Ownership and organizational problems of group breeding schemes with special reference to beef
1971
Robinson, S. A.
In New Zealand beef breeding there is a need to concentrate on improving the production characters of cattle (Carter and Stitchbury, 1970) (4). Crossbreeding offers a method of rapid advancement in these characters by combining different breeds into one strain. But there also exists great variation within traditional breeds (Dalton et al. 1970) (5) and by selecting within these breeds good genetic gains can be made. However, because of the nature of the present stud industry where there are numerous small herds, many of which do not have records (Cairney and Magnussum 1970) (3), progress is slow. This is because of the problems of size which restrict bull turnover ratios and culling margins. Some farmers are overcoming these problems by grouping together and pooling their herds to enable the application of modern selection techniques, which offer the opportunity for more rapid genetic improvement. While the technical and genetic potential of these schemes are clear, an outstanding issue in which there is considerable interest is the question of form of ownership of the group. The aim of the study is to review the present situation regarding ownership and attempt to identify the best form of ownership.
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