Cattle

From the start of his enterprise, Pierre van Niekerk has sourced Limousin genetics from France to build his Jacre Limousin Stud near Bedford in the Eastern Cape. Mike Burgess visited Klipfontein to see why French sires still define this herd renowned for producing award-winning carcasses.

The perception that only stud breeders benefit from performance testing is unfounded. Commercial farmers can significantly improve the productivity of their herds using this system, says Frans Jordaan, chief research technician at the Agricultural Research Council.

In Ireland, low-input dairy production on pasture with limited labour resources can be viable. On a recent visit to Ireland, Gerhard Uys spoke to farmer Pat Hennessy about how thorough infrastructure planning, good pastures and the correct breed can ensure success.

Derick le Roux and his father, Carl, own the only 5-Star Breedplan accredited stud in South Africa. Derick explains to Gerhard Uys how record-keeping can optimise profit in any production environment.

The only insurance against drought is a sound, scientifically based grazing management programme, coupled with a reasonable stocking rate even in times of plenty. So says Dr Mias van der Westhuizen, Free State rangeland specialist. Annelie Coleman spoke to him about the practical implications of good grazing management.

Livestock transportation should result in as little stress to the animals as possible, whether they are being transported to the abattoir or other farms. Glenneis Kriel spoke to Dr Dirk Verwoerd and Giepie Bester about best practices when transporting livestock.

For 15 years, the Muller family, near George, has been using biological farming methods and no-till practices. Their pasture-reared dairy herd is thriving and can be directly traced to the operation’s original 17 cows.

Mecki and Brigitte Schneider of the Okabra Brahman Stud in the Grootfontein district in Namibia own one of the largest stud and commercial beef cattle operations in Southern Africa. Wayne Southwood investigates how they made significant improvements to their herd by continually applying sound scientific principles.

Cattlemen operating under extensive conditions are always looking for ways to increase production and profitability, says Dr Liesel Foster, a beef producer from Zastron. Her PhD research concluded that farmers should carefully consider the cost and management involved in supplementary feeding to achieve this goal.

Cornel van Heerden is the Eastern Cape’s 2016 TAU SA’s Young Farmer of the Year. Mike Burgess visited him recently on the farm Wildefontein in the Lady Grey district to learn how he established an award-winning livestock enterprise while saving money, and why his extensive Bonsmara beef operation has proved such a success.

The Nagenoeg Polled Hereford Stud was established by Gerhard Botha and his father, Manie, on their family farm near Barkly East in 1975, but by the 1990s only commercial animals were being farmed. The stud was re-registered in 1997 and has excelled.

The Romagnola cattle breed is a relatively new entrant to Namibia, but is set to add great value to the country’s beef production industry in the long term. Annelie Coleman visited Babette Stöck and Andreas Wiese, owners of Ongeama Romagnolas near Windhoek, to find out more.

In this third part of our series on twinning in cattle, Chris Nel highlights some remarkable stud beef cows that have produced multiple twins, and explains why dairy and small-framed cattle are normally unsuitable for twin births. He first reported on this complex topic in January 2000.

In this second part of our series on twinning in cattle, Chris Nel examines various gender combinations for farmers, and the advantages and disadvantages of these in a commercial and stud herd. He first reported on this complex topic in January 2000.

There are benefits to twinning in cattle, but research has also proved that it has certain pitfalls and practicalities that require careful consideration. In this three-part article, Chris Nel revisits this complex topic after first reporting on it in January 2000.

The modern Santa Gertrudis is a compact, well-adapted animal that excels on the veld and in the feedlot, says stud breeder Desmond Robertson. Annelie Coleman reports.

Dairy farmer, Tshilidzi ‘Chilli’ Matshidzula, the Eastern Cape’s Agri SA Toyota Young Farmer of the Year, manages and partly owns a dairy operation near Alexandria in the Eastern Cape. Mike Burgess spoke to him about his contribution to resurrecting a failed empowerment initiative.

Mike Burgess visited Christo Nowers at the state-run Dohne Agricultural Development Institute near Stutterheim to better understand how the herd has achieved an average calving percentage of 83,8% since 2000, and an average herd ICP of 380 days.

The health of dairy cows is directly related to their conception rates and milk production.

Improved cow productivity reduces greenhouse gas production, according to specialist Agricultural Research Council researcher Prof Michiel Scholtz, who gave a presentation on the topic at the 1st International Conference on Tropical Animal Science and Production in Thailand. For this reason, he says, it is important to understand the basics of cow productivity.