Your one-stop guide to BLUP breeding values
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.
Pros and cons of lucerne in your horse’s diet
This perennial forage has been used as horse feed for centuries, but despite its advantages, it can produce side effects, cautions Dr Mac.
The rise of the Bonsmara in South Africa
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...
Managing your pigs’ health
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...
Maximising Brangus weaner growth with top-quality genetics
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...
Breeding top Angora goats in the Southern Cape
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...
Genetics-based guidelines to buying a bull at an auction
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.
How stress influences the health and behaviour of horses
Recent research has highlighted the causes, diagnosis and management of stress to improve health and performance in horses, says Dr Mac.
Performance testing for the commercial farmer
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.
Choosing the right feed for your chickens
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....
Top emerging beef farmer’s journey to success with Bonsmara
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...
The benefits of polled Merinos for SA’s sheep industry
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....
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