‘Use top-quality cows for commercial success’
Willem Botha, who owns the Tendele Simmentalers stud near Senekal in the Free State, explains that South Africa’s beef cattle sector comprises stud breeders, commercial beef producers and weaner producers, the buyers and sellers of the beef, and finally, the consumer.
All seek maximum returns on investment and/or value for money. It is therefore the stud breeder’s responsibility to provide commercial producers with optimally performing seedstock that makes it possible for them to market fastgrowing and well-developed weaners. This pertains mainly to bulls and, occasionally, female animals, for the commercial sector.
The value of a top-performing commercial cow should never be underestimated, says Botha. It makes little sense to keep a breeding herd of substandard female animals, as not even the best bulls can cancel out the effects
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