International Genetics Feature

DROUGHTMASTER’S BREED TRAITS ARE PROVING INVALUABLE TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN BEEF INDUSTRY

By Chippy Watson, Vova Genetics

ln the late 1990’s a well-known South African catt leman and auctioneer Johan van der Nest visited Australia and came across a magnifi cent breed of catt le called ‘Droughtmaster’. What so impressed Johan about these catt le was that, although the composition of the breed was like that of the Beefmaster back home in South Africa, the Droughtmaster had much more indicus content. Johan went on a mission to introduce this breed to South Africa through the Beefmaster Society. He applied to ‘The Registrar for Breed Improvement’ and was permitt ed to import semen to use in the Beefmaster herds, however the Registrar would not allow the Droughtmaster as a ‘standalone’ breed, citing the compositions of the two breeds being too similar. ln 2011 with the purchase of cows at the 4X4 Beefmaster Annual Production Sale my wife Jane and I formed the Vova Beefmaster Stud. We were drawn to these smooth coated, quality and functional catt le, although it was only later that we realised that it was the Droughtmaster infl uence in these catt le that had so impressed us. ln 2012 we purchased 4 embryo donor cows from the ‘Considerata’ herd and a further 23 females at their 2013 dispersal sale. ln 2O13 the ‘Africa Droughtmaster Catt le Breeders Society of Namibia’ was formed and managed by the ‘Namibia Stud Breeders Association’ in Windhoek and integrated to BREEDPLAN.

ln 2014 I travelled with a group of enthusiastic fellow breeders to Australia and visited some of the leading Droughtmaster Studs in Queensland. We are extremely grateful to have sourced genetics from ‘Glenlands’, ‘Yaralla’, ‘Hamandra’, ‘Rondel’, ‘Cashmere’, ‘Bryvonlea’ and ‘Vale View’ Studs. A year later I att ended the Glenlands Annual Bull Sale and purchased a semen share in Glenlands Tradition in partnership with Medway Droughtmaster Stud, and also Glenlands Timekeeper.

Vova Genetics are farming the stud operation in the mountainous Drakensberg region in the Underberg district of Southern Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa. The property is 1500m above sea level with harsh winters often receiving snow falls with temperatures fl uctuating from as low as -17C in winter to over 40C in summer. We are currently running 300 registered stud cows and 600 commercial cows, which are used as recipients for embryo programs. We aim to produce hardy, fertile catt le with good milking ability that deliver a small calf and produce excellent weaners that will perform in the feedlot and reduce labour costs. Vova is breeding catt le from the best genetics acquired originally from the ‘Considerata’ and ‘4X4’ herds, using modern technology in A.l and embryo fl ushing techniques to fast-track our planned breeding program and genetic enhancement. ln 2O21 we are expecting to drop 165 embryo calves from recipient cows that are currently pregnancy tested in calf.

What we have seen in the Droughtmaster are certain traits that we are infusing into the Africa Droughtmaster with phenomenal results. The Droughtmaster is wonderfully smooth coated and hardy with strong legs to cover long distances in search of food and water, an adaptable animal with longevity and good mothering characteristics. This we att ribute to the higher indicus content in the breed, thus delivering a smooth tropical skin which is more tolerant to heat, ticks, fl ies and cancer. The Droughtmaster have been developed in large herds under extensive conditions and strict natural selection. Another positive of this breed is the large percentage of them being polled, leading to the natural de-horning of calves and the reduction of both stress in the animal and labour costs. What has also impressed us about the breed is the masculinity of the bulls, yet the females retain their femininity with lovely udders and teat placement. Vova Genetics are concentrated on breeding superior Africa Droughtmaster animals that are smooth coated, medium framed with a low maintenance digestive system to allow for eff icient feed conversion and thus resulting in good economic value.

www.vova.co.za

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