The eighteenth series of “Boer soek ’n vrou” on kykNET made an indirect appearance at the national Suffolk auction in the Be Human centre, north of Bloemfontein, on 4 October.
By Johan Norval
One of the participants in this kykNET television programme, Cilmari Geldenhuys, who visited farmer Willie’s farm at Badplaas in Mpumalanga, where he farms with macadamia nuts and game, was her father, Hennie’s, mascot at the auction.
Cilmari is actively involved in her father’s Debak stud farm at Memel and is usually his right-hand at shows such as the national championship in Bloemfontein. She did keep quiet about her relationship with farmer Willie, but a little bird whistled at the auction that the two no longer speak regularly.
Geldenhuys, who was succeeded as chairman of the Suffolk Sheep Breeders’ Society by Johnny Forbes of Vredesig, Darling, at the annual meeting before the auction, entered only one of his stud ewes for the auction. This non-pregnant Debak ewe (353-220003) was one of the two most expensive females at the auction and was sold for R32 000 to Gert Malherbe of Hertzogville.
She is the offspring of a Twee Seuns ram of Tjaart Steenekamp of Lower Orpendale, Barkly-Oos.
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Steenekamp’s 301-240226, also a non-pregnant ewe, also fetched R32 000. The buyer was Francois van Rooyen of Barkly-Oos. A stud ram (301-240297) from Steenekamp was the most expensive ram at the auction at R70 000. The buyer is Johan Goosen from Hertzogville.
The average price of the 20 stud rams was R18 400, while two commercial rams were sold at R8 000 each.
A total of 39 non-pregnant ewes were sold at an average price of R15 128.21 and 12 ewes with lambs at R12 666.67.
Geldenhuys said at the auction that the Suffolks are still a relatively small breed, but with 39 members and almost 6 000 registered animals they are experiencing solid growth.
“The supply of Suffolks at the national auction was particularly good. We are also experiencing good interest from new breeders, who are the feedstock for stud breeders. There is a continuous strong demand for ewes at the production auctions.”
BKB Frankfort presented the auction in collaboration with SwiftVEE in the Be Human auction complex and Jovaan Cloete was the auctioneer.
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