Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) will once again present its National Beef Performers Awards in 2022. This is the 44th instalment of the awards, the aim of which is to showcase the best of the best in seven categories, all relating to beef cattle performance and beef cattle producers. Each of the seven categories is sponsored by various agricultural companies and role-players, and serve to honour those who have excelled in their breeding and production practices, as well as the mentoring of fellow producers. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has been a key stakeholder in these awards since its inception and continues to play this role this year. As of 2022, Plaas Media is the main sponsor of the awards and will also be sponsoring certain categories.
The Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo (KyD) Scheme provides a comprehensive suite of animal health and production services to our country’s emerging and small-scale beef farmers. The Scheme is at the service of any emerging/smallholder cattle farmer and it is operational in all nine provinces.
It focuses strongly on collaboration with emerging smallholder farmers, specifically regarding their needs and challenges. The KyD Scheme also is involved in the collection of animal performance information and applies it and other scientific methods to select animals that suit the farmer’s enterprise. KyD also assists farmers to market their animals and is actively involved in auctions and consults with farmers in this regard.
Emerging farmers that are serviced by the KyD Scheme are also registered on the Integrated Registration and Genetic Information System (INTERGIS), which is also the national database. This has become a vital tool and platform used to add value to a farming enterprise through the application of technologies aimed at making use of the relevant data, as selection criteria, for a farmer’s benefit.
The objective of the KyD Province of the Year Award, sponsored by Molatek, is to recognise the province with the highest number of participating farmers in the scheme (KyD). These farmers must be registered on INTERGIS and must have loaded data on the database between March of the year preceding the award’s conferring and April of the year in which the award is conferred.
The three provinces with the highest number of participating farmers will receive the accolades platinum, gold and silver respectively. This award was only introduced in 2016. – Dr Ben Greyling and Frans Jordaan
Click on the links below to read more about the ARC Beef Performers Awards:
- ARC National Best Elite Cow Awards
- ARC National Platinum Bull Awards
- ARC National Emerging Beef Farmer of the Year Award
- ARC National Mentor of the Year Award
- ARC National Special Performance Test Class
For more information, send an email to Dr Ben Greyling at ben@arc.agric.za or to Frans Jordaan at fransj@arc.agric.za. You can also visit the Beef Cattle Improvement Scheme website.
