Brafords Prove Their Worth On Traditional Sheep Farm

- Mike Burgess

The core of Van Aardt Greyling’s farming operation has always been his Mutton Merinos, which today amount to 2 500 females, including 600 stud ewes. Nevertheless, his 350-strong Braford cow herd, which consists of 130 stud animals, is responsible for a third of the income generated from the 8 000ha (mostly hired) he farms across the Lady Grey and Dordrecht districts. The cows’ ability to produce weaners weighing between 47% and 48% of their own weight makes them an integral component of Van Aardt’s business.

His fertile 11,5-year-old cow, which won the Agricultural Research Council’s National Best Elite Braford Cow Award, boasts an ICP of 368 days over nine calves.

The Greylings have farmed in the Lady Grey district for generations, and Van Aardt’s son, Faan, who has recently returned to Ricksuhill, is the sixth generation. Like Faan, Van Aardt was groomed to take charge of the family farming operation by completing a BSc in agriculture, as well as an honours degree, at the University of the Free State.

He returned home in 1992 to farm with his dad, Faantjie. “The idea was always to come back and farm,” he says. “I think if it’s in one’s blood, it’s in one’s blood.”

He says the privilege of actively farming with his father until 2004 allowed him to apply his theoretical knowledge on the farm responsibly and in support of his dad’s vast experience as a stockman. “Thanks to my dad, my theoretical background could be effectively combined with the practical demands of the farming operation,” he recalls. Van Aardt was, nevertheless, able to convince his dad to fundamentally restructure the Greyling beef initiative.