Sheep & Goats

When one of your sheep takes first place in a major carcass competition dominated by other breeds, you are on the right track. Regina Harmse produces Ile de France on 300ha near Ermelo. On limited land, improving quality is non-negotiable, she told Gerhard Uys.

The Dorper and the White Dorper are hardy mutton breeds that can produce under suboptimal veld conditions. Achieving a high lambing rate requires fertility and conformation to breed standards. Namaqualand stud breeder Pikkie Rossouw showed Jacques Claassen how he achieves these.

PW van Heerden’s Meatmaster stud began as a crossbreeding experiment, but is now a top stud.

Van Pletzen is a well-known and highly respected name in the SA Merino wool sheep industry. Gavin Isted visited the farm Sterkfontein near Jamestown to find out why.

The much-maligned and hunted Barbary sheep may have a niche commercial value when farmed sustainably in a well-managed confined production environment. Shane Brody investigates.

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 how a sheep farmer can continue farming his/her sheep in drought, and remain lucrative.

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, is highly respected in the industry.

Sheep milk is far richer in fat, protein and minerals than milk from cows or goats, and thus makes excellent cheese. While in the Netherlands, Jacques Claassen visited a dairy sheep farm that produces an array of organic sheep milk cheeses.

With the advent of industrial agriculture, Southern Africa’s indigenous goat breeds faced extinction. However, some farmers such as Hilton Sanders of RH Ranching Mbuzi Stud, are dedicated to ensuring that these ecotypes remain relevant, and they are doing so profitably.

Father-and-son team Hansie and Johan Sauer’s Droogfontein Merino Stud is doing exceptionally well in one of the harshest areas in the northern Eastern Cape. Gavin Isted paid them a visit.

The Suffolk is an outstanding mutton sheep breed that can add real value to sheep farming in the country, according to award-winning Suffolk breeders Abraham and Carel Greyling.

The National Wool Growers’ Association (NWGA) chairperson for the Joe Gqabi district, Lawrence Maduna, is a developing sheep and wool farmer who runs a self-sustaining farming operation in the tough, dry conditions of the northeastern Cape. Grant Hollins visited him on his farm, Elsieskraal, near Lady Grey, to discover the secret of his success in these harsh conditions.