Organic dairy cattle breeding: possibilities and challenges

Description

This chapter discusses challenges and options for developing dedicated organic dairy breeding programmes with a focus on developing cows best suited to low-input production in particular local contexts. It reviews ways of identifying target traits and establishing breeding goals as well as when to develop separate organic breeding lines and how best to integrate phenotypic and genomic data in breeding. The chapter also discusses options for optimising organic breeding programmes such as the potential multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) and the role of crossbreeding.

Table of contents

• 1 Introduction
• 2 The right animal for the right production system
• 3 Setting up an organic breeding scheme: prerequisites and breeding goals
• 4 Breeding traits or goals of specific importance for organic cattle production
• 5 When to divide a breed into different lines
• 6 The role of phenotypic data and genomic breeding values
• 7 Breeding scheme optimisation
• 8 Issues in developing specific organic breeding schemes
• 9 Leveraging genetic diversity: use of conservation breeds and crossbreeding
• 10 References