North West cattle farmer puts his trust in proven stud bulls
Kgomotso Bantsho has been farming Bonsmara cattle and goats full-time in North West since 2017. He says that support from other farmers is critical, and that each farmer needs to...
Broiler producer uses her position to uplift others
Jo-andra Cloete, who farms in Joostenberg Vlakte near Cape Town, started producing broilers only a few years ago. She is now mentoring over a hundred farmers, whom she supplies with...
Sustainable game farming in the bushveld
On his 2 500ha game farm near Lephalale in Limpopo, Willem Frost aims to provide local and international hunters with an authentic hunting experience, which promotes the farm’s overall sustainability...
Intensive sheep farm achieves 180% per year weaning rate
Sheep production has become a numbers game, with an operation’s profitability being largely dependent on the farmer’s ability to produce large numbers of sheep at low cost. Farm manager Dirk...
On a quest to breed ‘the perfect Brahman’
A dream to farm Brahman cattle saw Auldrich Spies switch from construction to farming. Ironically, it was his initial ignorance that led him to become a successful stud farmer today....
Tilapia farming: Untapped SA market holds opportunity for growth
David Fincham has more than 30 years’ experience in aquaculture and is one of South Africa’s foremost tilapia specialists. Through his business in Muldersdrift near Johannesburg, he has supplied 450...
Dealing with colic during COVID-19
Colic is the leading killer of horses around the world, and COVID-19 has made it harder for vets to go out to stables to diagnose horses. Virtual diagnosis and colic...
Backyard broiler business: Start small, dream big
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and Emmanuel Gumede has taken this proverb to heart in his dream to one day own andoperate a large-scale...
Breeding top-performing Dohne Merino on 95ha
The Patience family started farming on 95ha of rented land in Saron in the Western Cape in the 1960s, beginning with just 10 sheep and a handful of cattle. Today,...
Beware of mouldy hay bales
When your horses don’t want to eat the hay you have bought in for winter, the bales could be mouldy, warns Dr Mac.
Record-breaking, high-altitude Ngunis
On 9 May 2020, the Biggs family, who farms in the Eastern Cape, sold a Nguni herd sire for a world-record price of R310 000. Clive Biggs spoke to Mike...
The importance of maintaining reproductive health in a herd
Fourth-generation farmer Gerhard Grobler says he has been able to achieve better results from his beef cattle herd after introducing crossbreeding. But, he adds, South Africa’s beef producers need to...
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