Breeding Management Program of Iranian Holstein Farms in Tehran Province

Abstract

Dairy industry plays an important role in the national economy and in the socio-economic development of Iran. Considering the importance of breeding programs by dairy farmers, a study was conducted at Tehran Province of Iran. A total of 74 farms were selected on the basis of probability proportionate sampling technique. Data were analyzed by ANOVA. Results showed that the mean of milk production reached to 7364 (kg/year) per cow in 2009. Only 32% of the 74 farms used herd selection index. The proportions of culled dairy cows were due mainly to involuntary culling which was significantly higher than voluntary culling. The percentage of cows used natural service (NS) and artificial insemination (AI) were 97.76% and 2.24%, respectively. In NS, 69.5% of cows became pregnant. However, the rate of insemination(s) was 1.93 doses of semen per pregnancy (51.80% fertility) which 46% of the used semen were originally imported from abroad. Incidence of diseases has been recorded around 9% except in 2007 when it has reached 15%. Diseases incidence can be brought down to the expected levels by creating awareness among the dairy farmers about the prevention and control tactics of different prevalent diseases in the area under study. Awareness campaigns, television and radio can be effectively used to deal with these problems. Training camps can be organized to create awareness among the people.