Unlocking the potential of the Merino Landsheep

The Merino Landsheep is rapidly gaining popularity in South Africa due to the breed’s impressive performance in the feedlot as well as its value as a dual-purpose meat and wool sheep. Merino Landsheep stud breeder Ben du Plessis spoke to Annelie Coleman.

- Annelie Coleman

Ben du Plessis, president of the Merino Landsheep Breeders’ Society of South Africa, started his Roebella Landsheep stud in 1987 while still at school. His grandfather, Roelf du Plessis, and later his father, Dirk, both ran Merino Landsheep studs.

“I started the Roebella stud in 1987 and began farming full-time in 1991. Later, I also took over my father Dirk’s Verdeeld Landsheep stud,” recalls Du Plessis.

He now runs both stud herds, informally known as the Du Plessis stud, on the farms Verdeeld and Saaiplaas, situated along the Renoster River near Koppies in the Free State.

Du Plessis says that the outstanding characteristics of the Landsheep are the breed’s temperament, superb carcass quality, top performance in feedlots, and excellent wool.

According to him, the Landsheep suffered from a number of breeding mistakes in the late 1990s, and this saw a decline in the breed’s popularity in South Africa. The most significant error was placing too much focus on larger carcasses.

However, this has since been rectified, and Du Plessis believes that the breed is now regaining its rightful place amongst South Africa’s livestock breeds.

Breed numbers have increased noticeably in recent years due to the fact that breeders decided to focus selection on increasing muscling. As breeders started to rectify the poor selection criteria of the past, interest in the breed was revived and the Merino Landsheep Breeders’ Society now has more than 4 700 registered animals (compared with 2 600 about six years ago) belonging to 28 stud breeders and 26 commercial breeders.

FROM GERMANY TO SA

The Landsheep originated in Germany and the first shipment of the breed – six rams and 60 ewes – were imported to South Africa by a group of Free State farmers in 1956.