The Droughtmaster, a cattle breed that was developed in Australia, is still relatively new in South Africa. The first Droughtmaster genetics was brought to South Africa in the early 1990s, and in 1999, the first live animals were imported from Australia. Since then, the breed has become well established in South Africa, and according to breeders Carl and Niël Durow, it is gaining popularity amongst commercial and stud breeders due to its hardiness and high fertility. The FC Durrow Trust Droughtmaster stud forms part of a family farming business run by brothers Freddie, Eksteen and Carl, and Carl’s sons, Niël and Carl.
The family farms crops, cattle and sheep on Skeefkop, near Clocolan in the Free State. Maize, sunflower, and soya bean are grown in rotation on about 1 200ha. The livestock component is run on 2 800ha of veld and includes a 600-breeding ewe SA Mutton Merino flock, the Droughtmaster stud, and a Sussex commercial and stud herd of roughly 800 and 240 breeding female animals respectively.
“We bought our first Droughtmasters in 2017. At the time, we were only breeding with Sussex cattle. A farmer in the Eastern Cape, Trevor Stötter, who was retiring, wanted to sell his Sussex stud. When we went to view the animals, he told us that he was also considering selling his Droughtmaster stud. We were impressed by the animals so we decided to buy them as well,” says Carl.
BREEDING AND SELECTION
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