Animals

This easy-care, dual purpose breed thrives in the harshest conditions, offers high net profits and is a pleasure to farm. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.

Your horse relies on you to make sure it gets enough liquids to replace those lost while sweating during competitions, cautions Kim Dyson.

Malekaleke Maila farms with Pedi sheep on communal land in Limpopo. Unable to run his flock near his village, he is forced to spend each week away from home. Yet, through careful management, he earns a reasonable living and is paying for his children’s studies. Peter Mashala spoke to him.

Udder health problems, especially mastitis, can significantly limit profitable dairy farming, says vet Dr Vincent Turner. Robyn Joubert reports.

With the Transvaal Racing Pigeon Federation’s 2012 season currently underway, Thomas Smit looks at some of the favourites.

The Baynesfield Training Academy in KZN offers emerging farmers training in pig production.

Veld fires in a high wind move faster than a galloping horse, so be prepared for the dry season, says Dr Mac.

Allowing pigs to graze like sheep will never keep supermarkets stocked brimful with bacon, as Charlie Crowther admits. But he has nonetheless found a market for his pasture-reared pigs. Denene Erasmus reports.

There’s nothing worse than asking your horse to do something and being met with resistance, says Kim Dyson.

Oom Jacob Coetzee of Hartbeesfontein has watched agriculture develop over the course of the last century. Born in Cradock on 17 July 1912 he moved to the farm Mahemsvlei in the Klerksdorp district in the 1940s. He shared memories of his long farming career with Annelie Coleman.

Justin Stirk of Goodwoods Bonsmaras in the Eastern Cape is one of a group of Bonsmara breeders who present the annual Frontier Bonsmara sale in Grahamstown. Heather Dugmore talks to him about his mixed farming enterprise.

KwaZulu-Natal fancier Mark Raubenheimer talks to Thomas Smit about his imported pigeon racing lines.

A horse can become very stressed and difficult to ride at shows, especially if it is on a high energy diet and not getting enough exercise, cautions Dr Mac.

East Cape Nguni Club chairperson Wimpie Mostert calves over 200 registered Nguni stud females in an environment that has truly tested the value of the breed’s adaptability and hardiness. Mike Burgess reports.

The convenience of Eskom-supplied electricity is almost unknown to Bushmanland’s commercial livestock farmers. But thanks to the sun, wind and careful management, these farmers have all the power they need. Jaco Visser visited the area.

Ruminants are adapted to convert fibre into the energy needed to produce milk and meat, but total input needs to be balanced for optimum production.

When it comes to breeding it’s important to familiarise yourself with your mare’s cycle, writes Kim Dyson.

The South African Karakul industry was all but decimated in the 1980s and 1990s. Jaco Visser visited Karakul stud breeder Johan Moller in the Kalahari to find out about the industry’s resurgence and the high demand for Swakara pelts.

When competing in a show, you’ll need more than just a horse in good condition, cautions Dr Mac.

A fancier can make minute alterations to their training schedule to help their pigeons achieve peak form, writes Thomas Smit.