Excellent breeding material from Sussex and Droughtmaster cattle was offered at the 30th production auction of the Durow stud. The auction, which was held on 19 August on the farm Skeefkop near Clocolan, also yielded good prices in a year where foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) caused great uncertainty for the stud cattle industry.
By Vida Booysen
This beef cattle stud, which makes the most of the hardiness of the Droughtmasters and the uniformity of the Sussex breed, is run by Carl Durow and Niël, his son. Carl was the National Cattle Farmer of the Year in 2004 and was also a finalist in this competition in 2025.
The highest price of R300 000 was paid for the Droughtmaster bull CSA 23 1010. The buyers were Mornay Verster of Le Roc Droughtmasters (Tweespruit), Phillip Pieters of Skeurklip Droughtmasters (Harrismith), Naudé van Sandwyk of Winfield Droughtmasters (Bethlehem) and WJ Steyn of Meta Droughtmasters (Greylingstad).
The best price paid for a Sussex bull was R250 000 for FC 24-150. This bull was sold to RE Farming Company of Claire Evans-Anderson.
The average price for the 35 Sussex and 23 Droughtmaster bulls offered for sale was R75 795. Semen straws averaged R1 000 per straw.
The average prices for females were as follows:
- Three-in-one cows: R39 000
- Pregnant cows: R41 200
- Pregnant heifers: R32 500
- Stud cows with calves: R42 400
- Commercial cows with calves averaged R26 500
- Pregnant commercial heifers R23 000.
“It was a special day with exceptional Sussex and Droughtmaster breeding material and wonderful support from buyers, breeders, family, friends and the agricultural community,” said Niël, adding that he and his father sincerely thank each buyer for their support and trust in their breeding program.
OVK Livestock and Auctions presented the auction in collaboration with Meerkat. The auctioneer was Johan van der Nest.
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