Animals

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 work, entry rules, the Challenge Race, and tips for breeding and training top-performing pigeons.

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 your chickens.

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 contribution to the community is well known. Today, it is up to Carl Battenhausen to walk in the footsteps of those who came before him and continue building his family’s legacy.

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.

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 and Ruanda Brink spoke to Glenneis Kriel about their breeding strategy, and why they believe the Boran is the breed of the future.

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 compliant and sustainable poultry enterprise.

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 to Gerrit Potgieter from Komga in the Eastern Cape, a council member of the Boran Cattle Breeders’ Society of South Africa who oversees the society’s marketing portfolio, to find out more about the breed.

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.

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 numerous accolades due to Labuschagne’s investment in top genetics.

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 Breeders’ Association’s enforces high standards.

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 & Lionel Visser, secured the win in the tough final event of the South Africa Invitational Pigeon Race (SAIPR) Summer Series held on 8 February 2025.

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 believes the breed to be the perfect companion or competition horse.

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 years, the trade in goat meat has grown at an annual rate of 1,76%. In 2023, the main importers of goat meat were the United Arab Emirates (30,3%), the US (17,4%), and South Korea (9,9%).

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 spoke to the co-owner, Linley Jones, about how this stud of just 80 cows managed to win such a prestigious award.

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. Sabrina Dean spoke to John Köster to find out how Klawervlei Stud has added value to the Thoroughbred studbook over the years.

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 this breed is the answer.

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 about strategies for breeding productive animals and managing them effectively.

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 is certain that farmers will overcome and continue to provide food for the nation.

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 capable of producing one of the best Senepol bulls the country has ever seen.

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 must take if they hope to scale up to commercial production.