In the small village of Old Long Sign in Makgabeng, a few kilometres outside Bochum in Limpopo’s Blouberg region, a father-and-son team is quietly building a highly productive sheep and goat enterprise under some of the most challenging farming conditions imaginable.
By Lebogang Mashala, editor at African Farming
For Kutama Nicholas Huma and his father, Mashamaite Huma, success has not come easily. Their operation, consisting of Meatmaster sheep and Boer goats, operates within a communal farming system characterised by limited land access, mountainous terrain, high tick burdens and harsh environmental conditions.
Yet through careful breeding decisions, continuous learning and a willingness to adapt, the Humas have developed a flock that is not only surviving but is steadily becoming more profitable.
“We’ve learnt that if you want to survive in this industry, you have to make decisions quickly, put emotions aside and focus on what makes business sense,” says Kutama. “At the same time, you must always be willing to try something new.”
Also read: This is what you must know about goats
From Cattle to Small Stock
The family’s livestock journey took a significant turn in 2017 when Mashamaite made a difficult decision.
By then, he had built up a herd of 65 cattle, which had played a crucial role in funding his children’s education.
“Once my youngest child completed university, I felt the cattle had fulfilled their purpose,” Mashamaite recalls. “I did not own a farm and I was still employed full-time in Polokwane. Keeping cattle no longer made economic sense.”
He sold the herd through the Baltimore auction and invested the proceeds in rental property, savings and small-stock production.
By the time he retired in 2019, he had established a modest flock of mixed-breed goats and Dorper sheep. Looking for additional income, he started a small feedlot operation from home.
However, family circumstances soon changed.
When Mashamaite’s only surviving brother became seriously ill, he relocated to Seshego to take care of him and to be closer to medical facilities. The feedlot suffered from a lack of daily supervision and was eventually closed.
Only the sheep and goats remained.
Also read: The goat farmer’s manual: How do I handle and restrain my goats?
Nicholas Joins the Business
The closure of the feedlot marked a new chapter for the family enterprise, as Kutama became actively involved in the operation.
Using funds generated from the sale of the feedlot cattle, the family purchased an additional 25 goats from a farmer in Lephalale who was relocating to the Western Cape.
Unfortunately, results were disappointing.
“When those goats arrived, we had very limited knowledge about goat production,” Kutama admits. “Our mortality rate was high, production was poor and the kids were not growing as we expected.”
Determined to improve, the family began introducing Boer-type goats and eventually purchased 15 animals in 2022.
At the same time, they decided to replace their Dorper sheep with Meatmasters after hearing positive reports from other farmers operating under similar conditions.
That decision proved to be a turning point.
“We immediately noticed an improvement,” Kutama says. “The Meatmasters produced excellent lambs and there was strong demand from buyers.”
Also read: R12 000 Boer goat leads strong results at GH Muller & Son’s seventh Frankfort auction
A Crossbreeding Breakthrough
Although pleased with the Meatmasters, Kutama believed there was still room for improvement.
During a farmers’ day hosted on the family’s property, he was impressed by a group of Merino sheep exhibited by another producer.
The encounter inspired a crossbreeding experiment.
“We decided to use Merino genetics on our Meatmaster ewes,” he explains. “The results exceeded all our expectations.”
The crossbred lambs displayed excellent growth rates and improved overall performance.
Today, the programme remains an important component of the flock’s breeding strategy.
The impact is particularly evident at weaning. Traditionally, lambs were weaned at three months, weighing between 30kg and 35kg. Since introducing the Merino cross, many lambs are reaching 35kg at only two months of age.
As a result, the family has been able to wean earlier without compromising post-weaning performance.
Before weaning, lambs receive creep feed to ease the transition from milk to grazing.
Also read: Farming with Boer goats: A guide to South Africa’s top meat breed
Investing in Knowledge
One of the biggest contributors to the farm’s progress has been Kutama’s commitment to education.
Recognising that genetics alone would not guarantee success, he enrolled in various short courses covering animal production, stud breeding and livestock management.
He also completed livestock judging courses, progressing from junior to senior judge level.
For Mashamaite, the value of education became increasingly clear.
“There was a stage when I felt goats were not worth the effort,” he says. “The sheep were performing better and generating more reliable profits. I suggested we focus only on sheep.”
Sheep reached market weight sooner, required less maintenance and consistently delivered acceptable returns.
Kutama, however, believed the solution was not to abandon goats but to improve their quality.
His persistence eventually paid off.
Starting Again with Better Genetics
In one of the boldest decisions the family has made, Kutama sold about 150 goats last year and reinvested the proceeds into superior-quality purebred Boer goats.
The move reduced their goat numbers dramatically but significantly improved genetic quality.
He bought 10 females from Hennie van Niekerk from Benchmark Boerbokstoet (Boer Goat Stud) outside Polokwane and others were sourced from other reputable breeders.
Today, the Boer goat herd consists of fewer than 20 breeding females, but the family believes the long-term benefits far outweigh the temporary reduction in numbers.
“I’d rather have fewer high-quality animals than many average ones,” Kutama explains.
The improvement became evident during the first kidding season.
“The quality of the kids is already noticeably better. They have excellent structure and growth potential, and I believe they will command strong prices.”
Also read: The goat farmer’s manual: How do I check the condition of my goats?
Production Challenges
Even with improved genetics, livestock farming remains unpredictable.
Last year, after selling most of the goat flock, the family retained three castrated males. Unfortunately, one was not properly castrated and managed to breed with eight newly purchased Boer goat females before the mistake was discovered.
The unintended matings resulted in 13 kids and delayed the family’s planned breeding programme by nearly eight months.
“It was an expensive lesson,” Kutama says.
Despite the setback, the family remains focused on its long-term goals.
Building for Growth
The Humas currently manage just under 100 breeding ewes. Their objective is to increase ewe numbers to at least 200 on staggered production cycles. Such a system would provide animals for sale throughout the year and improve cash flow.
“We want to reach a point where we have sheep or goats available for sale every quarter,” says Kutama.
The sheep enterprise is already performing exceptionally well, with mortality rates below 1%.
Health Management is Non-negotiable
Maintaining animal health is central to the operation’s success.
Every day begins with cleaning the kraals and ensuring livestock have access to clean drinking water.
The family plunge-dips sheep and goats twice a month, increasing the frequency to three times per month during the peak tick season between August and December.
“We used to spray animals with knapsack sprayers, but it wasn’t effective enough,” Kutama explains. “Plunge dipping reaches areas that are easily missed, such as under the tail and around the armpits.”
The area experiences heavy tick pressure, making parasite control essential. The most common health challenges include heart-water, internal parasites, nasal worms and mites.
Regular dipping, deworming and preventative treatment programmes help minimise losses.
The family also follows a structured vaccination programme using Clostrivax O to protect sheep and goats against a range of clostridial diseases and pasteurellosis.
Young lambs receive their first vaccination at one month of age, followed by a booster four weeks later before joining the annual vaccination programme.
During winter, animals receive protein and energy supplements to compensate for nutrient deficiencies in dry veld grazing. Summer supplementation focuses primarily on phosphorus.
Managing Communal Grazing Challenges
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the Huma family is access to land. Operating within a communal farming environment limits expansion opportunities and complicates grazing management.
To address these challenges, the family employs full-time shepherds who accompany livestock to grazing areas daily.
Unlike many communal livestock owners whose animals roam freely around the village, the Humas move their sheep and goats into mountain grazing areas where forage quality is often better and disease transmission risks are lower.
Predators are controlled through the use of shepherds and trained dogs.
“It’s not the ideal situation,” Kutama admits. “But we make the best use of what we have.”
Looking Ahead
Despite the constraints of communal farming, the Humas remain optimistic about the future. They believe demand for quality breeding stock and slaughter animals continues to grow and presents significant opportunities for expansion.
“The market is not our problem,” says Kutama. “The demand is there. Our challenge is producing enough animals to satisfy it.”
For Mashamaite and Kutama, the journey has been defined by difficult decisions, hard lessons and continuous adaptation.
Their story shows that even under challenging communal farming conditions, success is possible when farmers combine quality genetics, sound management and a commitment to lifelong learning.
Also read:
Making communal land profitable with Meatmaster sheep and Boer goats
Crossbreeding results exceed all expectations for father-and-son farmers in Limpopo
Health and nutrition drive success for Limpopo’s Meatmaster and Boer goat farmers
