Esteemed Customers, Farmers, Breeders and all: I am delighted to present to you the 5th Edition of the CAIS Bull Catalogue.  This one was produced with a lot more information on sires and contract dams of all CAIS bulls and those of their daughters to ensure that the dairy industry procures an economically sound genetic pool.

With this tool, many gains have been achieved in milk yield and quality without compromising on vital traits of fertility, longevity and mastitis resistance.  Semen demand and sales from CAIS bulls have increased threefold since 2004 (thanks to the appointments of CAIS Agents) and with an increase in export enquiries.

In view of the increasing semen demand both locally and regionally, BPC reprogrammed its’ activities i.e. visited more farms and recruited more bull dams.  Thus, the station was able to increase the number of high quality young bulls in the station as depicted herein.

In addition, in consideration of the fact that our collaborators have/are distributing imported Genetics to our Farmers, BPC chose to introduce Holland genetics to cater for the shifting market trends and the need to improve on milk quality (on solids) as we still maintain high production trends and other positive dairying traits.

CAIS bulls are recruited by the station's Bull Purchasing Committee, which is composed of Breeding Experts and Geneticists through careful selection of contract mating dams (Bull Mothers) with superior production and other dairy type traits (registered with the Kenya Stud Book and recording with Dairy Recording Services of Kenya).  The committee recruits the young bulls at the age of one month.  The sires of these bull calves are carefully selected from the best progeny test sires from all over the world, basically on production and type traits.  This particular issue has been produced with the effort of CAIS catalogue Sub Committee, which has put together available production data, linear traits and descriptive classification of the bulls and their daughters.  We thank all those whose efforts and expertise has seen a high quality informative catalogue come to be.  It is gratifying to note the watchful eyes of CAIS Bull Purchasing Committee and other Stakeholders through whom, Kenyan Farmers have come to consume the valuable information in the catalogue, thereby being able to choose the best for breeding.

The 2009/2010 CAIS Bull Catalogue has been designed to assist the ordinary farmers to be able to easily interpret bull information for efficient selection.

On behalf of CAIS and the Bull Purchasing Committee members, may I offer our sincere congratulations to our farmers for using CAIS bull semen; we also send our gratitude to the office of the Minister, our Permanent Secretary, the Director of Veterinary Services and all our Contract Farmers and all those who have continued supporting and encouraging the station.