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Animal farming covers livestock breeding, dairy, and meat production. Explore methods, challenges, and innovations shaping modern agriculture.

Lessons from the money winners of the SA Invitational Pigeon Race

The South Africa Invitational Pigeon Race (SAIPR) brings together pigeon fanciers from across the country to compete in a unique One Loft series. The article looks at how the races...

First steps to take when putting up a chicken house

Choosing the right site and materials to set up a chicken house or coop on your smallholding or in your backyard is essential to ensure the health and safety of...

Building on a family wool farming legacy

The roots of the Battenhausen family in the Upper Karoo are as deep and meaningful as their family tree. For six generations, they have farmed sheep near Philipstown, and their...

Global oyster market on an upward trend

The global oyster market is on the rise as seafood demand continues to grow. Oysters are valued as a delicacy, a healthy protein, and a sustainable food source.

New Boran stud off to a great start in Western Cape

The Olifantsberg Boran stud may only have been established three years ago, but it’s already showing promise of becoming a name to watch in the industry. Farm managers Johan Geldenhuys...

Navigating the legal landscape for emerging poultry farmers

Emerging poultry farmers face a host of legal, environmental, and practical challenges. Poultry nutritionist Dr Sipokazi Nyeleka spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel about the complexities of starting and running a...

The unmatched hybrid vigour of the Boran

Known as the mother cow of Africa, the Boran has been developed over more than 1 000 years to provide modern farmers with a hardy, cost-effective animal. Sabrina Dean spoke...

South African goat breeds raise the bar for global meat quality

Chantelle Smit, secretary of the SA Boer Goat Breeders’ Association, spoke to Sabrina Dean about what sets South Africa’s Boer, Savanna, and Kalahari Red goats apart from their global counterparts.

Top genetics and passion drive success at goat stud

Christiaan Labuschagne established the Hakuna Matata Stud in Hoopstad, Free State, in 2024 and currently farms Boer and Savanna goats. In a short space of time, the stud has achieved...

Improving goat herds through better selection

Christiaan Labuschagne, owner of the Hakuna Matata Stud, says South Africa’s Boer goats are in high demand because stud owners have strict selection criteria and the South African Boer Goat...

South Africa Invitational Pigeon Race 2025 summer final winners

With a less than one second lead against the second pigeon, a fine Blue Bar racing pigeon, ring ID ZA RADR 136-24, entered by the syndicate of Oliver Radford &...

SA Boerperd: a breed tempered by Africa, for Africa

A five-star rating system being implemented by Erica Stud is taking the SA Boerperd into the future. George Nefdt, owner of the stud in KwaZulu-Natal, tells Sabrina Dean why he...

Producers can’t keep up with global demand for goat meat

Global demand for goat meat is increasing, with health, cultural, and religious practices driving the surge. Trade data company the Observatory of Economic Complexity reported that, over the past five...

Joshlin Simbra Stud: Small herd, strong genetics, big results

At the 2024 Champion of the World Competition, the top Simbra cow and third-placed bull came from the Joshlin Simbra stud, located near Komga in the Eastern Cape. Mike Burgess...

Breeding top racehorses

The world reflected through the eye of a horse is at the centre of the ethos of a boutique racehorse stud set in the Breede Valley in the Western Cape....

Chianina cattle: the gentle white giants giving high meat yield and quality

Looking for a breed to maximise returns on animals and land? Garren Coetzee, who runs a Chianina stud near Uniondale in the Western Cape, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about why...

Expert tips for emerging sheep farmers

Emerging sheep farmers can boost their production and profitability by focusing on quality over quantity. Willem Goosen, production adviser at the National Wool Growers’ Association, spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel...

AgriCulture Mpumalanga’s 2025 young farmer talks challenges, hope, growth

AgriCulture Mpumalanga’s Young Farmer of the Year 2025, Hendy-Hein Mathews, does not mince his words when it comes to the challenges the youth face in the agriculture sector. But he...
Senepol

Senepols: low-maintenance, high-performance cattle

In 2024, Blackpool Senepol sold a bull for a new South African record price of R165 000. Owner Chris Sheard spoke to Mike Burgess about how he built a stud...

Poultry: obstacles and possibilities for small-scale producers

Kobedi Pilane, CEO of African Poultry Producers and a commercial poultry farmer in Brakfontein, near Parys in North West, spoke to Sinenhlanhla Mncwango about the first steps that small-scale farmers...
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