A total of 125 goats were sold under the hammer of Vleissentraal Bosveld, with SwiftVee also offering the auction online.

The highest price was R47 000 for a ram from the Ilse Lombard Boer Goat Stud of Vrede in the Free State. The buyer was the Eland Zakithi Boer Goat Stud from Hartbeespoort in North West.

Lombard also achieved the highest prices for two ewes with lambs. They were sold for R16 000 each. The buyer was Hendrik Bouwer from Bouburg Farming near Rustenburg in North West.

Lombard says she is satisfied with the prices achieved. “One must remember we’re coming out of a dry year with poor harvests, and it’s still winter conditions and hasn’t rained yet. Given the circumstances, we had a very good auction.”

Kobus Lotter, chairperson of the Boer Goat Breeders’ Association, says it was a realistic auction that went well. “What helped us was that there were also foreign buyers. There are many auctions these days, and within the current economic climate we believe it went well. Sellers just shouldn’t have unrealistic expectations.”