Date
Programme
Cattle
Brahman
There is one beef breed in Southern Africa that has changed the composition of commercial herds due to its versatile performance. Cosmetically or genetically the Brahman breed in the commercialisation of the livestock industry, is an option that should be reckoned with.
Braunvieh
Braunvieh is a German word meaning Brown Cattle. There were at least 12 types of brown cattle found in the mountains of Switzerland during the 1600's. Braunvieh is well-known for their milk production and is ideal for cheese production.
Dexter
Low maintenance, easy handling, excellent meat quality, good milk production, mothering ability and the sheer beauty of the breed has swung many a farmer away from the giants of cattle breeds to the small jewel that has crept into the hearts of many an owner.
Drakensberger
This medium sized Drakensberger is indigenous to South Africa and was developed over a period of several centuries. After Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape in 1497 he briefly went ashore to acquire a black ox from the local native people in exchange for three bracelets.
Hugenoot
The Hugenoot breed was bred from the Afrikaner and Charolais in a 40% to 60% relation. The breed was developed in 1961 in the tropical lowveld of the Limpopo province, close to Phalaborwa. In 1980 the breed became known as the Huguenot after the French Huguenots who immigrated to South Africa during 1688.
Jersey
Genetically, the Jersey is without doubt one of the purest modern day dairy breeds. The breed has its origins on the Jersey Islands. The outstanding characteristic of the Jersey is its "yellow" milk which has a very high butterfat content. Jersey milk has the highest protein content of all the dairy breeds. Jersey cows are famous for their good temperament, but the bulls have been known to be quite aggressive.
Limousin
Limousin cattle originated in the high, rocky Aquitaine region of France. For centuries the area was isolated from the rest of Europe by political strife. As a result Limousin cattle have long been range animals, bred and selected for outstanding meat qualities and have adapted to survive in harsh conditions.
Herefords
Herefords have been playing a pivotal role in the South African Beef industry for more than a 100 years.
Pinzgauer
About 500 AD. Alpine herdsmen, who ran their cattle on small, widely scattered, rocky pastures, began to develop a breed of red and white cattle from the native red Bavarian cattle. These early cattlemen selected animals that could withstand harsh conditions and still produce meat and milk. Later in history, the Pinzgauer attained their present form and colour. In the early 1900's a number of breeding cattle were exported to South Africa, which has the second largest herd of fullblood Pinzgauers in the world today. Meet some of our local Pinzgauer champions at the National Pinzgauer Championships, to be held at the T Show this year.
Santa Gertrudis
The modern Santa Gertrudis are medium framed cattle. They are exceptionally good foragers and with an excellent walking ability cover long distances in search for food and water. The Santa, with its dark red, smooth coat, well hooded eyes and excellent legs and feet, is tailor made for South Africa.
Simbra
“The Simbra is a hardy, smooth-coated, well adapted breed, with virile, hard-muscled, growthy bulls and feminine, fertile, highly functional cows. A breed possessing the best of the Simmentaler and the Brahman, a breed that has all the potential to produce beef efficiency, especially in extensive cattle breeding areas.” (Dave Morley, Senior Judge of Brahman, Simbra and Simmentaler).
Simmentaler
The first Simmentalers arrived in South Africa in 1905 when President M T Steyn of the Republic of the Free State established a stud on his farm Onze Rust, near Bloemfontein. The breed had, however, maintained an inferior position until the early sixties when the excellent performance of the Simmentaler in official interbreed tests were revealed. It soon became clear that the demand was exceeding the supply and in the period 1960 to 1970 large numbers had been imported into South Africa, initially from the then South West Africa, and later Fleckvieh from Germany and Austria.
