Animals

With her tiny 10-sow piggery, Western Cape pig producer Augusta Thomas lacks economy of scale. But despite this, she is making a reasonable living. She spoke to Glenneis Kriel about her business strategies and how they enable her to overcome size contraints.

Henning Vorster sold a SA Mutton Merino ram for a South African record price of R110 000 at the National Sale in Bloemfontein in 2017. To find out why farmers are willing to pay record-high prices for his dual-purpose sheep, Mike Burgess visited his stud on the farm Bloubosfontein.

If you want to grow plants and decent-sized fish, the first step is to get rid of those plastic circular bins.

The severity of African horse sickness (AHS) is strongly linked to the immunity status of the horse concerned, and the dose of the virus it receives from biting midges.

Selecting a bull that will significantly improve a herd can be a daunting task, especially for a new buyer. At the 2017 Aldam Stockmans School, cattle veterans Martin Seyfferdt, interbreed cattle judge, and Arthur de Villiers, Arcadia Bonsmara stud owner, offered advice on selection breeding and marketing, and explained the breeder’s role in selling high-performance bulls.

Despite being a stud breeder for only five years, the ARC’s 2017 National Young Beef Cattle Breeder of the Year, MJ Ernst, has already made his mark. Annelie Coleman visited him on the family farm between Klerksdorp and Wolmaransstad to find out more about his Red Angus stud.

With his passion and skill, Gysie Britz raised the bar in South African pigeon racing. Thomas Smit spoke to the champion fancier about his success.

The market for slaughter and breeding goats in South Africa appears to be almost insatiable. With more than 60% of the local goat population in the hands of smallholder farmers, this sector should be benefiting from the strong demand. Denene Erasmus reviews some of the recent research into the factors preventing the smallholder sector from taking full advantage of this opportunity.

With 9 600 sows, Chalala Farms near Malmesbury in the Swartland will soon produce more than 275 000 piglets per year. Jeff van Zyl, manager of the piggery, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the operation’s production methods.

A horse that gets into the habit of shying at every perceived danger can be both irritating and dangerous. Fortunately, there are ways of teaching it to become more confident.

The Single Step method makes it possible to include genomic information in BLUP breeding values. This has put SA Stud Book at the forefront of genomic methodology, says Dr Japie van der Westhuizen, SA Stud Book CEO.

There are massive dams and reservoirs in South Africa that are ideal for cage culture, yet are not used for this purpose. What a waste of this marvellous resource!

Your vet may not be able to respond immediately to an emergency. That means it’s up to you to help your horse as best you can. Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do, says Dr Mac.

The Sid Knott Red and Black Angus studs in the Eastern Cape were founded on top genetics sourced from the US and New Zealand. Over the years, their progeny have been bred to thrive in South Africa’s harsh conditions. Mike Burgess visited the family farm, Wolseley Estate, to speak to the stud’s founder, Sid Knott.

Sandy Speedy is regarded as one of the pioneers of holistic beef cattle production in South Africa. Annelie Coleman visited him and his daughter, Jennifer, on their cattle ranch between Vryburg and Kuruman to learn more about their ‘wagon wheel’ grazing system.

Inflammation of the tendon sheath in the fetlock region can cause severe lameness in a horse, says Dr Mac.

Brackish water can be put to good use in the cultivation of tilapia. Despite being primarily a freshwater species, tilapia are salt-tolerant and actually thrive in saline conditions.

Brothers Barrie and Gielie van Zyl, South Devon stud breeders from Windsorton in the Northern Cape, are also commercial cattle producers. They spoke to Annelie Coleman about Johstep stud’s tough, veld-reared South Devons.

A decade of intense research and development in New Zealand, involving geneticists, food technologists and more than 50 farmers, has led to a new breed of lamb that is claimed to offer improved health benefits, while retaining excellent flavour.

Summer may mean more time to spend with your horse, but it’s also the season for sweet itch, mange and ringworm, cautions Kim Dyson.