Dormers: when quality meat really does count

The Kinko Dormers stud near Swellendam in the Western Cape is proving that precision breeding, backed by performance data, can deliver measurable financial advantages. Johan Swart, the owner of the stud, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about his breeding philosophy and the performance-driven approach behind his success.

- By Glenneis Kriel

If you are looking for top-class Dormer genetics, the Kinko Dormer stud in Swellendam should be on your radar.

The stud’s story began in 1999, when Johan Swart bought the entire Dormer stud belonging to a family friend, Thys Swart. At the time, the stud had already been running for several decades and was well regarded in Dormer circles.

“We used to buy a lot of Dormer rams in a year from ‘Oom’ Thys, and I always asked if I could buy a few ewes as well. Then one day he agreed to sell me a few of his animals, but when I saw the ewes in the yard, I ended up buying the whole flock at R390 an ewe, and R900 a ram, which was double the price of commercial ewes at the time. ‘Oom’ Thys was already well advanced in his years, so he wanted to scale down,” Swart recalls.

Thys used to be known locally as Thys Kinko, after the Kinko River that flows through what used to be his farm. To honour his legacy, Swart decided to reregister the stud as Kinko Dormers.

“Oom Thys bought his first 10 Dormer ewes back in 1963, and registered the U-Dormer stud in 1974,” he says.

Swart recalls that Thys, back then, used to trade an entry-level ram for three or four slaughter lambs, and his better rams for five.

EFFICIENT SYSTEMS

Like his father, Streicher, Swart invests in Dormer sheep to boost the meat production of his Merino ewes through crossbreeding.

“We predominantly farm with grain, but we keep sheep to add value to lucerne,” he says. “We run a cash crop cycle that includes wheat, canola and barley, followed by a lucerne cycle that lasts about five years.

“The lucerne allows our family business to get grass weeds under control again before the next round of cash crops are planted.”

While Swart initially bred his own Merino ewes, he now buys in Merino ewes at 11 to 14 months of age from nearby producers. The move has improved both efficiencies and flock size.