage,
milk yield in dual purpose production systems, cow
weight, cow weaning rate, cow survival rate, postweaning
survival rate, and feed intake of steers,
heifers and cows.
Genetic improvement of the Boran in Kenya is
facilitated by the Boran Cattle Breeders’ Society
(BCBS). Membership of the society is restricted to
farmers keeping Boran cattle, and other interested
stakeholders. At present, the activities of the society
focus on administration, maintaining breed standards,
and searching for new markets for both beef and
genetic material. Farmers are still independent
with respect to selection and genetic improvement.
Occasional exchange of genetic material between
herds as a means of preventing inbreeding is probably
the only form of interaction between farms. On most
farms, selection focuses largely on weaning weights
and calving interval. To evaluate their animals,
some farmers have purchased various computer
programmes to enable them to re-orientate on-farm
performance recording to suit their management
purposes.
The BCBS is among the most active breeders’
associations in Kenya. It is not at present subsidized
financially, but is involved in strategic cooperation
with the LRC which stores and evaluates performance
records for those producers still participating in the
recording scheme. The BCBS also cooperates with
the National Agricultural Research System in the
exchange of information – especially on nutrition and
breeding. Research aimed at developing appropriate
genetic improvement programmes for the Boran and
updating the current ones is ongoing.