The Many Rewards of Game Farming in the Karoo

Game animals have brought a new dimension to farm life in the arid Karoo. Roelof Bezuidenhout spoke to Neil Dodds and Rob Hobson, two farmers from Jansenville, who have combined game with small stock.

- Roelof Bezuidenhout

While doomsayers view the falling prices of game, notably that of colour variants, as proof that the long-predicted bubble has burst, game ranchers who cashed in on the boom believe the industry has so many facets that further growth is guaranteed.

However, in the midst of this debate, there are farmers who are unsure about price movements in the future. Some have already invested heavily in high-value game. Others are still considering the idea of switching from livestock, or bringing game farming into their production plans. In extensive livestock regions, the main motivation for this would be to make a livestock enterprise more sustainable under unpredictable, low-rainfall conditions. But, while financial considerations are crucial when making such decisions, there is more to game farming than money, as any visit to a game ranch will show.

Neil Dodds of Nukamma Wildlife and Rob Hobson of Swartrivier Wildlife were among the first in the southeastern Karoo to combine game with Merino sheep and Angora goats, the traditional breeds of choice in the Jansenville area. Both are members of the Summit Wildlife Group – which runs an annual game auction in Graaff Reinet – as well as the Karoo Midlands Wildlife Study Group.

Neil invested in game about 10 years ago and keeps several species on his farm, Meerlust, but continues to run small stock on other properties. Rob does the same on his undulating Karoo farm 30km further west. He is in the process of reducing his small stock component, which consists chiefly of Meat master sheep.