Cattle

In 2003 Reuter Sorour and Andrew Tilsley, joined later by neighbour Alec Botha, began producing organic-in-conversion milk for Woolworths via their national organic centre for milk production near Bloemfontein, Homsek Dairy. Today Andrew and Alec have reverted to conventional milk production while Reuter remains deeply disillusioned, thanks to what they call a controversial certification process and a battle to receive significant premiums for their milk. Mike Burgess visited the farmers near Ficksburg to hear their side of the story.

South African cattle breeder Nico Olivier has negotiated semen and embryo exchange with top studs in Paraguay and Brazil. Animals from Nico's Angus Africa stud are winning championships and strengthening gene pools in the huge South American cattle industry. Glenneis Erasmus found out more.

MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs in KZN, Mtholephi Mthimkhulu, has committed R100 ­million to the ­rehabilitation of dilapidated livestock dip tanks and the formation of livestock associations in the province's communal areas this year.

Texas is widely known as some of the best cattle country in the world. It evokes images of whooping and hollering cowboys on horseback herding vast herds of Longhorn cattle across trackless terrain, and the art of roping and branding calves without the benefit of a crush.

The hunting community has been divided since minister of environmental affairs and tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk outlawed the hunting of captive-bred large predators earlier this year. Issue date 15 June 2007

One of the highlights of the 2007 Nampo livestock section was the ­Romagnola, an Italian beef cattle breed, which made its debut at this prestigious agricultural show.

Dr Jan du Preez, managing director of the Institute for Dairy Technology at the Milk Producers' Organisation and Michael Hutjens from the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois in the US, recently discussed the impact of heat stress, and ways to deal with this problem in South African dairy herds
Issue Date: 30 March 2007

The University of Fort Hare's Nguni Cattle Project, launched in 2003, is successfully managing the resurgence of the Nguni cattle breed in its traditional home of the former Ciskei and Transkei. Mike Burgess reports on how this acclaimed development initiative has brought the Nguni back to its traditional roots to uplift poor rural communities.
Issue date:23 March 2007

The concept has already been years in the making, and finally Lesotho has begun implementing a countrywide livestock-marking programme to combat stock theft. South Africa is providing expertise and will benefit from the programme as well. Lloyd Phillips pays the mountain kingdom a visit.

Retired after many years at the University of the Free State's animal science department, Prof Gert Erasmus talks to Roelof Bezuidenhout about five myths in breeding and explains why there's no such thing as the “ideal” animal. Issue Date: 16 February 2007

Freeze branding is not a new concept to South African agriculture, yet it is only in recent years that it has gained in popularity among dairy farmers to facilitate easier herd management. Lloyd Phillips discovers how freeze branding works, and how it helps farmers.

The long-awaited results of a study into the economics of strategic protein supplementation of late pregnant and lactating sheep and Angora goats have been released by agricultural researcher Jan Hoon of Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute at Middelburg in the Eastern Cape.