'The functionally efficient and profitable Beefmaster'

Guy Rensburg, owner of Rensgrow Beefmasters near Komga in the Eastern Cape, spoke to Janine Ryan about why he chooses to farm easy-to-care-for Beefmasters.

- Janine Ryan

Guy Rensburg owns and runs the Rensgrow Beefmaster Stud, situated near Komga in the Eastern Cape, along with his wife Louise and sons Luke and James.

"Farming has always been a passion of mine, and being a fifth-generation cattle farmer, I guess it was always in my blood," says Rensburg.

Other than the Beefmaster stud, Rensgrow also includes a game component, where visitors from around the world are invited to hunt specific game as trophy animals.

THE STUD

Rensburg has been farming Beefmasters since 1996, and registered the herd with SA Studbook in 2012. He says that he has never regretted his decision to farm this particular breed.

"We decided to farm the Beefmaster because it's a profitable, adaptable, uniform, and functionally efficient breed. We wouldn't farm anything else," says Rensburg.

Since farming with Beefmasters, Rensburg says they have seen impressive results.

"The Beefmaster is an economic breed that produces the goods: heavy weaners and fertile cows," he says.

The Rensgrow stud currently consists of around 420 female animals, but this varies depending on the season and rainfall, says Rensburg.

The stud adheres to the 3 x 1/3 breeding philosophy, which includes:

• Accurate record-keeping, and processing of data;

• Paying careful attention to pedigree and which family lines to follow; and

• The visual appraisal of animals, and making sure that breeding animals are structurally correct.

“Our breeding philosophy means following these three points, without paying too much attention to either one at the expense of the others, and employing good stockmanship and common sense values,” explains Rensburg.

He emphasises the importance of accurate record-keeping. “To measure is to know,” he says.