Animals

For 15 years, the Muller family, near George, has been using biological farming methods and no-till practices. Their pasture-reared dairy herd is thriving and can be directly traced to the operation’s original 17 cows.

The hobby of keeping exotic ornamental fish in a home aquarium is nowhere near as popular as it once was.

Get the sweat out of your horse, as well as dirt and loose hairs. Dr Mac shows how.

It’s crucial for a broiler producer to get floor management right. This will improve the birds’ physical environment, reduce disease and result in better quality broilers. So says free-range poultry producer Kobus Visser, who spoke to Glenneis Kriel.

The frog acts as a shock absorber for the foot as it strikes the ground. If the frog is infected with thrush, your horse will be reluctant to walk and could even become lame, warns Kim Dyson.

Pond aquaculture systems may be the answer to producing bulk quantities of tilapia simply and affordably.

The socio-economic dynamics of an ever-growing and increasingly globalised human population are placing increasing demands on the world’s livestock producers. German Agricultural Society president, Carl-Albrecht Bartmer, explored these issues at the opening of EuroTier 2016.

Breed, conformation and supply and demand are among the factors that affect the price of a horse, explains Dr Mac.

Mecki and Brigitte Schneider of the Okabra Brahman Stud in the Grootfontein district in Namibia own one of the largest stud and commercial beef cattle operations in Southern Africa. Wayne Southwood investigates how they made significant improvements to their herd by continually applying sound scientific principles.

Hanging baskets will brighten up your stable yard and keep away flies, mosquitoes and other annoying pests, by Kim Dyson.

At the 2016 National Dormer Sale in Bloemfontein, a Welpic Dormer ram achieved the second-best price of R51 000. Mike Burgess visited JP Potgieter (26) to see how and why he is making an impact in the Dormer stud industry just three years after settling on the farm, Oude Woning, in the Lady Grey district of the Eastern Cape.

Owners of broodmares should ensure that their animals’ feed is optimal and the timing is right, says Dr Mac.

Cattlemen operating under extensive conditions are always looking for ways to increase production and profitability, says Dr Liesel Foster, a beef producer from Zastron. Her PhD research concluded that farmers should carefully consider the cost and management involved in supplementary feeding to achieve this goal.

With government assistance, many rural small-scale fish farmers could turn their operations into viable enterprises.

For producers to benefit from the growing national and international demand for live goats and goat products, it is essential to have healthy flocks. Dr Alan Rowe, chief state veterinarian for the Harry Gwala District Municipality, shares tips on goat health management.

Magnesium sulphate has a wide range of medicinal uses for humans, from easing inflammation to acting as a laxative. And it’s no less useful on horses, says Kim Dyson.

Cornel van Heerden is the Eastern Cape’s 2016 TAU SA’s Young Farmer of the Year. Mike Burgess visited him recently on the farm Wildefontein in the Lady Grey district to learn how he established an award-winning livestock enterprise while saving money, and why his extensive Bonsmara beef operation has proved such a success.

An ill-fitting saddle can affect performance and even cause behavioural problems and back injuries in a horse. Follow these few simple techniques to ensure a good fit, says Dr Mac.

The Nagenoeg Polled Hereford Stud was established by Gerhard Botha and his father, Manie, on their family farm near Barkly East in 1975, but by the 1990s only commercial animals were being farmed. The stud was re-registered in 1997 and has excelled.

Pigeon fanciers Albert Lingenfelder and André Mills have again made their mark, this time in the inaugural Western Cape Classic.