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Stockfarm - December 2025

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I dette nummeret

Vertical gains in the lambing pen Fragility of the red meat sector 2025 ARC Beef Performers Awards LRF Stockman School • Komga Show • Kei Road farmers celebrate 150 years Precision nutrition • Phase C and D growth tests • Maize silage • Lucerne hay Heat stress • Flies • Wireworm

Santa's new team

Last December, we warned Santa Claus of the perils of visiting South Africa with his team of reindeer. We cautioned him about the biological hazards his reindeer might bring into the country, and the import tariff issues he might encounter when trying to bring in all those gifts. We also elaborated on the heat and other environmental challenges his team might face. But we also told him about our friendly farmers and the braais he might be invited to, complete with a beverage of his choice.

3 mins

WHAT'S UP?

High pathogenicity avian influenza in cattle

6 mins

Measuring the fragility of the South African red meat value chain

Globally, value chains are increasingly expected to achieve their goals within complex, uncertain, and highly interconnected operating environments while still delivering consumer value and maintaining profitability. Managing value chains that are future-fit in this context requires a sharper focus on enhancing performance while understanding and mitigating vulnerability within the complex value chain system.

5 mins

Back to basics at the 2025 LRF Stockman School

The 17th Annual LRF Stockman School, hosted by the Livestock Registering Federation (LRF), kicked off with great enthusiasm at the Aldam Holiday Resort and Conference Centre in the Free State. Held over three days, the event brought together leading experts from a range of fields who met everyone's expectations by addressing relevant and timely topics head-on.

7 mins

Trust and muffins lead the way

In any business, communicating in silos is the main cause of issues among managers. With only three of us managing things, myself on sheep, Gert on vehicles and Mbali on payments, breaking through our silos is easy. Twice a week we hold short morning meetings to report progress and problems towards our goal of turning grass into sheep for profit.

2 mins

DSA reaches new milestone on the road to excellence

The Dairy Standard Agency (DSA) has enjoyed an exceptional 2025 so far, marking two major achievements that underscore its ongoing pursuit of excellence.

3 mins

Dairy MONTHLY

The use of unprocessed milk in dairy products

2 mins

RPO meat achieves international recognition for quality

Here's another reason to boast about your braai: the Red Meat Producers' Organisation (RPO) now meets international ISO 9001 standards and has registered its own RPO Quality Management System. This system will soon form part of a comprehensive, ISO-certified 'farm-to-fork' scheme.

3 mins

Samic: Protector of red meat quality

If you thought the South African Meat Industry Company (Samic) is just about carcass competitions, think again. Fact is, the company plays a pivotal role in South Africa's meat supply chain, upholding rigorous standards of quality, safety, and transparency from the farm gate to the plate.

3 mins

Celebrating the 2025 Komga Agricultural Show

This year's Komga Agricultural Show, energised by the arrival of summer and filled with festive stalls, was a hive of activity. The grounds came alive with live music, a poultry exhibition, the familiar sounds of cattle and sheep in the pens, displays of horsemanship, and top-quality technology and implements on show.

2 mins

Imfuyo-yami Ingumcebo Wami: Livestock as a legacy of wealth and wisdom

In the heart of KwaZulu-Natal, under the warm sun and the watchful gaze of the rolling hills, the Hlawini Community Hall in Umfolozi Local Municipality came alive with the spirit of unity, learning, and tradition. The occasion? The Umfolozi Livestock Farmers' Information Day, held under the banner of the Agricultural Research Council's (ARC) Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo (KyD) project, a national an initiative aimed at empowering communal livestock farmers through knowledge, technology, and sustainable practices.

3 mins

Vertical gains in the lambing pen: It's not just about the numbers

In a world where rising input costs and increasing consumer demands play a decisive role, it has become more important than ever for red meat producers to raise lambs that not only benefit the producer but also add value throughout the entire supply chain.

4 mins

Kei Road Farmers' Association celebrates a noteworthy 150 years

The small village of Kei Road, nestled in the Amatole region of the Eastern Cape, boasts proud historical roots dating back to the 1879 Cape Frontier Wars.

2 mins

2025 ARC NATIONAL BEEF CATTLE IMPROVEMENT HERD OF THE YEAR

Winner: Christo Rothmann, Bushman's Mountain Tuli Stud, Venterstad, Eastern CapeTo be considered for this prestigious category, a breeder must demonstrate excellence across several key performance traits within his or her herd.

1 mins

Resilience is the name of the game: Cecilia Makgatho's journey to a life in farming

In another life, Cecilia Nthabeleng Makgatho might have been behind a movie camera instead of a kraal gate. The aspiring filmmaker had long dreamed of producing films, and by early 2020, she was preparing to leave for New York to pursue postgraduate studies in film production. But when Covid-19 struck, her plans - and her world - came to a sudden halt.

5 mins

Every bite counts: Precision nutrition for optimal production

Every producer's goal is to farm more profitably and sustainably. Achieving this requires healthy animals and maintaining their health status. This begins with proper nutrition, more specifically precision feeding which plays a vital role in any successful farming plan.

4 mins

A comparison between phase C and D growth tests

Feed is one of the major cost drivers of beef production, and due to its high cost, it is important to have a positive feed margin. A positive margin can be influenced by the feed price and feed efficiency (gain/kg feed consumed). This can be achieved by improving the average daily gain (ADG) and reducing the feed costs by breeding animals that utilise feed more efficiently.

2 mins

Maize silage for effective dairy cow nutrition

Silage is preserved forage produced through fermentation under anaerobic (oxygen-free) conditions. Maize silage is produced by harvesting the entire maize plant at a specific growth stage using a silage harvester, finely chopping it, and storing it in airtight bunkers or silos. Here, lactic acid bacteria ferment plant sugars into organic acids, effectively preserving the forage while maintaining most of its nutritional value.

4 mins

The effect of iucerne hay quaiiiy on feedlot lambs

Lucerne hay is one of the most widely used roughage sources for ruminant diets, largely due to its reputation for providing high-quality nutrition. Important considerations for producers who use lucerne hay in their feed programme include assessing the true value of lucerne hay, determining the most suitable grade for specific feeding purposes, considering its cost, and balancing these factors against optimal feedlot performance.

3 mins

Five common missteps in silage production

Making silage may seem straightforward, but several factors can determine whether your efforts will yield high-quality feed or disappointing results. To ensure successful silage production, the following are five key missteps that every producer should avoid.

2 mins

Boer goat management: A vaccination schedule

Every Boer goat breeder should establish a comprehensive animal health programme tailored to their farm and environment. Ilse Lombard, owner of the well-known Ilse Lombard Boer Goat Stud near Vrede, explains that she vaccinates her flock during the autumn months, with a booster in spring. This helps protect her goats against Pasteurella and diseases such as pulpy kidney, lamb dysentery, clostridial uterine infections, tetanus, blackleg, and redgut.

2 mins

Heat stress: Managing high temperatures on livestock farms

January and February were particularly warm months across the interior of South Africa this year, raising concerns that the high temperatures could negatively impact conception rates in beef herds and sheep flocks with breeding seasons running from December to March.

4 mins

Flies and blowflies: A serious threat to cattle health

Flies and blowflies pose a significant threat to livestock health and productivity. They can contribute to poor weight gain, reduced milk production, and disrupted grazing patterns that lead to inadequate nutrient intake. They also act as carriers of microbes, bacteria, and fungi, contaminating equipment, feed, and eggs through their vomit or faeces. Dr Louis Boag, head of sales (ruminants) at Elanco South Africa, says cattle producers often underestimate this threat.

3 mins

Wireworm management in small stock

Years of indiscriminate dosing have eliminated weaker wireworms, allowing resistant populations to dominate and spread through flocks. Wireworms typically hatch following good rains and warm nights. When larvae move up the green grass, they are ingested by grazing sheep. About 20 days later, the worms begin sucking blood, leading to anaemia and, in severe cases, death.

2 mins

Money can't be eaten

When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realise that you cannot eat money. - Native American saying

2 mins