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- Rustin Shawe of Grassfields Farm in the Groenvlei district of Wakkerstroom has been named the 2024 Voermol Cattle Farmer of the Year.
- The hallmark of the Grassfields herd is fertility.
- The Grassfields Droughtmaster stud was established in 2010.
- From breeding to weaning, overall mortality among both mature cows and heifers is around 5%.
- According to Rustin, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) makes it essential for every breeder and producer to secure their operation as best as possible.
Rustin Shawe of Grassfields Farm in the Groenvlei district of Wakkerstroom has been named the 2024 Voermol Cattle Farmer of the Year. He is well-known for his Grassfields cattle, which consist of two herds, namely the Grassfields Droughtmaster stud and the Grassfields commercial herd.
Until his father Hubert’s passing four years ago, Rustin farmed alongside him. “Everything I know, I learnt from my dad,” Rustin says. Grassfields, he explains, is built on simplicity. “We stick to straightforward, practical principles, most of which were instilled by my dad. I owe everything I know to him.”
The commercial herd is made up of Brahman, Simmentaler, Angus, and Beefmaster cattle. Beefmaster bulls were introduced in the mid-1990s, a strategic decision to improve balance within the herd.
“The Brahman added hardiness but also brought some temperament issues. The Simmentaler, despite its many strengths, tended to have more calving problems. We introduced Angus to balance things out, and it helped, but not enough. That’s when we started looking for a composite breed that carried the right mix of traits to make farming easier. The Beefmasters proved to be exactly what we needed, bringing the balance and ease of management we were after.”
Fertility: A defining trait
The hallmark of the Grassfields herd is fertility. “For at least 30 years, we maintained a 110-day mating period, only keeping animals conceived within that window. Over time, we shortened it to a 60-day period, which is what we use today,” says Rustin.
At weaning, the best bull calves – those conceived in the first 60 days of the breeding season – are identified. From this group, bulls are selected to return to the herd for breeding. Fertility therefore has been the cornerstone of the commercial herd for decades.
The Grassfields Droughtmaster stud was established in 2010. According to Rustin, the Droughtmaster contributed predictability, improved weaning weights, and a stronger Indicus influence – traits that translate into hardiness and superior mothering ability.
“This was exactly what the Grassfields herd needed. We already had highly fertile animals that thrived in our harsh sourveld environment, but the Droughtmaster added the consistency and weaning weights that were still missing.”
Breeding strategy
In 2023, Rustin put the heifers to the bull on 1 October. In 2024, he started earlier, on 20 September, and they ran with the bulls until 10 January. Pregnancy testing was conducted on 12 December to identify heifers that conceived during the first 40 days of mating. The conception rate for this initial period was 80%. At the end of February, a second pregnancy test was carried out (110 days), after which the bulls were removed. By this stage the conception rate was 92%. Heifers that conceive later in the breeding season are sold through his production sale. Calving occurs in August, September, and October.
Breeding commences so early because there only is 150ha of maize, of which 50ha are cut for silage. The remaining 100ha is harvested, and the heifers graze on the maize residues from 1 July. Once the residues are finished – usually at the end of August – the heifers receive around 6kg of silage along with a production lick, which acts as a stimulus to bring them into heat. From there, the heifers move onto the vlei grazing, which greens earliest in spring, and remain there until the breeding season begins.
Cows and bulls
Bulls are introduced to mature cows on 1 November and are removed between 10 and 15 February. The cows are pregnancy-tested on the day the bulls are removed. Those that conceived within the first 60 days of mating are marked (the conception rate is typically 83%). The offspring from these early pregnancies are the animals retained on the farm.
By the end of March, a second pregnancy test is conducted to identify cows that conceived after the first 60 days (the conception rate is approximately 93%). Cows that conceived later are also included in the production sale.
“Many people assume that we only sell less fertile animals at our sales. However, it is important to understand that our selection process has been in place for over 40 years. These animals are by no means infertile – they are the result of a rigorous, ongoing selection programme. Many of these females are purchased for embryo programmes, often with excellent success.”
From breeding to weaning, overall mortality among both mature cows and heifers is around 5%, encompassing all causes, from abortion to lightning strike.
According to Rustin, bull selection in the Grassfields commercial herd is done primarily through visual assessment at weaning. From this group, the top performers in the veld growth test are identified. The best candidates are then chosen with the guidance of an experienced cattleman such as Barry Simmons, based on their appearance and structural soundness. Currently, they do not have enough purebred Droughtmaster bulls to use in the commercial herd.
When it comes to the Droughtmaster stud bulls, however, each prospective bull’s full pedigree is known, and selection is based on genetics, breeding values, growth, and the dam’s production record. “Because of our strong emphasis on fertility all the cows in our herd have intercalving periods of between 360 and 380 days.”
During the mating season, Droughtmaster bulls are allocated to specific groups of stud cows, matched carefully from a genetic perspective.
“In the Grassfields herd, bull selection for cow groups is still done by eye,” Rustin notes. “However, we take special care in selecting bulls for heifers, choosing animals we believe will complement them structurally. We also make use of some F2 Droughtmaster bulls, along with selected purebred Droughtmaster bulls, on the Grassfields cows.”
Embryo programme bears fruit
When Rustin and his father established their Droughtmaster stud, they decided to build their foundation herd from the best cows in their Grassfield commercial operation – specifically those that showed strong phenotypic similarities to the Droughtmaster. To complement these cows, they sourced the best bulls available.
“Ian Cameron, who was breed director at the time, helped us select those first foundation cows. After about five years of breeding this way, we identified certain cows that consistently produced top-quality bulls. We then moved them into an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) programme, implanting their embryos into our own carrier cows that were the first to calve in the previous season,” Rustin explains.
Last year, in collaboration with Embryo Plus in Brits, they prepared around 117 cows as carriers and selected 15 of their best Droughtmaster cows as donors. Approximately 70% of the donor cows were ready for embryo transfer, resulting in 49 confirmed pregnancies. These calves were expected in August.
Rustin says his usual practice is to sell weaners in April. Increasingly, however, he is holding back a portion to sell as long yearlings in November, when market prices are generally more favourable due to seasonal shortages. Depending on cashflow, his goal is to expand this strategy each year until he can retain all his weaners for sale as long yearlings.
Biosecurity and FMD
According to Rustin, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) makes it essential for every breeder and producer to secure their operation as best as possible. His own plan is to establish a biosecure zone near his house, equipped with access control and double fencing. Animals destined for sale will be moved into this area at least 28 days before departure, effectively placing them under quarantine.
“We don’t know where the situation is heading, but as producers, we’ll have to tackle it ourselves, as we always do.” – Izak Hofmeyr, Plaas Media
Contact Rustin Shawe at 084 299 7626 for more information.
