Livestock Production in South Africa

Introduction

• This section introduces basic beef, dairy, sheep, and goat production in South Africa.

Industry Focus

• This section examines the role of the beef, dairy, sheep, and goat industries in South Africa
• It covers the characteristics of different breeds within each sector.

Key Production Factors

• Key production factors include nutrition, which impacts animal growth and productivity.
• Breeding for genetic improvement and reproduction is important
• Physiology plays a role in efficient production
• Health management is included for sustainability

Covered Products

• Products include beef and mutton (lamb meat), milk products, and wool from sheep.

Ruminant Types

• Ruminant groups are beef, dairy, sheep and goat.

Outcomes

• Understand beef, dairy, sheep, and goat production and their roles in Southern Africa.
• Understand breeding, nutrition, and animal health, and their impact.
• Identify different breeds and their characteristics.
• Understand the influence of genetics, nutrition, physiology, and health on beef, mutton, milk, and wool production.
• Display knowledge of basic livestock management practices such as dipping, deworming, vaccination, castration, and dehorning.

Course Credits

• This module carries 12 credits, requiring 120 notional learning hours.

Assessments

• Semester Test 1 is worth 45%.
• Semester Test 2 is worth 45%.
• Class Tests are worth 10%.
• To pass the module, a student must achieve at least 50% as the final mark
• A minimum of 40% is required in the final exam, regardless of coursework performance.
• To qualify for the final exam, a student must have a minimum semester (module) mark of 45%.
• Attendance of at least 80% of theoretical classes is required.

Class Test Scheduling

• Semester Test 1 [19 March 25; 5-6 pm; EXR6].
• Semester Test 2 [30 Apr 25; 5-6 pm; EXR6].
• Quiz 1 [21 Feb 25, online].
• Quiz 2 [7 Mar 25, online].
• Quiz 3 [11 Apr 25, online].
• Quiz 4 [9 May 25, online].
• Sick Test (Test 3) [14 May 25, 5-6 pm; EXR6].

Career Paths

• Career opportunities are in animal husbandry: which includes farms and feedlots.
• Career opportunities are in animal products: which include dairy products and skins..
• Career opportunities are in animal feeds: including animal feed production companies.
• Career opportunities are in the animal health & Pharmaceutical industry: which include pharmaceutical companies.
• Career opportunities are in research institutions, such as the Agricultural Research Council.
• Career opportunites in nature conservation institutions include nature reserves, and game farms
• Career opportunities in consulting include agricultural co-operatives, and private companies
• Career opportunites exists in educational institutions: which include tertiary training institutions
• Career opportunities in semen and embryo collection include artificial insemination companies, such as Taurus and Vries-it.
• Career opportunities in breeding organizations include breeders' societies and SA Studbook.
• Career opportunities in agricultural development institutions include NGOs and the Department of Agriculture.

Beef Production Terminology

• Backgrounding: Growth phase after weaning until calves enter feedlot for finishing.
• Bull: Male bovine with intact testicles.
• Calves: Young cattle (male or female) under one year old.
• Castrate/Steer: Male calf that has undergone surgical testicle removal.
• Cattle: Animals of the bovine species.
• Cow: Female that has given birth to at least one calf.
• Dry Cow: Non-lactating female.
• Estrus: Also known as "heat", the reproductive cycle phase in females.
• Finished: Animal with desired weight and fat level for slaughter.
• Finishing: Final feeding phase with high-concentrate diets to fatten cattle before slaughter.

Afrikaner (Africander) Cattle

• Believed to descend from Longhorned zebu and Egyptian longhorn.
• Physical characteristics include a well-muscled body with long legs, shallow frame, and long, lateral horns that turn upwards.
• They are adapted to hot and arid climates.
• Production qualities: meat is tender, juicy, and high-quality.
• It is a breed popular among beef producers due to its meat quality.

Nguni Cattle

• Advantages include heat tolerance, tick resistance, and immunity to tick-borne diseases due to their thick, sleek coats.
• Habitat adaptability: Ability to thrive in diverse environments, endure extreme weather conditions, and fatten through grazing or feedlots.

Brahman Cattle

• They thrive in diverse environments due to exposure to various diseases and climates.
• Distinctive physical traits include a large shoulder hump and loose skin for cooling
• Production qualities: Widely used in beef production with lean beef and minimal fat

Bonsmara Cattle

• Developed to withstand South African climates for economic reasons.
• It is a crossbreed of Afrikaner, Hereford, and Shorthorn, with British breeds for heat resistance.
• Key advantages include high-quality meat, exceptional fertility, ease of calving, and a calm temperament.

Brangus Cattle

• Crossbreed of Angus and Brahman.
• They are known for hardiness, disease resistance, heat and humidity resistance, and hardiness in cooler climates.
• Growth characteristics: Good foragers that allow for rapid growth and late maturity, currently the fourth largest breed in South Africa.

Simmentaler Cattle

• Adaptable, thriving in South African climates, and well-suited for African conditions.
• Produce heavy carcasses with high beef yield and are excellent for crossbreeding due to hybrid vigor.

Dairy Production Terminology

• Calf: A young female dairy animal before she has matured.
• Heifer: A female dairy animal that has yet to give birth to a calf.
• Dry Cows: Period when a cow is not producing milk.
• Fresh Cow: A cow that has recently given birth to a calf.
• Dam: The mother of a calf.
• Sire: The father of a calf.
• Bull: An adult male dairy animal.

Holstein-Friesian Cattle

• Large-framed breed with cows weighing 550–650 kilograms.
• Bulls often exceed 1000 kilograms.
• Known for outstanding milking ability with high milk yields but low butterfat content.
• Ease of milking and good temperament enhance productivity.

Jersey Cattle

• 380-450 kilograms is the Mature cow weight
• Origin is Jersey Islands and known for Markets where butterfat payment is prioritized or rich milk demand.
• Highest protein, Good temperament and are Gaining economic viability under component milk pricing systems.

Guernsey Cattle

• Both these breeds originate from island regions
• Known for ease of calving and Produce milk with a high butterfat content.
• Known that Guernsey is larger and weighs approximately 450kg

Ayrshire Cattle

• Medium-sized cows, at 450-500 kg.
• Milk is white like Holstein-Friesland but higher in butterfat content
• Known for ideal conformation and excellent uder structure
• Limited number of bulls due to the small population

Goat Production Terminology

• Doe: Female goat.
• Yearling: A one-year-old goat.
• Buck: Male goat.
• Wether: Castrated male goat.
• Kid: Baby goat (male or female).
• Dam: Mother goat.
• Teaser Ram: Castrated ram introduced to female sheep to induce estrus.

Sheep Production Terminology

• Lamb: Younger than one year old.
• Shearling: Not yet sheared.
• Ewe: Female that has given birth.
• Ram: Male that has not been castrated.
• Weaner: Weaned lamb.
• Wether: Castrated male.

Saanen Goat

• Physical traits: Pure white or pale biscuit color and shorthaired.
• Qualities: Large size, good dairy build, and well-formed udder.
• Production: around 3 liters a day with 3.5% butterfat.

Toggenburg Goats

• Known for Chocolate brown or fawn with white markings
• Produce approximately 1 liter per day during tropical climates.

Alpine Goat

• Has both black or rusty colors with white markings.
• Conformation matches with Saanen which has approximately one liter per day with 3.6% buttergat

Nguni Goat

• It is is a small-framed goat with pointed ears, bucks and does have horns, and varied colors.

Northern Cape Speckled Goat

• They have big structured bodies
• Well muscled with a speckled coating and hanging ears

Eastern Cape Lob-Ear Goat

• These goats have good sized muscle
• Lob-Ear structures

Savanna Goat

• Similarity between the size of Kalahari Red and Boer
• Adapted well to under unfavorable environmental

Boer Goat

• Physical trait: red head with white body, long, pendulous ears.
• Production trait: excellent carcass as well as a high growth

Kalahari Goat and Mutton breeds

• It has shown similarity among the size and conformation of Boer goats.
• It has a structured red color

Dorper Sheep

• Developed from the Persian and Dorset breeds

lle de France Sheep

• South Africa emphasizes meat production and strong white wool production among the type

Mutton terminology: Van Rooy sheet, Meat master sheep

• Adapts to harsh enviroments
• Contains traits from the Damara, Dorper, Van Rooy, and Ile de France
• Contains the meat and hardness properties

South african mutton merino and Dormer and Suffolk sheep

• Produces medium strong meat
• Fast growing among lamb and ewes
• Easy birth and produces meat fats

Dohne Merino and Afrino Sheep

• Has good meat
• Performs high quantity of wool with converting muscle and fat.

Indigenous: Zulu and BaPedi sheep and Ronderik afrikaner and Namaque afrikaner

• Specific breeds

Cattle vs sheep

• Taurus can be defined as european while Indicis has been known in tropical countries
• Indicus is more stressful compare to diseases like Turus
• Turis is more productive and efficient compare to Incidis

Sheep and Goat:

• Sheep has been stocked more than goats with short tails
• Goats have long horns and grown in different shapes
• Sheep does not have beards

Breeding - Selection of Parents

• systematic selection of animals
• must prefer selecting the better offspring
• must be selected for a better genetic change
• should implement bull or buck

Test to perform:

• cull less animals
• improve weight in off spring
• Herd should be well managed for improved

Genetic effect on animal performance

• Animal genetics are important
• Not all differences are caused by genetics
• Environment does help their traits with their raising

Selection in Genetics

• Additive: Traits measured with many pairs
• Non additives: traits controlled by one pair

Breeding with stock

• Progency is important with the genetic with breeding and livestock

Selecting stock vs tandem

• Advangates of using a faster and higher rate, but can be disadvantages

Independent level in Advantages

• Simple to apply and must be executed in sequence
• Disadvantages includes the exclusion may cause the ability to eliminate different animals to remove

Uniform selecting pairs from sheaths

• Must measure from the scrotum
• More production equals more fertility and a good number of semen

Selection for doe/ewe/cow

• Must be fetter and get pregnant first when meting with estrous

Trait to look within breed of animal

• fertility is an important factor within the animal world

Traits during breeding process - dairy

• traits depends with each selection by selecting good bull, protein,feet and udder

Breeds for breeding seasons

• Better to animal be in better condition for higher conception rate
• Peak nutrition for the production of cow

Cycle

• occurs more hours in hotter climates with different phases
• must be mounted for better sign
• discharged and and swollen

Types and periods: male and females

• period among estrous is with an avarange of a week

Using the system:

• method help better improvement and control
• avoid purchasing the expensive bulls that may cause over costs
• Needs an experienced person to preform

Key points to understand with sheep:

• age can be calculated among the teeth of each sheep
• must be determined with the milk teeth with first weeks of the birth

Estimating body

• weight is essential to calc the dose
• important to look for animals to purchase for better quality

Scoring with fatness.

• important to understand that an experienced person knows that quality of weight animals

Estimation method

• can be tested in both grain and animals using a sac

Estimation

• Estimating well to look at the condition with good quality with numerical system.

Production on system

• production graze over land that are unable to be farmed to produce
• Extensive: systems is to have low rainfall

Product control

• Systems involves keeping ruminants, this means they cannot forage.
• It can vary with animals raised.