With low kidding averages and tight profit margins, mohair farmers must take care of their flocks, Dr Antonie Geyer told Roelof Bezuidenhout.
Angora goat farmers can boost profitability by better flock and ram management before and during the mating season, and by increasing their average fleece weights. So says Dr Antonie Geyer, specialist researcher in economics at the Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute, Middleburg, in the Eastern Cape. S peaking at a mohair information day in Somerset East, Dr Geyer said study group results show Angora kidding percentages are even lower than many farmers believe. “At Klipplaat and Rietbron in the Karoo, kidding percentages only manage to touch on 80%,” he says. “That doesn’t leave much room for further losses down the line and can lead to an ageing flock with few replacement ewes and no surplus stock to market. But farmers can improve this figure by taking better care of their breeding stock at critical times. The more trouble you take, the greater the rewards.”
The study results show farmers look after a crop of kids well until they are weaned. But while the weaning percentage can top 90% in a good year, further losses occur after that, mostly due to predation and cold snaps. Permanent labour and fuel make up half of Angora farmers’ overhead costs. “This can be as high as R36/kg of mohair,” says Dr Geyer. “Add about R17/kg for expenses directly applicable to the Angora component and it can cost up to R50/kg to produce mohair.” Last year, farmers at Klipplaat earned about R90/kg while those in the Rietbron group earned R77/kg. Net farming income (NFI) per stock unit and NFI per hectare were R345 and R136 respectively at Klipplaat. On average, flocks produced about 3/kg of mohair per animal. Below that, Geyer believes, is probably too little. Yields need to be pushed up without overdoing it.
“We need more study groups and participants because that’s the only way we can find out what’s really happening in our flocks and establish barometers against which farmers can measure their businesses,” says Dr Geyer “If you know your kidding percentage is 15% below average, you know where you stand and what to do.” Nationally, Dr Geyer says the industry seems to be supplying the market with what it wants, as the whole clip – from kids to adults – is getting finer. “But microns only play a big role in price in the very fine segments of the kid and young goat clip, which shows that fineness is important within age groups,” he explains. “While good style and character only raise the price by about 3%, they shouldn’t be neglected because they help protect the staples from the elements. Short hair, of course, is a no-no – there’s usually little demand for it.” Contact Dr Antonie Geyer on (049) 842 1113.
