Young Beefmaster bulls in preparation for a production sale.
Are you still paying top prices for supplementary feeds such as licks?
Look around: it pays to examine and test the less expensive brands, says Mike Bosch of Mantsole farm near Radium in Limpopo. He has cut the cost of licks by changing to a little-known brand, but still gets full production from his cattle.
"I invited representatives of a number of feed companies to visit me," says Bosch. "I studied the formulations of their licks, and ran a few tests. Then I changed to the one I am now using, and am saving about a third of the previous price."
He stresses that "top production at lowest cost" must always apply in regard to beef cattle, because farmers can no longer afford to spend money unnecessarily or keep unproductive animals.
For the past six years, he has been working with his father, Peter Bosch, who started the Beefmaster herd in 1982.
This herd made history a few years ago when about 3 000 embryos were implanted over three years to enlarge and upgrade the herd with top-quality stock, using semen imported from the US. For some time, they also held the national record with 24 live calves born [out of] ova taken from a single cow.
Denne historien er fra June 03, 2022-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra June 03, 2022-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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IPM requires a completely different mindset
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Bacterial and fungal diseases of garlic
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The impact of theft on farms in South Africa
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Free State has no reason to mark Transport Month
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SA's food system ‘vulnerable to climate change'
The Just Transition Agenda for Food System Policymaking in SA webinar, hosted by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) in October, highlighted the role that South Africa’s food system plays in contributing to climate change and how vulnerable it is to the impact thereof.
