Photo: Chris Nel
WO 01 0490, bred by Willem, Frans and Cloete Odendaal of the WO Beefmaster Stud in Vrede, Free State, is the 2011 Farmer’s Weekly-ARC Best Elite Beefmaster Cow.
Born in 2001 and 9 years old on the evaluation date, this distinctive briekwa (brindled)-coloured cow had already produced eight calves with an outstanding ICP of 358 days, and was again pregnant when Farmer’s Weekly visited the stud in July 2011.
She first calved at the age of 24 months. Her reproduction index, based on age of first calving and average ICP, is 118.
Her average weaning index (the average weaning weight index of her calves) is 111, as is her average efficiency (205-day weight of calf/cow at weaning) index.
Her birth weight (direct) EBV is 1,57kg (accuracy 70%) and her birth weight (maternal) EBV is -0,22kg (accuracy 73%).
Her weaning weight (direct) EBV is 11,30kg (accuracy 64%) and her weaning weight (maternal) EBV is 4,20kg (accuracy 73%). The Odendaal family has been breeding cattle for more than 30 years.
Willem laid the foundation of this famous WO Beefmaster herd by cross-breeding Brahman and Sanga-type cattle with European and English breeds and keeping the best females.
From these he built up his Beefmaster herd through upgrading by inseminating with semen from the finest Beefmaster bulls in the US and South Africa, and eventually from his own bulls.
The breeding herd currently consists of around 1 100 medium-framed cows and heifers, annually synchronised and then artificially inseminated in a 42-day breeding season.
Only fresh semen from bulls, selected at an age of 14 months, is used. Some bulls already give semen for freezing as early as 10 months.
Heifers calve from the age of two years and thereafter annually in what is probably one of the toughest selection programmes in the world.
Around 60% of the calves are born in the first two weeks of the calving season to wean at up to 50kg heavier than calves born later.
Females are selected for early maturity, fertility and adaptability, and bulls on traits of growth, high weaning weights, muscling, hardiness and walking ability. More emphasis is placed on weaning weight than on average daily gain to promote an early maturing type of bull.
Such a large female herd provides a broader genetic base for selection, giving the Odendaals an undoubted advantage in the Beefmaster world.
Contact Frans Odendaal on 072 214 6300, Cloete Odendaal on 082 348 9555 or Willem Odendaal on 058 913 1839.
