Tuli Stud Cattle Flourish In Karoo Small-Stock Environment

Tuli breeder Ben Raath believes his indigenous cattle hold their own against top feedlot breeds in terms of profitability on a weight per hectare basis. Sabrina Dean visited his farm near Britstown to learn about the commercial potential of the cattle, particularly with worsening climate change.

Like many farmers in parts of the Northern Cape, Ben Raath has experienced several consecutive years of below-average rainfall. Unlike most others in his region, however, he runs cattle. Raath’s father, Theo, started farming Dorper sheep, animals more typical in this area, on the farm Donkerhoek just outside Britstown in the Pixley ka Seme district in 1961. At a stocking rate of about 1 LSU/22ha, cattle had never seemed viable.

“I’m often asked how I manage to farm cattle here,” says Raath.

DIVERSIFIED INTERESTS

Raath farmed with his father from 1992 until Theo’s death in 2007. In 2014, Raath made the switch to Merino.

The risk with Dorpers, he says, is that if a lamb is lost, there is nothing to sell, whereas with Merino, one is at least left with the wool produced by the ewe. “Also, if you want to farm sustainably in future, I believe you must have an export product, such as wool, to market.”

Although sheep are better suited to this terrain, risks such as stock theft and predation made Raath further diversify his business. One concern he began years ago is an exotic parrotbreeding operation specialising in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Speciesapproved macaws, African greys and other parrot-type species for export. He also has a game component and has invested in good-quality genetic stock of several species, such as gemsbok and springbok.

The other operation is his Tuli stud component, comprising roughly 100 breeding cows.

“My breeding philosophy is about producing functional, effective animals that are fertile, hardy and adapted to extreme conditions,” he says. “If an animal can survive here where we farm, it can survive anywhere in South Africa.”

INHERENT HARDINESS