Animals

In South Africa, western pleasure is a discipline largely reserved for children. In the US, things are very different. Dr Mac spoke to Greg Wheat, a highly regarded trainer based in Louisiana.

With a ‘dream team’ at the helm and R10 million in prizes, the inaugural Victoria Falls World Challenge Pigeon Race is set to be a classic. Wildlife conservation will benefit too, says Thomas Smit.

SA’s environmental approach of preserving rather than conserving is hampering commercial tilapia culture.

Ulcers are a common problem in horses. The good news is that they can be treated naturally and easily with an age-old fermented milk drink packed with probiotics, says Kim Dyson.

In this second part of our series on twinning in cattle, Chris Nel examines various gender combinations for farmers, and the advantages and disadvantages of these in a commercial and stud herd. He first reported on this complex topic in January 2000.

The weather is beautiful at this time of the year. However, this is also when horses suffer most from allergies, leading to asthma, eczema and other problems, says Kim Dyson.

A comprehensive training programme ensured that the pigeons were fit for the demands of the final race, says Thomas Smit.

Before embarking on a tilapia farming business, carefully consider who your buyers will be – your success will depend on it!

Drought-stricken pasture can produce drier intestinal contents that are more likely to get stuck. The result may be impaction colic, a potentially fatal condition, warns Dr Mac.

There are benefits to twinning in cattle, but research has also proved that it has certain pitfalls and practicalities that require careful consideration. In this three-part article, Chris Nel revisits this complex topic after first reporting on it in January 2000.

The modern Santa Gertrudis is a compact, well-adapted animal that excels on the veld and in the feedlot, says stud breeder Desmond Robertson. Annelie Coleman reports.

Choke in horses is caused by an obstruction of the oesophagus, not the windpipe, and urgent veterinary attention is imperative, says Dr Mac.

The aquaculture development zones proposed by government are not the way to develop the sector.

The old English terms for a white horse with black patches and a white horse with chestnut or bay patches are, respectively, ‘piebald’ and ‘skewbald’.

Dairy farmer, Tshilidzi ‘Chilli’ Matshidzula, the Eastern Cape’s Agri SA Toyota Young Farmer of the Year, manages and partly owns a dairy operation near Alexandria in the Eastern Cape. Mike Burgess spoke to him about his contribution to resurrecting a failed empowerment initiative.

As always, the warmer weather has brought a crop of pests. Kim Dyson provides a useful list of plants that act as natural insect repellents.

Mike Burgess visited Christo Nowers at the state-run Dohne Agricultural Development Institute near Stutterheim to better understand how the herd has achieved an average calving percentage of 83,8% since 2000, and an average herd ICP of 380 days.

Want cost-effective heating for your aquaculture system? Nothing beats greenhouse tunnels.

The health of dairy cows is directly related to their conception rates and milk production.

Improved cow productivity reduces greenhouse gas production, according to specialist Agricultural Research Council researcher Prof Michiel Scholtz, who gave a presentation on the topic at the 1st International Conference on Tropical Animal Science and Production in Thailand. For this reason, he says, it is important to understand the basics of cow productivity.