Subsistence livestock owners usually have no rules or customs for the improvement of their livestock through breeding. Most of these farmers allow their animals to breed more or less haphazardly and accept the results as inevitable, as they tend to place their confidence in herd numbers, rather than quality and reproduction performance.
Overstocking is a real challenge, as it further reduces production and increases veld degradation, fodder shortage, and poverty.
General problems include bulls that are too old, infertile animals or those with low fertility, and inbreeding.
The importance of the bull in a cattle-breeding programme
