5 Cattle diseases that can kill your business
Veterinarian Dr Jan du Preez discusses the top five diseases that South African farmers should guard against to ensure that their cattle and their bottom-line are not negatively affected.
Grazing management in harmony with nature
Be gentle with nature. Work with what you have on your farm and not with what you would have liked to have. This is the grazing management philosophy of commercial...
Senepol cattle: Ideal for Africa’s extensive conditions
The Senepol holds the key to sustainable and profitable beef production in South Africa, says Wilhelm Oosthuyzen, owner of Senepol SA’s 2015 Stud Herd of the Year. Annelie Coleman visited...
Inside Namibia’s stud-breeding industry
The Namibian stud livestock breeding industry currently consists of 79 000 head of registered livestock. Annelie Coleman spoke to Jacque Els, CEO of the Namibian Stud Breeders’ Association in Windhoek, about...
Beef cows: meeting their nutritional needs
Beef farmers should take care to match the nutritional needs of a cow to her production cycle to ensure optimal fertility rates, expecially when forage quality is low. Dr Dietmar...
Kalundu Dairy Farm: Zambia’s biggest dairy
There is enormous demand for locally produced fresh milk and processed milk products in Zambia. Kalundu Dairy Farm contributes substantially to supplying this requirement.
Are you handling your livestock correctly?
Studies indicate that gentler livestock handling practices will result in less stress for the animals and fewer stress-related diseases, says Leon Kruger of the smallstock unit at the Agricultural Research...
Horseshoe Tuli cattle thrive on Eastern Cape veld
Dave Cawthorn runs stud and commercial Tuli cattle on semi-sweet veld near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape. Mike Burgess recently visited the Horseshoe Farm to investigate the impact of this...
Breeding Brahman cattle with superior genetics
Heinrich Bruwer's passion for superior Brahmans has led him to the best genetics in the world.
Good FCRs in beef cattle can improve profits
The owners of Rouvus Drakensberger Stud near Ventersburg take performance testing and animal recording seriously. Father and son team Gawie and Frik Roux incorporated central growth testing into the management...
Lowveld Protected Areas: to manage or not to manage?
Rangeland Ecology Group programme manager at the Agricultural Research Council, Dr Mike Peel, discusses animal management under fluctuating environmental conditions in the Lowveld areas of SA.
Charolais – adding weight to the industry
Charolais farmer Corrie de Vos spoke to Gerhard Uys about how the breed has improved over the decades and how sound business principles can help a commercial and stud farmer...
Towards optimal rangeland management
The interrelationship between vegetation, grazing animals, soil and climate is complex and dynamic. Finding and maintaining a balance between these factors for optimum, sustainable economic production has been the quest...
Woodrose stud – a successful family legacy
Woodrose Red Poll Stud owner Anzabeth Nieuwoudt says the Red Poll has evolved into a true South African dual-purpose breed. Annelie Coleman visited her on the farm Biesieslaagte in Schweizer-Reneke...
Production recording – it pays in more ways than one
With the rising demand for food, farmers have to produce more with fewer inputs. Bertus Mong, owner of the BM Hereford Stud, tells Glenneis Kriel how production recording helped him...
Livestock disease trends – August 2015
Spring is here and it’s time to check your management and vaccination programmes.
New 4-in-1 beef breed has a bright future
Is it possible to combine the best traits of the Brahman, Angus, Simmentaler and Boran? Eastern Cape farmer Johannes Norval thinks so. Mike Burgess spoke to him about his idea...
Establishing a beef herd
Whether commercial or stud, a herd has to be correctly established in order to achieve sustainable economic production. Simmentaler breeder Hennie Viljoen and general manager of Simmentaler SA Flaf Lauwrens...
Livestock Disease trends July 2015
Protein and energy deficiencies have been reported from many areas of the country. If early spring and summer rains do not fall, many areas will face food shortages. Start planning...
Owning the value chain – Boran stud’s success story
Sandton-based accountant brothers, Simeon and Jarren Hurwitz, who also own a farming business near Davel, have established South Africa’s largest Boran stud. They also own their commercial beef business’s entire...
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