By Vida Booysen
An exceptional Boer goat ram, which will probably never see its equal anywhere in the world, has just made history when it was sold for a world record price.
VEA Stud Breeders of Bonnievale are now the proud owners of this ram, Next Level (762-22-1427), which was bred by Lukas and Abraham Burger of Griekwastad. The ram was sold in a private transaction for a record amount of R2.3 million.
Next Level recently participated in the SA Boer goat world show in Bloemfontein and was crowned the eight-tooth world champion. This world show is held every two years and usually attracts great international interest.
“This transaction not only establishes a new financial milestone in the Boer goat industry, but also reflects our firm commitment to genetic excellence,” says William Smit, managing director of VEA Stud Breeders. The company also currently has some of the best buffalo breeding material in the country, which he calls the Fortune 500 Genetics.
William says he regularly visits the famous Burger stud to look at their breeding material. In 2024, he bought one of the stud’s rams, Formula One, for the previous South African record price of R1 050 000.
But there was a very influential ram in their stud that the Burgers only recently showed him. “On my penultimate visit, I found out that Next Level is literally the best ram they have ever bred and is a very important ram in their herd. They initially didn’t want to sell the ram, but I kept begging until they agreed.”
He explains that the history of the Boer goat stud industry has already proven that only occasionally an exceptional outlier is bred – a ram that redefines an entire industry. “These rams are invaluable and form the cornerstones of national and international genetic progress.
“Lukas Burger’s stud has produced influential rams over decades, such as Divan, KZ, Classic, Cruiser, Maestro, Tolla, Sako, Maserati, Mocha, Porsche, Poker, Faf, Link, Top-Notch, and then Formula One, all of which were sold at record prices.”
Next Level, however, is in a class of its own. According to Abraham Burger, there is currently no replacement of equal quality in their stud – and possibly nowhere in the world for the next 30 to 40 years. His genetic lineage is impressive: Bred from the ram Faf (a Jaco ram from the Conveyer and Slingshot line) and a ewe from the Lexus line, which in turn is descended from Dakar and Ystervark.
Abraham previously told African Farming it is beneficial for the Boer goat industry as a whole when well-known breeders do not keep the best breeding material for themselves. “There comes a time when you have to sell it. It is good for the gene pool of the breed and good for your name as a breeder.”
According to William, VEA Stud Breeders’ vision is to breed the world’s largest, heaviest (200kg) and fastest growing Boer goats with full emphasis on both genotypic and phenotypic correctness at stud level and exceptional growth and carcass ability at commercial level.
“Next Level is exactly that: A unique breeding gem that takes our stud industry to new heights. This ram is not only worth a record price, he is of priceless value.”
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