Animals

Brothers Jan and Dries Wiese recently added goat's milk cheese to their sheep farming operation.

Zodwa Twala urges new pig farmers to receive proper training before starting their ventures.

In a one-day racing pigeon loft, all the training and racing is done for you. But you still need to deliver the right kind of youngster, says Thomas Smit.

The painkiller horse owners like so much is really quite toxic, warns Dr Mac.

Kevin Lang began a milk processing plant to improve the profitability of his dairy cow herds.

The grazing, defecating, stomping and salivating of moving herds can build soil, restore vegetation and reverse the effects of desertification, a major cause of climate change, says holistic management pioneer Allan Savory who recently ran a three-day workshop in Graaff-Reinet. Heather Dugmore was there.

Silage eases fodder flow and bridges the hungry gap between the first frosts and the first flush.

As businessman and game breeder, Cyril Ramaphosa focuses on buying the best and conserving animals for the future. Sean Christie spoke to him.

Lay the foundations correctly to set you and your horse up for a successful partnership that should last a lifetime, writes Kim Dyson.

The new Bioboost feeding system makes it possible to produce the equivalent of up to 30ha grazing under irrigation in a small 'container'. This means a farmer can increase productivity while reducing input costs, have a constant supply of fresh and highly nutritious feed available for livestock, and 'drought-proof' the farm, says Vivian Beukes, who developed the system. Denene Erasmus spoke to him

Thomas Smit offers some tips on how to breed quality pigeons by helping nature along.

Taxi boss and communal land cattle farmer Jonathan Lefakgomo, of Mmametlhake, in Mpumalanga, has been trying to build a commercial beef herd since 1991. He spoke to Peter Mashala about his difficulties.

Breeders tend to take the pedigrees of their horses for granted, not realising that they are important legal documents. This is where the Animal Improvement Act and the South African Studbook and Animal Improvement Association come in, writes Dr Mac.

Champion racer Thys Matthysen shares some of his recollections with Thomas Smit.

Allie Gordon from Leeu-Gamka in the Karoo, named the Top Entrepreneur Smallholder in the Western Cape Female Entrepreneur 2011 awards, started farming with 50 Dorpers in 2005. By 2010, her flock had grown to 370 ewes. Last year she sold 200 of them in preparartion for her next plan: starting a white Dorper stud. Denene Erasmus reports.

Buying feed from a reputable feed company is often cheaper and less stressful than mixing your own.

Adri Claassen, abalone farmer extraordinaire, talks to Denene Erasmus about farming these sought after sea delicacies.

Four years ago Clive Webster and his wife moved to a farm near Kei Mouth in the Eastern Cape. Today Mkulu Kei Farm is home to almost 300 Ngunis and 70 Friesian/Boerperd crosses, the foundation of a new farming enterprise that has redefined the Websters’ lives. Mike Burgess reports.

Farmers and leopards living peacefully together might sound impossible, especially if you’re farming in the Southern Cape, where predation seems rife. But a new study suggests that leopards in the George-Wilderness region seldom eat livestock if other prey is available. Leopard researcher Alexander Braczkowski reports.

GJT Lofts had an incredible season in 2011 thanks, in part, to a solid foundation of ‘super pigeons’. Thomas Smit reports.