The introduction of controlled grazing (camps and rotational grazing) and breeding (mating season) has resulted in a significant improvement in commercial livestock production. To livestock producers, a high calving or lambing percentage over a restricted period is still the most important parameter of production performance. And the most important factor…
Don’t try to cut costs when it comes to setting up housing for pigs. Production will suffer if basic requirements are not met, and profits will fall. A piggery’s temperature management and disease control is critical. It is all about the comfort of the animals. Pig producers must ensure that…
Henry Mulenga wants to build a multi-million kwacha dairy and beef cattle business. But in his own words, “there is a huge challenge for small-scale livestock farmers like myself to rapidly increase our animal population with high productive breeds because of a lack of access to artificial insemination (AI) services”.…
How does one determine if an Angus bull and cow are really top-notch? A leading member of the Angus Society of South Africa explains what one should look for when selecting cattle. For years there has been speculation as to whether Angus cattle can cope with the dry, almost arid…
The profitability and sustainability of livestock farming is under severe pressure. Fortunately, top farmer Mecki Schneider has excellent advice for extensive cattle and sheep farmers. This is the third delivery in a three part series on ten tips for the restoration of livestock farming. 7. Utilise and apply technology There is…
Animal admin is part of farm management and keeping flock records up to date helps the stockfarmer with forward planning. Draw up a month by month table that you break down into weekly segments. Animals don’t always fit neatly into rigid parameters so there should be some flexibility allowed. Once…
African SME seed companies could benefit from a new foundation seed company which recently opened its doors in Kenya. Newly appointed managing director of QualiBase Seed (QBS), Andy Watt, intends to fill the gap in the seed supply chain. The company wants to help small and medium-sized companies to produce…
Fast growth and a high reproductive rate make rabbits suitable as meat-producing small livestock in developing countries. Good breeding practices and diligent management are the key to successful rabbit farming. THE MATING PROCESS Female rabbits, or does, are more productive in spring, summer and early autumn. Most breeders don’t breed…
There has been high demand for Tuli breeding material from South Africa’s neighbours over the past two years. In 2016, five stud bulls and ten heifers were exported to Namibia, while more than 100 female animals were exported to Zimbabwe. At two previous Tuli auctions, another four stud bulls and…
It’s no surprise that rabbits are getting more popular among small-scale commercial farmers. They are relatively cheap to feed and have low space requirements. There is encouraging interest from readers of africanfarming.com about rabbit farming. Apart from the convenience of size and handling, rabbit meat has a high protein content…
Makasa Musonda, 43, of Lusaka is doing very well out of his goat farming business, although it hasn’t always been that way. Before 2014, the father of five children, married to Vienna, had started a number of enterprises none of which were as successful as his goat farming venture. First,…
The first ever International Prestige Indigenous Veld Goat Auction is coming to the town of Upington in South Africa’s Northern Cape. Organisers hope the event will propel interest in local breeds. Indigenous Veld Goat Breeders' Association chairman Lourens Erasmus said the aim of the auction is to encourage and promote…
A cattle farm with more than 5 000 animals on 65 000 hectares can only be successful if the farmer’s management is impeccable and he ensures that everything is in place to keep things running smoothly. He started farming with next to nothing on a small piece of land –…
Wisdom Mababe, a farmer from Mumbwa in the Central Province spoke to Chris Burgess and Albertus van Wyk, about the beef cattle sector of his mixed farming operation. In Africa, and globally, the trend is for people to move to the urban areas in search of a better life, which…
As the saying goes, a bull is 50% of the herd, so it’s crucial that it is well managed before, during and after the breeding season. Highly respected and experienced Bonsmara breeder, Arthur de Villiers, offers practical advice. Bulls are the most important animals on your cattle farm. They may…
Kleinjan Gasekoma is the first black farmer in South Africa to be named Cattle Farmer of the Year. He went from communal farmer to successful commercial farmer in just 13 years. There is no shortage of success stories when it comes to emerging South African farmers making the difficult transition…
Dr. Danie Odendaal, veterinarian, says living organisms survive and produce offspring because they carry many different genes. These genes make it possible for them to adapt to the conditions in which they must survive and reproduce. Genes determine and direct the function of every cell in an animal’s body. The…
I have started pig farming with five six-month-old females and a nine-month-old boar. I don’t know very much about pigs and would like to find out about pig breeding. I’ve read that females should be eight months old and of a decent weight before breeding and that the boar should…
With this feeder plan, mr. CA van Niekerk can easily creep feed up to 26 lambs. CA, from the Northern Cape in South Africa, came up with this clever plan to easily and effectively feed his lambs without worrying about the ewes stealing the lambs’ feed. He used blue PVC pipes…
Plan carefully and put a business model together for pig farming. Funding should be enough to set up the piggery and cover the running costs for at least a year. Profit is not immediate because of the investment costs. Even the best planned and implemented commercial projects experience a lag…
If you have a serious interest in your animals, and in making a profit, you must measure and record. These are essential livestock management tools. Don’t skip this because the very sound of the words record keeping is enough to make you cringe. Rather cringe if you are not keeping…
If you have a serious interest in your animals, and in making a profit, you must measure and record. These are essential livestock management tools. Don’t skip this because the very sound of the words record keeping is enough to make you cringe. Rather cringe if you are not keeping…
Farmers have many different ways to call their cattle or to communicate with them, but this farmer - Derek Klingenberg - probably wins the originality prize with his trombone and pop singer Lorde's song Royals. https://youtu.be/qs_-emj1qR4
