The Importance Of Selection And Good Genetics.

During a recent visit to Zambia, the positive effects of prudent selection, combined with the use of superior bulls, was illustrated beautifully in a cow herd of 4 000. FarmBiz was invited along when well-known Beefmaster stud breeder, Frans Odendaal of WO Beefmasters, and cattle farmer Chippie Watson from Underberg in KwaZulu Natal, travelled to select replacement heifers for Zambezi Ranching and Cropping (ZRC), a farming enterprise some 45km north-east of Lusaka.

- Izak Hofmeyr

ZRC is a large mixed farm. The current owners moved in roughly 15 years ago. At the time it was only a ranch, running approximately 1 200 cows on 18 000ha. Their first priority was to develop the farm’s cropping potential, focussing initially on tobacco and seed maize. A massive irrigation infrastructure of 1 600ha under pivots was developed, and more land was acquired. Currently they farm on 30 000ha, with 5 000 under crops of which 1 600ha are irrigated.

The cropping includes tobacco, seed maize, soya and dryland pastures, predominantly Rhodes grass, in the summer and in winter potatoes, onions, wheat and barley. In addition, they have a small dairy, as well as a chicken division producing two million broilers per annum and a 500-sow multiplier pig division with Topigs genetics.

“While we developed the cropping side,” recalls Graham Rae, managing director of ZRC, “the cattle herd was just ticking over. A few years ago, however, we decided that it was time to bring this side of the business onto the same level as the cropping.”

Building of a cattle herd

“When we first came here there were two herds of cattle, one a Brahman herd and the other Sussex. These were converted to a terminal cross-breeding operation. We brought in a consultant from South Africa, Dr Andrew van der Walt. The aim was to achieve more beef per hectare per year in as short a time as possible off the veld. At the time we were selling three-year-old and older animals, since that was when they reached 400kg.”