The National Boer Goat Auction, held on 17 October at the Bloemfontein showgrounds, attracted excellent prices and significant interest despite the current economic strain.
The strong demand for female animals was particularly evident. Of the 94 ewes offered, 34 were stud animals, and 86 were sold. The offering of 14 stud and 32 commercial herd rams was sold at an average price of R31 782. Online buyers who spent R772 000 via the Meerkat platform were mainly foreigners, with the UAE Boer Goat Stud and another buyer, Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Aldaraki from the United Arab Emirates, contributing R593 000 to this turnover.
The most expensive Boer goat was an ewe (430 190133) from Hein Booysen of Kuruman, which was sold for R180 000 to Andrew Roberts of Hoopstad. Other expensive ewes, including those from Karoo Livestock of Oudtshoorn, were sold to buyers from Nigeria for R70 000 and R60 000.
Another ewe from Gerrie Ferreira’s stud farm gave birth to triplets shortly before her appearance in the auction ring. A buyer from Ghana snapped her up for R51 000. Pregnant ewes achieved an average of R21 533, ewes with lambs R35 714, and non-pregnant ewes R21 738.
The most expensive ram (762 230355) was bred by the well-known Lukas Burger stud farm of Griekwastad and sold for R125 000 to Boeram Venter from the Eastern Cape.
A ram named At Home (762-230214), son of Burger’s famous At Last, was sold for R110 000 to Kobus Lötter of Willowmore. Henry Maree from Lobatse in Botswana, one of the breeders participating in the national auction for the first time, sold several goats. Other new breeders who participated include Isabel Fourie from Makwassie, Telana Otto from Bultfontein, and Jacques Potgieter from Winburg. Kobus Lötter, chairman of the Boer Goat Breeders’ Association, says the Boer Goat industry is doing well, and prices for commercial animals are realistically high, as well as for slaughter goats and goats used for religious purposes.
“The crazy prices at production auctions are now over. I consider R20 000 to R25 000 for a good stud ram a realistic price, and R8 000 to R10 000 for stud ewes.” He regrets that goat exports are limited to Africa and the United Arab Emirates, as there is a robust global demand for good ram breeding material.
Vleissentraal Port Elizabeth hosted the auction, and André van Zyl was the auctioneer.
