Pieter Jordaan thinks it is important to breed Angoras that can produce optimally with a minimum of inputs.

“You cannot have passengers in this process,” he says.

Jordaan, who farms 2 000 Angora goats on the 3 621ha family farm of Nuwerust (his Merinos are run elsewhere in the Aberdeen district of the Eastern Cape), says that registering his Legacy Angora stud in 2016 was motivated by a desire to breed better-adapted and more productive goats across his entire flock, which includes 750 commercial ewes.

His 250 stud ewes, the genetic benchmark for Angora production on Nuwerust, are therefore bred to be able to take optimal advantage of the mixed Karoo Bossieveld of the region and to achieve a kidding rate of up to 130% when transferred to winter pastures to kid.

Crucially, whether in extensive or intensive production systems, these ewes are always expected to produce outstanding mohair, and this all the Nuwerust Angoras do exceptionally well.

To mention just a few achievements, Jordaan was awarded the Reserve Grand Champion Mohair Clip in South Africa at the prestigious Miyuki competition in 2017, 2022 and 2023, as well as the award for the Champion Winter Mohair Clip in 2018.

Furthermore, he also lifted the sought-after Daidoh trophy for the highest average price for a summer kid clip in South Africa in 2018.

Before returning to Nuwerust in 2010, Jordaan had completed a three-year diploma in agriculture at Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute in Middelburg, Eastern Cape, and had worked as a field agent for Cape Mohair and Wool in Smithfield in the southern Free State.

He says both experiences, which stretched over a period of six years, were of incalculable value in terms of better understanding the nuances of managing and breeding better Angora goats (and Merino sheep).

The family’s Angora flock was kick-started by his grandfather, Piet, in 1974 and was significantly expanded by his father, Gert, over the four decades that followed.

The Nuwerust Angora flock provided much of the foundation genetics for Jordaan’s stud, although more ewes and rams were also acquired from various stud breeders to boost numbers and broaden genetic diversity.

Jordaan also used technology to fast-track genetic progression in his stud and, for example, as early as 2011 began scanning his own ewes to identify highly fertile dam lines.

“I could quickly identify outstandingly fertile ewes,” he recalls. “Ewes that, for example, raised quality multiples year after year.”

By 2012, Jordaan had already started conducting artificial insemination on ewes to consolidate the genetic impact of top rams in the Nuwerust flock. By 2021, he began ploughing back the genetics of exceptional dam lines into the stud via an embryo flushing programme managed by GeneCo’s Dr Frans and Willemien Jooste.

Lastly, significant amounts of semen from influential rams have been frozen, and Jordaan plans to reintroduce the genetic impact of these sires in future laparoscopic insemination programmes.

Breeding fertile and productive ewes

Jordaan’s stud ewes are fertile, have well-formed udders, and are defined by good width and depth of body. They are well adapted to conditions in the Aberdeen region and their fleeces are uniform with good length and solidity, while exhibiting a balance of style and character.

He also selects for a fleece with solid strands of mohair that is not excessively curly to ensure enhanced quality and increased longevity.

“Excessively curly fleeces aren’t good for our veld conditions, and therefore I prefer a fleece with solid strings of mohair,” he explains.

“These solid strings protect the fibre against the elements and ensures a better-quality fleece with improved weight later on in the animal’s life.”

Stud and commercial ewes are mated from 1 April for two mating cycles (42 days) and kid from 1 September on winter pastures, achieving a lambing rate of between 120% and 130%.

The kidding period represents a time of intensive supervision to ensure minimal losses. As a rule, when kids are born, they are tagged and their numbers are written on their respective mother’s horns so they can be easily located and reunited when sick or thirsty.

Furthermore, all multiples are immediately placed in kidding pens with their mothers for up to five days. This is done to ensure effective bonding between kids and ewes before they are returned to the pastures in groups of no more than 50 ewes.

Kids represent the future of the entire Nuwerust Angora flock, and once they reach about six weeks of age, they are returned to the veld with their mothers.

They will be eligible for selection at the age of 16 to 18 months, and all replacements – whether destined for the commercial, select or stud flocks – are run under the same conditions before undergoing a stringent selection process.

The select flock serves as a basis flock to the stud and ewes are put to stud rams and subjected to the same intensive record-keeping as stud animals.

Replacement ewes from the select flock are marked as Appendix animals and are eligible for selection into the stud as they are genetically removed from the commercial flock by a minimum of four generations.

The selection of all stud replacements is dependent on growth, ‘type’, fleece quality, and their mothers’ production histories.

“I keep careful production records of a kid’s mother, so, when replacement ewes or rams are selected, I will be sure they are from ewes that have proved themselves,” says Jordaan.

“Although I aim to increase the number of stud ewes every year, I don’t want to lower the standards I set to achieve this.”

Harvesting mohair

Shearing takes place every six months in February and August, and between 5 000kg and 5 500kg of mohair is harvested and marketed through The House of Fibre each year.

Mohair is produced according to the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) formulated by Mohair South Africa along with the Textile Exchange (whose members include several brands and retailers) to create a sustainable and ethical mohair industry.

The RMS standard demands compliance in various aspects of the mohair production system, and Jordaan adheres to it strictly, especially in relation to mohair harvesting. He says shearing time presents a mohair producer with an incredible opportunity to add value to their product.

“Good shearing preparation and classing is, in my opinion, the most important value-adding opportunity that mohair farmers have at their disposal,” explains Jordaan.

“As with all forms of business, as a mohair producer, you build a relationship with the buyer that you can only get through consistently producing a quality product.”

There is an almost obsessive attempt at preparing the best possible fleece for the market on Nuwerust. Goats are dipped and washed, and workers physically remove twigs and grass from each goat’s fleece before they even enter the shearing shed.

Also, the Every Goat Tested system is used to measure the fibre diameter of all individual goats, which are then divided into groups with similar fibre diameters to be sheared – a process that takes the guesswork out of classing.

Fleece weights vary from as little as 900g per kid at its first shearing to as much as 6kg from a mature 100kg ram. At six months growth, a B length (125mm to 150mm) is achieved on the main mohair lines. Kids’ mohair tests between 22 and 29,4 microns, and young and adult goats from 29,5 to 32,4 and 32,5 microns and above, respectively.

Once baled, the mohair is marketed through The House of Fibre, and Jordaan tells of his satisfaction when watching his mohair leave the farm.

“I am immensely proud of this wonderful fibre, so I always want to bring the best appearance and handling out of each animal’s fleece,” he says.

“Shearing time is one big team effort on Nuwerust, and I am very pleased with our end product.”

General management

Although Nuwerust has a few ground dams that hold rainwater, most of the farm’s water is extracted by pumps from boreholes and is used for the irrigation of 10ha of lucerne and 10ha of barley.

Ewes kid on winter pastures that are fenced with netting wire to offer protection from predators. Sheds have been constructed in all camps on Nuwerust to protect the goats from cold snaps, especially after shearing
As for animal health, veterinarians Roland Larson and Mackie Hobson from Graaff- Reinet are actively involved in formulating inoculation, dosing, and dipping regimes.

The technical teams from The House of Fibre and OVK have proved essential with the selection of replacements and the management and marketing of the mohair clip.

Ensuring enough feed for goats begins with effective veld management, including high-density grazing practices and the sparing of camps. During droughts, animals will receive extra feed, including lucerne (bailed and stored on Nuwerust) and maize (bought in).

Ewes in late pregnancy, as well as shorn goats on the veld, receive energy licks with some urea content to stimulate grazing.

Depending on the season, ewes that are returned to the veld after kidding also receive a protein lick to boost milk production.

Phone Pieter Jordaan on 072 045 7204.