50 years of Simmentaler: From Europe to Africa
The Southern African Simmentaler/Simbra Breeders’ Society was registered on 28 February 1964. To celebrate last year’s 50th anniversary, the society has published a comprehensive commemorative history of the breed in...
Heritability of temperament in horses
Is temperament mainly genetic or due to the environment? Before answering this question, we should be clear about what is meant by ‘temperament’, says Dr Mac.
Winter feeding methods: a tale of two farms
There is more to feeding in winter than simply keeping cattle alive until summer. Mistakes in winter cattle feeding may take more than one season to rectify, and costs a...
Beneke Lofts
The multiple award-winning father-and-sons team at Beneke Lofts discusses their partnership and champion racing pigeon lines with Thomas Smit.
Importing horses
Bringing in competition horses from overseas can be expensive and requires expert help, cautions Dr Mac.
How to keep farming sheep in drought
Drought is a fact of life – and death – in South Africa, and the current drought is certainly no exception. Overberg sheep farmer, Thys Delport, gives practical advice on...
The limits of stocking rates for aquaculture
In South Africa, open ponds for aquaculture are impractical due to our cool winters. And with the country’s electricity crisis, one can ill afford to adopt an indoor system that...
Dealing with the rattles
Rhodococcus equi infections can be fatal, especially in Arabian foals, says Dr Mac.
Brucellosis in cattle
The bacterial disease, brucellosis, costs the local livestock industry millions of rands every year. In the first of a new animal health series, Dr JH du Preez and Dr Faffa...
Know your horse breed: Percheron
Percherons have become extremely popular in South Africa, not least because these gentle giants are easy to handle and still have some use on the farm, says Dr Mac.
Livestock Disease Trends Report – May
The winter months lie ahead and additional nutritional supplementation should be given to animals in time.
Groblersdal’s champion Damara Stud
Neels Nel has been breeding Damara sheep near Groblersdal in Limpopo for almost 25 years. Today, his Krinkhout Stud, which has consistently won South African champion titles over the years,...
A passion for fish farming
Aquaculture is a demanding career that requires perseverance and an abiding interest in fish. Unless you have the ‘fish bug’, rather consider running a fish-and-chip shop.
Talking to pigeon fancier Deon du Toit
Deon’s first racing season in the Kalahari Pigeon Federation was in 2014, and his birds led from the start, writes Thomas Smit.
Make hay while the sun shines
The coming winter looks set to be hard. Horse owners should plan ahead to ensure they have enough food to take their horses through this difficult time, says Dr Mac.
Time to re-assess your carrying capacity?
Choosing the correct stocking rate is the most important grazing management decision in sustainable livestock and wildlife production, says Dr Mias van der Westhuizen of the Free State Department of...
About gaited horses
‘Gait’ is the way a horse moves, but there are also breeds known as ‘gaited horses’, explains Dr Mac.
Record-breaking Ngunis from the bushveld
Jannie Breytenbach’s Goedvoor Nguni Stud near Marble Hall is best known for setting a South African record price for an Nguni cow and calf sold for R86 000 in 2007....
Farming with ornamental fish
You don’t need an expensive system to produce top-quality ornamentals that can compete with fish from the Far East and elsewhere.
A promising new colour variant for game farmers
With colour variants in rare game being in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, ‘White Saddleback’ blesbok may be the way to go for breeders who want to ensure...
