Merino breeding for shows, stud and flock improvement

One farmer winning the Merino awards for both the Grand Champion Ewe Fleece and the Reserve Grand Champion Ewe Fleece at the South African National Fleece Championships is a praiseworthy achievement.

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Both these awards went to JA ‘Oom Koos’ Saayman of Platkop in the Riversdale district, Western Cape. These awards are the result of 30 years of hard work and love that Oom Koos has devoted to his Merinos, all bred by himself.

His 372ha farm is arable except for 50ha that is left to veld and scrub. In this 425mm rainfall area, drinking water is supplied by several earth dams in the kloofs. There is insufficient water, however, for irrigation.

The main source of income is from Merinos, but Oom Koos also keeps a dairy stud of 50 Jerseys that are well known at local shows.

Providing food for Merinos in this naturally dry winter-rain area poses no problem. Lands are planted to pastures after being well limed and fertilised according to the indications of soil analysis. Two hundred Merinos form the commercial flock, which is slowly being decreased as the stud flock of 500 increases.

The stud ewes are served by only two rams. This is made possible by hand mating: Oom Koos used progesterone-impregnated sponges that enable him to mate a specific number of ewes during a certain period. The practice gives him perfect control at lambing time and a zero mortality rate.