Cattle

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...

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...

Winter is setting in and in many areas the nutritional value of grazing is poor. Animals are losing condition and immune levels are dropping.

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...

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...

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...

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...

The winter months lie ahead and additional nutritional supplementation should be given to animals in time.

Choosing the correct stocking rate is the most important grazing management decision in sustainable livestock and wildlife production, says Dr Mias van der Westhuizen of the Free State Department of...

Jannie Breytenbach’s Goedvoor Nguni Stud near Marble Hall is best known for setting a South African record price for an Nguni cow and calf sold for R86 000 in 2007....

Heifers, first-calvers, maiden ewes and first-lambers need to be managed properly to reduce risk in terms of productivity versus production costs. Dr Francois van de Vyver, livestock nutritionist with Voermol...

KZN can become SA’s leading dairy supplier, but industry challenges must first be addressed.

Inadequate and slow service delivery, tight regulations, increased imports and high feed costs are contributing to an increasingly sluggish poultry industry in KwaZulu-Natal. Despite this, opportunities do exist.

February, March and April are the peak months for insect- and tick-transmitted diseases. The unavailability of the blue tongue vaccine resulted in serious losses to smallstock farmers and everything should...

For Moorreesburg Merino stud breeder Johann Kotze, careful selection based on performance testing, BLUP values and strict visual selection of wool and conformation traits are all essential for a successful...

Germinated grain produced in a closed system is a highly nutritious fodder, but factors such as the high cost of production and the high moisture content may make it uneconomical,...

A burgeoning warthog population indirectly benefited smallstock predators on James Faber’s farm in the Northern Cape. The problem was so severe that he converted his farming operation from sheep and...

OAD milking is becoming increasingly popular in New Zealand, but can it work in SA?

In his controversial new book, legendary Southern Africa cattleman Johann Zietsman urges other cattle farmers to buck the status quo, innovate and increase their production by more than 50%. Heather...

Father and son team, Paradise and Temba Mahlangu, believe in sound education, hard work, service to the community and a balance between the drive to succeed and a sense of...