Project name: Increase beef production by improving the genealogy of the Selenge breed cattle
Entity information: Khogno Meej NGO was established in 2011. The NGO has 4 zoologists, 1 economist, 1 veterinarian, 2 doctors of agricultural science, 1 doctor of economy, 1 honorary veterinarian, and 1 state honored zoologist, and 1 consultant zoologist of Mongolia. Since 2011, the organization has been implementing several projects and measures on protecting and strengthening the Selenge breed cattle genealogy and pastureland assessments of Bulgan province in cooperation with the public, private entities, and international organizations.
Project objective: To protect and strengthen the genealogical fond of the Selenge breed cattle, increase beef productivity, increase headcount and habitation, and ensure conditions for supplying fast-growing and heavy-weighting cattle for continuous operations of the production of the meat production factories being established in the provinces of central region.
Planned activities:
By procuring 90 heads of Hereford breed bulls and using them for selective breeding of the Selenge breed we will grow roughly 5200 heads by 2023. Selecting qualifying young bulls amongst the offspring, in years 2022-2024, we will start supplying the cattle breeding soums with the Selenge breed bulls, and from 2025, will extend our service to the other beef cattle breeding enterprises and herders of the forest-steppe zone.
We will establish a research center to carry out experimentations on 10 selected Hereford bulls, 6 Hereford-hybrid bulls, and 40 gestating cows, conduct comparative analysis on their offspring quality and productivity by tracking the genealogy for strengthening the profitability-qualities and biologically superior characteristics of the Selenge breed cattle. Our target is to increase the live weight of the Selenge breed cows to 500kgs within the next decade. Based on the results of the experimentation, we will develop methodological guidance on cattle breeding and implement it in production.
Proposed solutions:
Ensure pure breed growth by an ordinance issued by the Governor of Bulgan province on defining the area of Selenge cattle breeding and prohibiting the use of inseminators other than the Selenge breed in this area. To achieve expected results, we will supply herders with highly qualified bulls and implement productivity improvement tactics by selecting from the first-generation of improved Selenge breed hybrid cattle and then “breeding between each other.”
As part of the project, we will train the local specialists’ team to perform production and selection experimentation locally, and this task will be resolved with the establishment of the research center.
Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries are 345 herders and 282 livestock owner families who own Selenge breed cattle. The indirect beneficiaries will be 2300 herder and livestock owner families of the Selenge breed growth area of 4 neighboring soums, out of which 42 are female-headed households.