FARMERS’ DIARIES
CATTLE
Patrick Sekwatlakwatla, commercial livestock mentor, Edenville, Free State
The Sernick Group, which I work for, has a Bonsmara stud and a commercial herd. Our calving starts in October for the summer season and calves will come until December. If the cows are well fed and vaccinated, there isn’t much to worry about as far as the newborns are concerned. The calves born in June and July will be four to five months in November and must be inoculated against brucellosis using OBP S19.
It’s our rainy season now, so there are quite a few vaccinations. We do the cattle for Rift Valley fever, lumpy skin, three-day stiff-sickness, botulism, black quarter and anthrax. It’s also a good time to deworm. This improves both the production and reproduction of cattle. A proper deworming programme also reduces internal parasites out in the veld.
