Cattle

For generations, the Bongas have been proudly rooted in the Xhosa cattle herding tradition. While herding cattle elsewhere, Freddie Bonga used his hard-earned cash to build his own herd. Today, he is an up-and-coming commercial cattleman with a thirst for knowledge. Susan Botes-Marais visited the Bonga family on their farm.

“The US Department of Agriculture’s Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) ranks the Beef Shorthorn as one of the best performers in the world in terms of calving ease, average daily gain, marbling and carcass quality,” says Niel Dry, who runs Niemen Beef Shorthorn Stud on 464ha near Magaliesburg in the North West.

Award-winning Namibian farmer Piet Coetzee has been highly successful in the country’s smallstock breeders industry. Acknowledging the role played by his wife, sons and workforce in his achievements, he explained to Annelie Coleman how he manages an eight-stud farming business.

Internal parasites - There was an increase in the number of reports regarding internal parasite infestations. Plettenberg Bay reported a severe outbreak of a cattle bankrupt worm infestation in calves. Reports of mortalities due to wireworm infestation were received.

Contact with wildlife can endanger your livestock, because wild animals are a source of diseases that seriously affect the productivity of livestock and even lead to death.

If you want to make money breeding cattle, you have to buy the best bulls available. The Glen Heath Tuli Stud is proof that this strategy works.

During the drought of 2006, Paul Bester, head of ZZ2’s transformation initiative was approached by civil engineer Element Mashai and his partner Elvis Ramolo, who owned a herd outside Polokwane. The two men were desperately seeking grazing.

The Sussex breed’s strong prepotency in terms of muscling, fertility and adaptability makes it the ideal beef breed choice for Namibia’s extensive farming conditions, says Cobus van der Merwe, a Sussex breeder farming in eastern Namibia.

Cattlemen constantly debate how to market cattle off the veld in addition to through feedlots. A recent block test set out to address this.

Your Future Dairy Training offers aspiring farmers hands-on and practical training.

Commercial beef production, small and exclusive Limousin and Brahman studs, and large-scale bush clearance have changed Sigi and Heide Baas’s farming enterprise from high-risk to low-risk. Annelie Coleman visited their farm to learn more.

Argentina is, of course, one of the world’s top beef-eating countries, with an annual per capita consumption of about 60kg. However, an increase in red meat prices has opened a gap for Argentina’s a thriving commercial broiler industry.

In the beautiful Mooketsi Valley of northern Limpopo, ZZ2’s cattle division manager Paul Bester is getting on with the business of raising cattle profitably and efficiently in an environment relatively unforgiving to livestock.

Ruminants need mineral trace elements to maintain health and to achieve desired levels of production and reproduction. Trace elements help combat disease challenges and stress-induced problems and support a good return on investment for the producer, says Dr Jasper Coetzee.

Carel Nel and his family pioneered breeding Drakensberger cattle in the western and central Free State. His Drakensberger stud’s Afrikaans name, Grasmunt, refers to the breed’s ability to generate good profits under extensive conditions.

The Bonsmara is a breed par excellence in any beef production system, especially when selected over a quarter of a century in an environment that’s tough on the slightest weakness. Johan and Michiel Geldenhuys told Chris Nel how they do it.

While some South African dairy farms can number more than a thousand cows in milk, the average dairy herd in Argentina is far smaller. But dairy farmers in Argentina share a major obstacle with their SA counterparts: unfavourable agricultural policies.

Klerksdorp Dexter cattle breeders, sisters Kelpie Oosthuizen and Bienkie du Preez, recently imported new genetics for polledness and the dun colour for their Marso Uthando Farming herd.

Angus McIntosh and his wife Mariota returned to SA from London 10 years ago. In 2009, they took the plunge and began farming on rented land. Since then, they have concentrated on diversification, biodynamic production, and value-adding.

Ten farmers developed and adapted the genetics of their beef cattle to their environment and now produce profitable progeny.