4 hours ago

To Breed Heat-Proof Cows, Nigerian Farmers Source Brazilian Bull Genes

As the planet warms, Nigerian farmers are looking to breed cattle that can take the heat, importing semen from a Brazilian breed suited to balmy tropical weather.

In Africa, European cattle struggle against the heat, while local breeds produce too little milk. The average cow in Africa supplies just a couple of liters of milk daily, compared with 30 liters for the average cow in the U.S., Bloomberg reports.

“Producing milk in a country like Nigeria is not easy,” said Yvonne van der Vorst, of dairy giant FrieslandCampina. “The climate does not lend itself very well to dairy farming.” To breed more productive cattle, FrieslandCampina is working with thousands of farmers across the country to inseminate their cows with semen from Girolando bulls from Brazil.

“I will do much better with the Girolando breed,” Nigerian farmer Moyosore Rafiu told Bloomberg. “They will survive more in our farms, and I’m seeing the signs in the calves already in this farm. It’s going to be a big transformation.”

If cattle become more productive, then conceivably fewer will be needed to meet the demand for milk. That would be good news for the climate, as belching cows are a major source of heat-trapping gas.

If you have two Girolando cows instead of four local cows, it will put “less pressure on resources,” said Mario Herrero, a professor of food systems at Cornell University. “That is the way that it needs to happen.”