Animals

Top-quality heifers and well-balanced nutrition form two of the most important cornerstones of effective red meat production, writes Henco Leicester, technical manager at Telwiedre, an animal feed manufacturer, in Heilbron. He explains the principles of heifer management and the role of lick supplementation.

Increasing production, reducing mortality rates, and managing diseases and pests are the three pillars of success in chicken production. Studies show that a way of achieving this winning combination may lie in the use of effective micro-organisms, a unique mix of bacteria, fungi and yeast.

Conformation is essential when breeding horses for a specific purpose, says Dr Mac. As conformation is achieved mostly through genetic means, breeders need to choose dams and sires with care.

Innovative marketing and customer relationships are essential to a modern piggery, says Shaun Mockford of Mockford Farms in Limpopo. He spoke to Magda du Toit about running a superior pig production operation.

The spread of foot-and-mouth disease across South Africa will continue unrelentingly unless all industry players step up to the plate and do their part to control the disease as much as possible

Gladys ‘Nana’ Towbola of Peezel Farms not only farms broilers and layers, but is passionate about uplifting other small-scale growers through regular workshops. She spoke to Susan Marais about what it takes to start and run a small poultry farm.

JK Basson is a three-time winner of the ARC’s National Master Dairyman of the Year Award. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how he manages to survive in an industry plagued by rising production costs.

Frans Jordaan and Dr Ben Greyling of the Agricultural Research Council provide recommendations to help breeders apply good management and recording practices that can optimise their herds’ genetic evaluations.

This perennial forage has been used as horse feed for centuries, but despite its advantages, it can produce side effects, cautions Dr Mac.

The Bonsmara, which was developed in South Africa from the 1930s, was bred specifically for African conditions, and is the most dominant beef cattle breed in the country today. It has also spread to many other countries around the world. Louis Steyl, CEO of the Bonsmara Cattle Breeders’ Society of South Africa, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the development of the breed, and its future.

Losing just one productive pig can cost you a great deal of money. In this, the third instalment in our series on livestock first aid, Prof Cheryl McCrindle of the University of Pretoria discusses the medications and equipment you should have on your pig farm at all times.

A successful commercial beef cattle enterprise is one that keeps cow mortalities to a minimum, while achieving maximum weaner growth. Rian van Wyk, who farms Brangus in Mpumalanga, spoke to Lindi Botha about his breeding philosophy.

While most Angora producers in the Southern Cape have given up farming these animals, brothers Jasper and Leon van der Westhuizen have achieved exceptional results. They spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the local environmental conditions and their management techniques.

Frans Jordaan and Dr Ben Greyling, researchers at the Agricultural Research Council, write about the importance of choosing bulls based on breeding and performance indices, rather than their visual appearance.

Recent research has highlighted the causes, diagnosis and management of stress to improve health and performance in horses, says Dr Mac.

Frans Jordaan and Dr Ben Greyling of the Agricultural Research Council write about the important role that performance testing plays in increasing a commercial herd’s fertility and profitability.

The best-quality meat demands the best-quality feed, according to Dr Elsje Pieterse, senior lecturer in the Department of Animal Science at Stellenbosch University, and Brett Roosendaal, head nutritionist at Epol. They spoke to Marinda Louw-Coetzee about feeding requirements for producing chicken products.

Desmond Siteti was named the Agricultural Research Council’s Eastern Cape Emerging Beef Farmer for 2021. Mike Burgess visited him and his Bonsmaras near Makhanda to better understand his journey to successful beef production.

Earlier this year, a number of Merino stud breeders from Middelburg in the Eastern Cape formed the Nu Poll Merino Group, whose aim it is to breed polled sheep exclusively. Group member Tinus du Plessis explained to Annelie Coleman why breeding and farming these animals made business sense.

Equine pododermatitis requires careful and thorough treatment, and is exacerbated by damp or wet conditions, says Dr Mac.