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...
Careful stud selection boosts commercial beef production
Johan and JM Steyn from Bothaville’s Vansia Red Angus stud, which commemorates its 40th anniversary this year, is on a mission to provide hardy, veld-adapted genetics. This strategy aims to...
Livestock Disease Trends Report – June
Winter is setting in and in many areas the nutritional value of grazing is poor. Animals are losing condition and immune levels are dropping.
Adding value sets Sarahsrivier’s dairy business apart
Milk production on Sarahsrivier Boerdery near Ashton in the Western Cape has undergone many changes since its cheese factory was established in 1994. To achieve organic certification, it moved away...
50 years of Simmentaler: From Europe to Africa
The Southern African Simmentaler/Simbra Breeders’ Society was registered on 28 February 1964. To celebrate last year’s 50th anniversary, the society has published a comprehensive commemorative history of the breed in...
Winter feeding methods: a tale of two farms
There is more to feeding in winter than simply keeping cattle alive until summer. Mistakes in winter cattle feeding may take more than one season to rectify, and costs a...
Brucellosis in cattle
The bacterial disease, brucellosis, costs the local livestock industry millions of rands every year. In the first of a new animal health series, Dr JH du Preez and Dr Faffa...
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