Adaptaur Association of Australia : a breed association based on the performance recording of Adaptaur cattle

SUMMARY In 1997 an association of Queensland beef producers was incorporated with the object of breeding performance-recorded Adaptaur cattle. Adaptaurs were developed at the National Cattle Breeding Station eBelmonti, from a line of Hereford x Shorthorns selected primarily for high tick resistance and high growth rate measured in the presence of tropical stress. In northern Australia, Adaptaur bulls are able to generate, without the need for either supplementary feeding or parasite control, high levels of productivity when used over Bos indicus females. This paper provides a background to the formation of the Adaptaur Association of Australia and outlines the performance protocols that have been adopted by the Association so as to maintain high levels of growth, fertility and resistance to environmental stresses in Adaptaur cattle. The protocols could be applied to the selection for tropical adaptation in other breeds of cattle.