Afrino Excels In Producing Mutton And Wool On The Veld

Hendré Calitz, the chairperson of the Afrino Sheep Breeders’ Association of South Africa, manages the Koppiesfontein Afrino Stud near Smithfield for Piet and Theo Delport of Wesselsbron. Mike Burgess visited him to better understand the value of the Afrino under extensive conditions.

- Mike Burgess

“I love the Afrino,” says Hendré Calitz, who manages 3 500 Afrino ewes (300 of which are stud animals) on 5 000ha for Piet and Theo Delport of Wesselsbron. “And I’m very proud of the progress of the Koppiesfontein Stud.”

The value of the Afrino, a composite breed (25% indigenous Ronderib Afrikaner, 25% Merino and 50% SA Mutton Merino) is its ability to produce meat and wool under extensive conditions with low inputs.

“If you’re farming extensively, there isn’t a better breed than the Afrino,” claims Calitz. “You don’t need to pamper them with feed and they’ll still give you a lamb and quality wool.”

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Delports first saw the Afrino at Nampo Harvest Day in the early 1990s. They then visited breeder Koot Pienaar between Philippolis and the Gariep Dam and were deeply impressed by the performance of his Afrinos.

“The sheep were in good condition despite not receiving any lick,” recalls Calitz. “They were running on hard steekgras veld in the mountains.”

It didn’t take the Delports long to put Afrino rams to their SA Mutton Merino ewes to breed a hardy, fertile sheep with exceptional mothering abilities, and by 2001, their Koppiesfontein Afrino Stud was registered and being managed by Hansie Swanepoel, who today runs the Delports’ Merino operation. The late Gerald van Heerden also played a central role in selection.

Born and schooled in Bethulie, Calitz always wanted to be involved in agriculture. After school, he studied at the Potchefstroom College of Agriculture, where he completed a diploma in 2005. He then left for England and Scotland to work on various farms, and after his return in 2007 took up a management position on the Delport farms near Wesselsbron.