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The aim of the Agricultural Research Council’s National Beef Performers Awards is to pay tribute to beef cattle producers who implement best breeding and production practices, and to celebrate the very best beef cattle South Africa has to offer. Several agricultural are involved as sponsors.
Farmer’s Weekly has been sponsoring the ARC National Best Elite Cow Awards for 46 years in a row, an achievement in itself!
Which traits are measured?
This award category only considers actual performance data of participating cows. Participating cows should exhibit exceptional reproduction figures and other economically important traits such as maternal ability and pre-weaning growth rate (weaning weight). This award category is also contested, as in the past, among cows across all breeds and only one cow per breed will be crowned as the top female of each participating breed.
The table below lists all the breeders whose cows are finalists.
| Breed | Owner | Town |
| Afrisim | Hentie Jansen van Rensburg | Noordbrug, NW |
| Ankole | Dail van Rensburg | Delareyville, NW |
| Beef Shorthorn | Allistair Brown | Komani, EC |
| Bonsmara | De Wet Hartzenberg | Lichtenburg, NW |
| Boran | Braam Dekker | Louis Trichardt, L |
| Braunvieh | Hans Bester and daughters | Vrede, FS |
| Charolais | Clive Marshall | Gaborone, Botswana |
| Dexter | Gert Davis | Delmas, MP |
| Drakensberger | Carel Nel | Brandfort, FS |
| Droughtmaster | Chippy Watson | Underberg, KZN |
| Limousin | AJ du Toit | Tulbagh, WC |
| Nguni | Hannes Eksteen, | Piketberg, WC |
| Pinzgauer | Bertie van Zyl | Mooketsi, L |
| PinZ2yl | Bertie van Zyl | Mooketsi, L |
| SA Angus | Sanetta du Preez | Stellenbosch, WC |
| SA Braford | TJ, Theuns, and Marlene de Jager | Ladysmith, KZN |
| SA Hereford | Bertus Mong | Villiersdorp, WC |
| Santa Gertrudis | Amy Williams | Barberton, MP |
| Senepol | Theuns Vlotman | Brandfort, FS |
| Simmentaler | Stephan Voigts | Klein Windhoek, Namibia |
| South Devon | John and James Miller | Cathcart, EC |
| Sussex | Theo van Zyl | Ladybrand, FS |
| Tuli | Cornelis Rautenbach | Reitz, FS |
Be sure to keep an eye on the Plaas TV YouTube channel on 28 November at 18:00 to find out which of the breeders’ cows have been crowned as the crème of the crop!
– Agricultural Research Council. For more information about the awards send an email to zelda@arc.agric.za.
