Beef cows: meeting their nutritional needs
Beef farmers should take care to match the nutritional needs of a cow to her production cycle to ensure optimal fertility rates, expecially when forage quality
Breeding Brahman cattle with superior genetics Heinrich Bruwer’s passion for superior Brahmans has led him to the best genetics in the world.
The value of instant green feed as livestock fodder Growing green feed from grain seed such as barley, oats, wheat and maize in a closed system dates back to the 1930s. Lately, due to the high cost of feed
Bovine respiratory disease complex Bovine respiratory disease is caused by several pathogenic organisms. It can lead to substantial economic loss in feedlots.
Twinning in cattle: benefits vs cost Twins are unusual in cattle, representing only about 2% of calvings in the South African national beef herd, which is in line with the global average
Winter feeding methods: a tale of two farms There is more to feeding in winter than simply keeping cattle alive until summer. Mistakes in winter cattle feeding may take more than one season to rectify
5 Cattle diseases that can kill your business The top five diseases that South African farmers should guard against to ensure that their cattle and their bottom-line are not negatively affected
Beef cattle conformation basics When performing a visual evaluation of the animal, note the following features in particular: frame size, muscle and body structure, and breed character.
Tips for stress-free livestock transporting Livestock transportation should result in as little stress to the animals as possible, whether they are being transported to the abattoir or other farms
Twinning in cattle: super-fertile cows In this third part of our series on twinning in cattle, Chris Nel highlights some remarkable stud beef cows that have produced multiple twins
Boran: A no-fuss, no-hassle breed Almost 20 years ago, Chris Webb introduced Borans to his crossbreeding programme on the 1 500ha farm, Tharfield, in the Eastern Cape
Arthropod-borne summer livestock diseases As the weather grows hotter and wetter across the country, the incidence of livestock diseases transmitted by arthropods increases.
3 diseases spread by wildlife Contact with wildlife can endanger your livestock, because wild animals are a source of diseases that seriously affect the productivity of livestock
The basics of hands-on dairy training Transformation in SA’s dairy sector involves dairy training and the transfer of knowledge, as managing a dairy herd, big or small, requires expertise.
The smallest part of the ruminant diet Ruminants need mineral trace elements to maintain health and to achieve desired levels of production and reproduction
The best dairy breed: A comparative study The best dairy breed: A comparative study. Which is the best dairy breed? This question has caused much debate and long occupied dairy farmers the world over.
Tattooing and ear notching techniques Tattooing and ear notching are widely used techniques to mark livestock. Each has its own advantages, disadvantages, application techniques and specific uses
Dealing with clostridial diseases (2) Animals that die after being sick for a short time or are found dead without an obvious cause are likely to be suffering from a clostridial disease spread
Making grass silage while the sun shines Grass silage provides better quality silage than hay and is less weather-dependent, as rain can set the hay-making process back
Making the most of grass silage Good pasture managers apply appropriate fertiliser treatment, based on regular soil and grass sampling, analyses and recommendations.