Commercial success for small-scale cattleman
Starting with just 10 Bonsmaras, ARC National Emerging Beef Farmer for 2013 Moses Zengetwa today has a herd of 120 highly productive Bonsmara-type cows and heifers. Mike Burgess visited him on his farm near Elliot.
Horses – how to treat sore eyes
Any condition involving the eye is potentially serious and requires
a vet, says Kim Dyson.
Understanding horse wounds
Knowing how wounds heal will help with their treatment, says Kim Dyson.
Profiting from a feedlot
Mvalo Msiza has value-added in steps – building a beef herd, establishing two butcheries, and starting and expanding a feedlot. He spoke to Peter Mashala.
How to set up an aquaponics system
Starting small will not necessarily give you an accurate idea of what to expect when going commercial.
Awassi rams for Free State milk sheep flock
For Elmarie van Aswegen, returning to the family farm, Patria, near Smithfield in the Free State in early 1997 went hand in hand with producing sheep’s milk cheese and breeding South Africa’s first recognised milk sheep breed. Mike Burgess spoke to her about pioneering the SA sheep milk industry and the impact that fat-tailed Awassi sheep may have on its future.
New deal for pig farmers
Smart producers realise that producing within environmentally and socially sustainable limits is an opportunity, says Dr Glen Illing of Topigs. He was speaking at the recent RSA Pork Producers’ Organisation AGM in Durban.
Livestock Disease Trends – November 2013
Drought: It’s been very dry in SA’s western and central areas, and reports of severe protein and energy deficiencies were received. Heavy mortalities, downer cows, cows too weak to calf, prolapses of the uterus and retained afterbirths were also reported.
The survival of Africa’s elephants
As the war against rhino poaching in South Africa continues, a war against elephant poaching is taking place in other parts of the continent.
Chinkerinchees flowers are poisonous to horses
Chinkerinchees are indigenous to the Western Cape and highly poisonous to horses, warns Dr Mac.
Ganna Ngunis – breeding for excellence
Michiel van Niekerk runs a stud Nguni herd in the arid region of the western Free State between Petrusburg and Kimberley. For him, the economic realities of livestock farming mean that he cannot afford animals that underperform. The Ganna Stud benefits from recording, measuring and modelling.
Dairy farming across the Atlantic
Argentinian dairy farmer Francisco Mihura keeps his operation profitable by practising economies of scale and using home-grown food to lower his costs. Denene Erasmus was there.
