How Angus cattle add value to a fruit farm
Conditions on Gielie Geldenhuys’s family farm in the Theronsberg region, 30km north of Ceres in the Western Cape, are harsh. Winters are cold, typically with snow, summers are hot, and the grazing comprises sourveld. Faced with these realities in the 1970s, Geldenhuys’s father, Basie, kept a variety of breeds on the farm to test which had the best chance of thriving. In the end, he settled on medium-framed Angus cattle.
“Despite being of British origin, Angus cattle have adapted well to South African production conditions, ” says Geldenhuys. “Some Scottish farmers who visited us during the World Angus Tour in 2005 said they’d rather run away than try to produce cattle under our harsh conditions! They couldn’t believe what we’d achieved with these cattle on sourveld and with our low rainfall.”
In addition to this, the breed requires little supervision, thanks to its easy temperament, easy calving and fast growth. These traits, explains Geldenhuys, are essential
