22 September 2023
By: Amelia Genis
The Boer goat ram Komatsu from the Lukas Burger Boer Goat Stud was sold this week for a record price of R500 000.
Abraham Burger, the owner of the ram, says Komatsu (762-21-0143) is a proven, young, full-blooded ram, the son of the ram Volvo and the ewe 762-18-657.
“She is also a very special ewe. She has bred two breeding rams for me from two different rams, which says something about the mother’s genetic traits as well.”
Volvo’s mother was Demi-Lee, an animal Abraham describes as his “very best” ewe. She is also the mother of another top ram in this stud, Formula One.
Kabelo Rametse from Pretoria bought Komatsu.
Participation in SA Stud Book
Abraham is the third-generation Boer goat farmer on the Rietfontein farm near Griekwastad in the Northern Cape. His grandfather started farming with Boer goats in 1953.
When his father, Lukas, came to the farm in 1978, he shifted the farming operation into a higher gear through precision accounting, selection and participation in shows.
Abraham says their biggest advantage was Lukas’s decision in 1979 to join SA Stud Book. “It’s actually the only recognised animal recording system in South Africa.”
For them, the ability to trace the pedigree of any animal back to 1978 is a “great privilege and tool, and actually a testimony of how long we’ve been selecting for certain values and traits”.
This is what a top ram looks like
Abraham sums up what they breed for: “We seek refinement in a ram. The more generations I know what a certain family looked like, the more accurately I can predict what offspring to expect when I mate a ram with known traits to a ewe with known traits.”
A ram must also have type. “We don’t chase weight. It will come naturally if the type and refinement are correct.”
They seek masculinity in a ram. “The golden rule remains that a ram must be functionally efficient. Once you lose that, you’re dealing with the wrong things.”
A ram must carry meat and be long and broad, but he must be able to move, otherwise he’s not worth much. “He must be able to jump a ewe and sustain himself in extensive conditions.”
Improved goat meat
All their breeding for the right traits has resulted in better goat meat, not only in terms of weight but also in terms of quality and eating experience.
“Many people’s fathers and grandfathers say they don’t eat goat; its grain (the grain of the meat) is too coarse,” says Abraham.
“But today you won’t tell the difference between a goat chop and a lamb chop. That grain has been bred out. They haven’t only improved the goats but also made them heavier.”
The Burgers have used artificial insemination with their stud rams for many years. It saves time in their diversified farming, which also includes Dorpers, Van Rooy crosses, white Dorpers and Bonsmara cattle.
“Artificial insemination is a good way to save some time and to increase the very best 1%. It also enhances a ram’s contribution,” says Abraham.
‘Yellow machine names’
Abraham says there is a certain logic to the rams’ names. “Names are much easier to remember than trying to memorise each one’s number.”
He says they choose a theme, such as trucks or bakkies – or “yellow machines” in the case of Komatsu and Volvo – and stick with it.
“It helps that we don’t have to look back 30-40 years and just see a bunch of numbers. If you like machinery, the names are easy to remember: KZ was a Cruiser, and Cruiser was a Legend, and Legend was a Hilux, and Hilux was a Fortuner, and Fortuner was a Prado.”
Why yellow machine names for Volvo and Komatsu? “All men are still children. They want a yellow machine.”
25th production auction
Komatsu was sold at the stud’s 25th production auction at Little Farm Lodge, Kimberley. Abraham says all 42 rams offered were sold. The average price was R34 761.
They also sold 78 ewes for an average of R19 664. In total, 120 animals were sold for an average of R25 983.
