South African #1 Cattle Breeds

1-The Ayrshire breed originated in the County of Ayr in Scotland, prior to 1800 and was regarded as an established breed by 1812. During its development, it was referred to first as the Dunlop, then the Cunningham, and finally, the Ayrshire. How the different strains of cattle were crossed to form the breed known as Ayrshire is not exactly known. There is good evidence that several breeds were crossed with native cattle to create the foundation animals of the breed. In Agriculture, Ancient and Modern, published in 1866, Samual Copland describes the native cattle of the region as "diminutive in size, ill-fed, and bad milkers." Prior to 1800 many of the cattle of Ayrshire were black, although by 1775 browns and mottled colours started to appear. The improvement of the native stock is thought to of begun around 1750 when it was crossed with other breeds such as the Teeswater cattle and Channel Islands cattle. Regardless of the details of origin, the early breeders carefully crossed and selected the various strains of cattle to develop the cow we now know as the Ayrshire. She was well suited for the land and climate in Ayr. The Ayrshire is an efficient grazer; noted for her vigour and efficiency of milk production. Ayrshire's are especially noted for the superior shape and quality of the udder. The composition of the milk made it ideally suited for the production of butter and cheese by the ear 2-The Afrikaner (also named: Afrikander and Africander in English) is a sanga breed that began with Cape Hottentot cattle selected for work purposes by Dutch settlers in South Africa (who called themselves Afrikaners). South Africa uses Africander as the transboundary name for this breed. The Afrikaner (also named: Afrikander and Africander in English) is a sanga breed that began with Cape Hottentot cattle selected for work purposes by Dutch settlers in South Africa (who called themselves Afrikaners). South Africa uses Africander as the transboundary name for this breed. Afrikaner cattle were developed from the native Hottentot cattle of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Afrikaners are medium-sized cattle with loose skin and large drooping ears. Bulls have the typical Zebu hump. They vary from a light tan to a deep cherry red. They have creamy white horns. Afrikaners are low-maintenance, heat-tolerant, and well adapted to withstand harsh conditions. They have a good temperament and are easier to handle than most Brahman-derived breeds. 3-The Bonsmara is a breed of cattle known for its high quality beef. Originating in South Africa as a scientific experiment of professor Jan Bonsma, the Bonsmara was created after many cross matings and back-crosses consisting of five-eighths Afrikaner (Sanga-type), three-sixteenths Hereford, and three-sixteenths Shorthorn (both taurine types). 4-The Drakensberger (aka Black Africander) originated from the crossing of imported Dutch cattle (mainly Friesians) with the local black Sanga cattle, including the Africander, the Basuto and the Nguni. 5-The Holstein-Friesland (aka Fries in Afrikaans; Friesland; Holstein Friesian) began with Dutch Black Pied Friesian cattle arriving in South Africa in 1854. A Friesland herdbook was established in 1902. The Friesland was a pure Friesian breed until the Canadian Holstein arrived in 1963 – causing a mix in the population and resulting in the Holstein-Friesland. The Holstein-Friesland is a single-purpose dairy breed and accounts for the majority of dairy herds in South Africa. 6-The Nguni (aka Swazi, Zulu, Pondo; Landim and Sul do Save in Mozambique) is a breed that consists of several strains of southeast coastal African cattle. It wasn't until 1947 that the name Nguni became official for all east coast South African cattle strains. 9-Pondoland Wild Cattle 8-The Sanganer is a developing composite of indigenous sanga breeds, Nguni and Africander. The Sanganer is a new breed created in Africa for the purpose of being a damline breed as it has been declared that there are not enough in the country. It has been created using the Africander and the Nguni both of which are indiginous breeds well suited to that enviroment. Photo courtesy of The Sanganer Society of South Africa, www.studbook.co.za/Society/sanganer So this new breed has been bred to be highly economical and highly fertile, that will increase in demand across all African states. South Africa is a country of extremes, not only as far as the climate is concerned, but also in respect of stock disease and topography. Forage production is also becoming too expensive so all of these issues are being tackled. There are high expectations regarding the Sanganer at this stage those expectations are certainly being satisfied. Statistics Since the Sanganer is still in the development phase, little information is currently available regarding this breed of cattle. The following very important attributes have already come to the fore. Tick resistance - Not only do these animals have a very good resistance against tick-borne diseases, but generally have less ticks than animals from other breeds. Easy calving - Calving problems do not occur Vitality - The calves are vigourous and the mortality rate is low. Good constitution - These animals are always in very good condition. The young oxen can be marketed off grazing from the age of 15 months. Fertility - This breed is early maturing. Some heifers come into estrus before they are 12 months old. The re-fertilisation of the first-calf cows is excellent. Comparative The fertilisation rate of 11 heifers was 100% All of them calved before the age of 26 months. All of the eleven heifers became pregnant within a three months mating period. The young cows are in excellent condition despite the fact that their calves are in excellent condition. Photo courtesy of The Sanganer Society of South Africa, www.studbook.co.za/Society/sanganer www.studbook.co.za/Society/sanganer Distribution Currently this breed is being produced and developed in Africa. 9-“The challenges of beef farming in South Africa can be acute as well as varied and different from the UK. Temperature, water, grass species, ticks, predators and more, would give the average Brit many sleepless nights. The weather determines their regime with hot wet summers, October to March, and dry winters that can be cold at night and suffer from pastureland becoming burnt-off,” said Oliver. “Calving has to happen towards the end of the winter, down near the farmstead to avoid predators and so mother and calf get close observation in the first few days. Bull calves are kept whole. Calves are then weaned before the end of April at just over six months and to avoid cows nurturing during the following lean winter months.” The herd is often run in mobs of up to 120 cows together with four bulls and graze mainly on permanent grass during summer and temporary ley in the winter with additional protein provided in the winter via a mix with milled maize corn. “Ticks are their number one enemy particularly having taken on new ground recently where there had been no tick management,” he explained. “Ticks, along with occasional problems with flies, mites, liver fluke and the risk of eye infections from tall grass, means that preventive drugs often have to be administered once a month in the summer, as well as once a winter.” The virtues of the breed are apparent, says Oliver. Johan also runs the traditional Bonsmara cattle, a sandy to rust-coloured beast which is polled and of similar size but with thicker skin, lower milk quality and varying temperament. Crossbred stock is recording greater growth rates than the pure-bred Bonsmara or Red Poll. The good Red Poll temperament clearly provides an advantage with the level of handling required and it was interesting to hear that the breed was the only one to have stalls at the national agricultural show, Nampo, with gates open to the public,” said Oliver. Johan Oosthuizen and his family were fantastically hospitable and his son-in-law Elma Steenkamp is a real enthusiast for the breed.” 10-Today the Simmentaler Association is third after the Bonsmara (local synthetic) and Brahman (Zebu) in number of registered females amongst the 30 non-dairy breeds. Within the group of 16 non-dairy British and European breeds, Simmentaler has more recorded animals than 2nd (Angus), 3rd (Limousin) and 4th (Sussex) together. We maintain an open membership and have breeders from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Australia and Canada as members. The association’s main objective is to provide its members with a comprehensive advisory service and every member receives an annual advisory visit by one of our accredited breed experts.