Why Beefmaster Is The ‘Profit Breed'

Riana de Beer, a Beefmaster breeder in the Senekal district in the Free State, runs the Quardsen Beefmaster stud on veld and says that selecting for the ‘Six Essentials’, which helps eliminate poor performers, makes the breed profitable under all farming conditions.

- Riana de Beer

Beefmaster breeders select for six essential traits, which means the Beefmaster has earned its slogan, the ‘profit breed’, after years of careful selection. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

Riana de Beer, a Beefmaster breeder in the Senekal district in the Free State, manages the Quardsen Beefmaster stud and says that stud farmers should manage their herds as if they were commercial herds. “Focus attention on traits that are directly linked to herd profitability for future success, and apply strict selection for the traits that are needed in an extensive veld-based system,” she says. “The breeding objectives of the breed and your stud, in particular, can ensure that the required genetics are kept in the herd and also included in the breeding stock sold from the herd.”

De Beer explains that many stud breeding programmes are packed with ambitious objectives.

‘BY ELIMINATING COWS THAT PERFORM POORLY, THE CALF GROWTH RATE IS CONSTANTLY BEING IMPROVED ACROSS THE HERD’

However, the more objectives included in a breeding programme, the slower the progress made in any particular trait.

“All too often, visual appearance as a breed objective clouds progress in the profitable traits. Simple and accurate pursuance of the profit drivers over an extended period of time brings true progress,” she says.