Emerging farmers in the Western Cape receive bull power

Seven emerging farmers from Genadendal recently received a Bonsmara bull each from the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. This is the first of 23 bulls from the department’s bull project that will be distributed to small-scale farmers this year.

- Hugo Lochner

Dr Chris de Brouwer from the department says the Western Cape produces almost 14% of the country’s beef, but the contribution by emerging producers in the province is relatively small. The project aims to provide top-quality beef cattle genetics to these producers to increase the quantity and quality of beef cattle they offer to the market.

Excellent breeding material

The bull project kicked off in 2014 when the department established a Bonsmara stud at Kromme Rhee outside Stellenbosch. The herd consisted of ‘golden oldies’ – registered cows that, according to performance testing, had excellent genetics.

The cows received treatment to produce more ova (superovulation) and were inseminated using some of the best bull semen in the country. The embryos were flushed and placed in recipient cows to expand the herd faster. This approach meant that the stud’s establishment cost could be controlled.