Sheep & Goats

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.

Communal and emerging wool farmers produce 12% of the national clip. One of these is Nophumzile Sithole in Naledi, between Sterkspruit and Lady Grey. She is a regular contributor to the provincial wool clip and has been congratulated by the National Wool Growers’ Association (NWGA) for the quality of wool she provides.

Is there a place for the hardy Tankwa feral goat in smallstock production? Roelof Bezuidenhout investigates.

Freddie Peters has combined the best qualities of two breeds to establish the Meatmaster breed.

Dewormer resistance in small ruminants has increased worldwide. Veterinary scientist David Bartram provided an insight into this problem at the recent World Merino Conference.

In the second part of a two-part series on managing sheep nutrition, Dr Francois van de Vyver takes a closer look at various economically efficient methods of readying slaughter lambs for markets and feedlots.

Once a ewe’s maintenance nutrient requirements have been met, nutrients can be effectively channelled to achieve optimum production. Dr Francois van de Vyver looks at nutrient requirements during the crucial production stages of the breeding ewe.

The first person to successfully commercialise Merino farming in South Africa was Michiel van Breda. He started farming Merino in 1817 on the historical Zoetendals Vallei farm in the Overberg near Cape L’Agulhas.

Goat farming is central to the economy of the Bakgatla Ba Kgafela Traditional Authority (BBKTA) in North West. A project to improve the local goat herds through world-class genetics is now underway. Annelie Coleman spoke to BBKTA leader Kgosi Nyalala Pilane.

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.

By integrating their clients as partners in the marketing chain, these breeders face the problems in the industry head on.

The Schoonheid Boer Goat flock began as a sideline on the Kriek family’s farm near Amalia in North West. Since then, strict selection and the introduction of top genetics have developed the flock into an award-winning stud that has produced world champions.

Hannes Eksteen and his son Lochner run the largest Pedi sheep flock in the Western Cape and find that this productive, problem-free breed gives excellent returns. Jay Ferreira reports.