It has been known for centuries that feeding horses grain makes them fast and furious, the type of energetic behaviour required of racehorses and carriage horses. A complete absence of grain, on the other hand, is also undesirable, as working horses will lack the energy to pull ploughs in winter, and sport horses will be […]
The Beefmaster is a composite breed developed in the early 1930s by rancher Tom Lasater in Texas, US. It was the result of the systematic crossing of Hereford and Shorthorn cows with Brahman bulls. The US Department of Agriculture recognised the Beefmaster as a new breed in 1954. The Beefmaster was produced to thrive under […]
Anybody who believes in the motto ‘go big or go home’ has clearly never met 28-year-old Clive Tigere. He is going big in his own home town of Louis Trichardt, Limpopo. Tigere and his mother, Dr Caroline Tigere, started a broiler operation back in 2011, when he was still in high school. “Things have changed […]
Costs have increased rapidly over the past six months. Petrol and diesel prices have gone through the roof, and this has had an impact on everything that is transported before being sold, including horse feed. To save money, now is the time to work out your costs and budget for the new season. Adding up, […]
Second- and third-generation beef producers Robert and Sanele Khumalo farm on Elandsfontein, close to Mooi River in KwaZulu-Natal. Their farm covers 256ha, with another 300ha leased to accommodate their herd of 600 Beefmaster X Brangus cattle. The Khumalos are hands-on livestock farmers, and manage the feeding, breeding and herd health of their animals with precision. […]
Since joining Lactimar farm in the Tsitsikamma in the Eastern Cape in 2016, Dian Landman has managed to greatly improve the profitability and sustainability of this family-owned dairy business. This, despite the region receiving below-average rainfall for the first six years after his arrival and precipitation becoming more irregular. “The moderate climate of the Tsitsikamma […]
In the past year, there has been quite a significant increase in interest among producers in joining the Bonsmara Cattle Breeders’ Society of South Africa, particularly from commercial and up-and-coming farmers, says Louis Steyl, CEO of the society. However, even though the interest and financial power are there, the lack of understanding of basic herd […]
Unless assisted by a mentor and driven by a special interest in racing pigeons, beginners find the cost and other challenges of conventional pigeon racing near impossible to overcome. The South African National Pigeon Organisation (SANPO) has roughly 4 200 active pigeon fanciers on record, with an estimated majority over the age of 50. Sadly, […]
Facial recognition technology is set to become a game changer in the ongoing fight against livestock theft in South Africa. This technology is no longer limited to humans, but is also capable of identifying individual heads of cattle via their muzzle patterns with more than 99% accuracy. READ Practical guidelines to prevent stock theft This […]
The sad truth is that the average national beef cattle weaning rate in South Africa fluctuates between 50% and 55%. This is dangerously low, and a financial impediment to farmers. In order to meet the expected increase in the demand for beef in the foreseeable future and to remain in business, the beef cattle production […]
