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When the bid closed on R2 million for the Boran bull Odysseus (E18-138), it took mere minutes for the Mosdene Boran Stud’s very first production auction to make headlines. This was an exceptional debut for a relatively young stud.
While producers may not like to boast, the results speak volumes. The auction, held in August last year, generated a turnover of R8,5 million from 49 lots. “It exceeded all our expectations,” says Jaco van der Walt, owner of Mosdene.
One of the auction’s strengths was that animals were offered across a range of price categories. “What made our auction unique was that there was something for everyone. Apart from the R2 million bull, our other bulls sold for around R500 000 each,” Jaco explains.
Performance and bloodlines drove the highest bids. Jaco says Odysseus stood out for several reasons: He is structurally correct, exceptionally masculine, and well balanced. He already has around 200 calves on the ground, and the quality of his offspring confirms his value as a breeding bull.
Although the Boran was not the first breed that caught his attention, its ability to turn grass into money won him over. “The breed is extremely fertile, with ideal udder and teat formation and good milk production. Boran cattle are also easy-going animals with a calm temperament.” Longevity is another advantage, as the Boran remains productive in the herd for many years.
The secret weapon
Mosdene’s success is not only about the breed. Herd manager Giuditta Riccio, who personally oversees the artificial insemination (AI) of the entire herd, plays a pivotal role. While Jaco focusses on the commercial division and feedlot, Giuditta manages the stud herd and genetics.
Mosdene operates on a large scale. The feedlot has capacity for roughly 1 000 cattle, while another 1 000 calves can be finished at any given time. The stud consists of around 2 800 SP Boran animals, and the total cow herd (stud and commercial combined) numbers around 3 500 cows, most of which are three-in-ones.
There are also around 250 embryo carriers, and embryo flushing, says Giuditta, is an important tool. “It is the best and quickest way to spread top genetics through the herd.” Through surrogacy, ten to 15 calves can be produced from a single top cow in one year, compared with only one calf per season through natural breeding.
All cows at Mosdene are AI’d. Bulls are introduced two weeks later, and pregnancy tests are conducted five weeks after AI. Because every cow is inseminated, fewer bulls are required. Giuditta also prefers running an uneven number of bulls with the cows, as bulls tend to fight each other rather than focus on the cows. “As the saying goes: While two dogs fight over a bone, the third runs away with it.”
Bulls are fertility-tested early, and some already have their first calf on the ground by two years and four months of age.
Top traits
Mosdene does not follow a fixed calving season, meaning cows are pregnant year-round. Heifers are first inseminated at 17 to 20 months once they reach at least 65% of their mature bodyweight. Calving problems are rare. “Every producer believes their breed is the best,” Giuditta says. “In our case, we have roughly 3 000 Boran cows and virtually no calving problems. In a herd this size, that says a lot about the breed itself.”
Their adaptability is another trait that impresses her. Boran animals are found in every province of South Africa and easily adapt to different environments. For example, when a group of cows was moved from Mossel Bay to Limpopo – from a winter- to a summer-rainfall region – their intercalving periods remained unchanged.
Young bulls undergo their first round of selection at weaning (seven months), again at 19 months, and then at three years of age. “Only around 5 to 10% of the bulls are retained for stud purposes. The rest go to the feedlot.”
Temperament is the first trait they select for. “It is crucial to breed animals that will positively influence a producer’s herd,” Giuditta says. After that, growth, muscling, and movement are also considered.
Grass and genetics
Jaco purchased Mosdene some seven years ago, but the farm’s history goes back much further. Located near Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) on the Springbok Flats in Limpopo, the farm was originally developed shortly after the Anglo-Boer War by British banker and botanist Ernst Edward Galpin. The Galpin tree (Senegalia galpinii) found in the region is named after him.
Years later, the Department of Agriculture introduced wild rice (Oryza longistaminata) to the area. This species spread through the Nyl River wetlands and eventually reached the farm’s 2 800ha floodplain. The property later suffered severe bush encroachment after being run as a game ranch by the previous owner.
“My father always said that if his ship came in, he would buy that farm,” Jaco recalls. His father was a businessman who owned several abattoirs in the area. When the opportunity arose seven years ago, Jaco bought the 8 000ha farm and began rehabilitating it. Under the supervision of farm manager Ronnie van Wyk, bush was cleared and grazing restored.
The farm’s soils vary from sand and loam to peat. Grasses cultivated or promoted include blue buffalo grass, Smutsfinger, Rose Gatton, and Brasuda’s 5-Star mix. Jaco follows a semi-high-density grazing system. Each 80ha block is divided into camps of 9 to 15ha with electric fences and linked by a central corridor leading to water. “We don’t practise ultra-high-density grazing,” he explains. “We try to leave behind 30 to 40% of the grass’ leafy material.”
The system is designed to maximise grass production. Only the final third of the finishing phase takes place in the feedlot; for the rest of the time, the animals graze. Because camps are only grazed to about 30%, they recover quickly during the wet season and can be utilised three to four times a year. This is another reason why the Boran fits the system like a glove.
“Like buffalo, the Borans are excellent herd animals. This is a trait we try to preserve in the breed. The Boran is also a non-selective grazer, consuming both palatable and coarser grasses.”
Completing the picture
At Mosdene, slaughter animals are only given a complete feed during the final third of the finishing period in the feedlot. Jaco believes a Boran can technically be finished on grass alone and still produce an A2 carcass. However, the feedlot plays an important role in them being optimally finished.
The farm also buys weaners in large numbers. Experience has shown that the Boran is highly competitive alongside other breeds in the feedlot. – Susan Marais, Plaas Media
For more information, contact Jaco van der Walt at 083 625 2244, Giuditta Riccio at 076 489 4769 or the Boran Cattle Breeders’ Society of South Africa at 051 410 0951.
