Is artificial insemination right for your farm?

Approximately 60% of the 13,84 million cattle in South Africa are owned by commercial farmers and 40% by emerging and communal farmers. The latter keep their cattle on communal grazing land and rely more than commercial farmers on indigenous knowledge to manage their herds.

Productivity from this farming system is likely to be affected by drought, stocking density, livestock reproductive diseases such as brucellosis and vibriosis, and poor genetic improvement due to high rates of inbreeding and poor-quality bulls.

In addition, poor or improper fencing contributes to uncontrolled matings, the spread of disease, and an undesirable bull-to-cow ratio, amongst other problems.