2022 Mohair Journal | Volume 63

POMOCA article page 78

2021/22 Mohair Market Report

The mohair price over the last 12 years

MET presented at The Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa’s annual conference

Angora Ram Breeders Society's Objectives

Angora Ram Breeders Society - President's report 2021/22

Angora Ram Sales

Veterinary Overview: Disease Surveillance report

Veterinary Overview: Managing Pesticides in the Mohair industry

SAMGA pushes the boundaries

The Purpose of MET - Empowering and Training

Mohair Empowerment Trust - Progress report

How are the Emerging farmers doing?

The House of Fibre - Exciting times for the new Broker

Opening of Bo-Karoo Branch in 2022

BKB Group - The BKB journey of regenerative agriculture

Photo Credit: David Malacrida

Athlete: Matt Schaer

The Empowerment Trust aims to identify emerging farmers on suitable farmland for farming Angora goats.

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FOLLOW US

Mohair SA Facebook: @mohairsouthafrica

Mohair SA Instagram: @mohairsouthafrica

Mohair SA Linkedin: @mohair-south-africa

MET Facebook: @MohairEmpowermentTrust

MET Linkedin: @mohair-empowerment-trust

Studio Mohair Facebook: @StudioMohairSA

Studio Mohair Instagram: @studiomohair_msa

SAMGA Facebook: @mohairgrowerssa

Regenerative farming - OVK - The new landscape for mohair and wool farmers

Regenerative thinking and land management - The real estate between our ears

The Herding Academy

The science of intensive goat farming

Daidoh 22 Mohair competition and award ceremony

RMS - Q&A’s for Control Union Audits

Celebrating 2 Years of RMS certification!

Fashion: GuguByGugu & Burton Miles

Textile Teachings

Mohair Memories

Natural Fibre Connect Conference 2022

EU-SA - Partners for Growth Project & Natural Fibres Roundtable

Tradeshow: Pitti Immagine Filati

Tradeshow: Première Vision

2022 Textile Exchange Conference

Textile Exchange has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030.

78

POMOCA - Our front cover

Hair production, reproduction and income of Angora goat ewes that had six kidding opportunities

Relationship between mohair auction price and quality and other factors

In loving memory: Billy Colborne

In loving memory: Johannes Hermanus Bosch

Ox-wagons, mail boats, and mohair

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Editor's

LETTER

Mohair SA and the industry at large are going through many changes as we adapt to the needs of the market and world that we serve.

At the core of this change are the Angora goat farmers and their teams, which include the wives and children, farm workers and shearers, all of whom are now viewed through a different lens.

My return to MSA was certainly not business as usual, but to an industry that has progressed over the years.

These changes include the RMS journey, regenerative farming practices being formalised, training of farm workers, the treatment of shearers, the dedicated services of an industry vet and the success of MET.

In addition there has been the planned consolidation of the industry bodies with the intention of being more effective and productive, with greatly improved marketing and communication.

We have the luxury of agricultural schools and the Grootfontein college that specialise in Angora goat farming, which lays the training foundation for the next generation to enter our specialised industry.

We need to preserve this before it’s too late or we need to plan for a private institution that the industry controls.

Succession planning in the trade – brokers to manufacturers – is just as important as it takes time to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to be successful!

Strengthening relationships with the other mohair-producing countries is vital as together we can grow the mohair clip and influence the quality, which is good for the industry overall.

Incorporating the small-scale Angora goat farmers into our fold can impact their lives and increase the volume of mohair that can be RMS-certified in future. The market would value this!

What a privilege it has been to travel internationally and to meet various market segments who have worked with our fibre for generations, and with

designers who speak about mohair’s unrivalled characteristics, with a twinkle in their eyes, as they use it to differentiate garments or items.

Meeting POMOCA in 2022 and observing their use of mohair in their snow-skiing equipment is worth getting excited about and sharing, hence a very different journal cover!

We are stronger together and it makes sense on every level to build and grow our collaborations.

My overriding question, therefore, is how can we help you?

JACKIE GANT Relationship Officer

M: 082 555 6222

T: 041 581 1681

E: jackie@mohair.co.za

Message from the Chairman of SAMGA

Ibelieve this depicts us as farmers. The crippling drought that most of us endured has, to a large part, dissipated, bringing much needed respite to the majority of the mohair-producing areas. The resolve of the farmers to endure and survive what we came through is quite amazing. Hopefully the drought taught us valuable lessons.

If we are to survive as farmers we will have to farm smarter. Global warming is here to stay. The entire climate is changing – the winds, ocean currents, storm patterns, flooding and droughts. The rise in temperature is but a part of it. We have proven we can survive these stumbling blocks and still grow our amazing industry. It is with great pleasure to see our industry expand in areas not categorised as traditional mohair areas. A producer branch was opened in Carnarvon and there are plans to open further branches in the near future.

It is of utmost importance that we have the whole mohair family under one roof to receive vital information and to be of assistance to everyone.

In this area I would like to thank our manager, Mrs Sanmarie Vermaak, for her hard work in organising the branches, as well as ensuring all producers are equipped to receive valuable information when necessary.

Biosecurity has become an essential part of modern-day farming. Diseases have increased and will continue to do so while global warming persists.

We have come to realise that assistance from our government is sporadic and unreliable. Our industry has undertaken, with assistance from the private sector, to see how we can combat these challenges on our own.

This includes vaccinations and other essential help which is needed by the producer. In this regard, our industry vet, Dr Mackie Hobson, must be commended for his role in ensuring the well-being of our industry.

To ensure the efficient and effective functioning of the mohair industry, we have started a process of stream lining. This was unanimously accepted at Congress this year. It was fantastic to be able to hold a face-to-face congress and it was well supported and enjoyed by the industry as a whole.

Information days, usually held in conjunction with farm worker training, are a popular and important part of our assistance to the producer. Branches that would like to have an information day are asked to contact Mrs Vermaak. It is highly beneficial to everyone attending.

Thank you to our tireless manager Mrs Vermaak for her significant

contribution during the year.

Thank you to Marco Coetzee and the staff of MSA, as well as Beauty Mokgwamme from the Empowerment Trust, for the close working relationship we have received over the year.

Unfortunately we lost Miss Siobhan Momberg this year and we wish her all the best in her new venture.

My thanks go out to the SAMGA committee for their help and support this year, and I am looking forward to working with them in the new year.

Lastly, but most importantly, I would like to commend and applaud my fellow producers for surviving and enduring the crippling drought we have come through.

Hopefully we can start to move forward and start making money, not just a living, doing something we all love – mohair farming.

I wish you all good health and a successful year with good rains.

MARK SHIRES SAMGA Chairman

M: 072 522 0132

T: 041 581 1681

E:

samga@angoras.co.za

The mighty drought could not decimate our roots, hidden under the soil from years of suffering. We were plants, we learnt to survive.

– Arjeet Das

“

A year full of hope and growth

Istarted the year 2021/2022 with a prayer that this would be a good year. And what a time we have had so far. We were blessed with amazing rains, unbelievable mohair prices and with a wonderful mohair family that keeps on growing.

During the year we had the opportunity to arrange several farmworker training days. During these days we addressed animal handling, animal health, mohair classing and social development.

We worked closely with some of the local police stations and are thankful for their contribution to these days, teaching our farmworkers about the effect of alcohol and drug abuse.

We were privileged to share our amazing industry with a lot of farmers during information days. Our focus will continue to be training and building our industry.

We had the privilege to welcome a new branch that started in August, 2022 in Carnarvon, known as the Bo-Karoo Branch. We want to welcome each new producer to the SAMGA family. We trust that your farming business will grow from strength to strength.

SAMGA (chairman and manager) and MSA took part in a roadshow, visiting most of our branches to propose and debate the new industry structure. It is wonderful to move around the mohair-producing districts and to meet our producers. We encourage them to attend these meetings as we discuss important information regarding their industry. This is also a platform for each producer to ask questions and to raise their concerns.

At the beginning of the year, we visited new producers in the Western and Northern Cape (Piketberg, Robertson, Van Rhynsdorp and Calvinia). The amazing stories that were told on those visits will always stay with me.

We had the opportunity to form new relationships with two of the agricultural schools in the Western Cape – Augsburg Landbou Gimnasium in Clanwilliam and Oakdale Agricultural School in Riversdale. There are passionate students who are taught discipline and their love for their Angora goats is clearly visible. Both schools participated in the WP Youth Show Competition.

It is with great excitement that we welcome so many new producers to our family. Every day we hear of new producers in all the regions of South Africa. This warms my heart to know that more and more farmers are starting to farm with Angora goats.

The year of 2022 saw all the agricultural shows reopened post-Covid. SAMGA and MSA enjoyed a successful week at NAMPO - Bothaville in the Free State. We also attended a few smaller shows where we showed our products and goats.

We headed to KwaZulu-Natal for the Royal Agricultural Show to see if it

would be viable for us to attend this show in the future.

During September 2022, SAMGA and MSA attended the Nampo Cape show in Bredasdorp for the first time. With our production moving into the Western Cape, we are eager to be visible in that region. I want to take the opportunity to thank each producer and their families for staying positive and for loving our goats. May you and your families be blessed during the coming year. May our industry grow from strength to strength. We look forward to doing more great things together in 2022/2023.

SANMARIE VERMAAK SAMGA General Manager

M: 079 236 7823

T: 041 581 1681

E: samga@angoras.co.za

Report from SAMGA Office

2021/22 Mohair Market Report

The 2021 mohair summer season started off positively for the mohair producers with the price increasing by 25% on the first sale. When the mohair price of the second sale increased by 8%, it was clear that it was going to be a good season and it set the tone for the rest of the year.

The demand for mohair started to increase from the beginning of 2021 and it only got stronger as the year went on. The textile brands and retailers remain under pressure to source materials that are produced ethically and sustainably, and the mohair industry can provide this in the form of RMS (Responsible Mohair Standard) certified mohair.

The start of 2021 saw the first RMS-certified mohair tops enter the market, which saw some brands and retailers that previously banned our fibre returning to the market.

The highest average mohair price for the 2021 summer season came in at R406.93 p/kg and the average mohair price for the summer season was R377.76 p/kg, which is 53% more than the 2020 summer season.

The 2021 mohair winter season started off on a similar note with the price for the first sale increasing by 8%. The second winter mohair sale achieved the highest average price for the entire year of R418.66 p/kg. The average mohair price for the 2021 winter season was R395.07, which is 65% more than the 2020 winter season.

Looking back at the 2021 season as a whole, we saw the average mohair price for the season come in at R386.42, which is 59% more that the average price for the 2020 season. DH Schoeman from the Oudtshoorn area received the highest price for a single bale of mohair for the entire season of R970.00 p/kg. The bale consisted of super style, 25-micron kid mohair.

Figure 1 - A comparison of the clip composition between 2020 and 2021 indicates some changes. Fine adult mohair increased by 3%, kid mohair increased by 1%, young goat mohair increased by 1%, and strong adult mohair decreased by 5%. This indicates that the mohair clip is finer in 2021 compared to 2020. The effect of the long-lasting drought is showing its effect

here. - Figure 2

The buyers’ share of the market changed by quite a bit in 2021, with top makers taking up 76% of the market compared to 83% in 2020, and the greasy buyers taking 24% of the market share. We have also seen a new greasy buyer enter the market in Connacher Wool & Mohair (Pty) Ltd. The competition between all the buying houses to purchase the mohair on offer was clear to see, which played a big part in the increased mohair prices received by the producers. - Figure 3

The year 2021 was a great period for mohair exports, with a 22% increase in quantity compared to 2020. The month of March saw the highest quantity of mohair exported in a single month since 2016 (356 423.10kg).

Italy remains the leading buyer of South African mohair, importing 41% of the total SA mohair exported. China remains the second biggest importer (26%) and the United Kingdom is the third biggest importer of SA mohair (16%). Figure 4

The South African mohair offered on the official mohair auctions is 8% more compared to the previous year. But note that this does not take into account mohair sold outside the official mohair auctions.

A total of 65% of the mohair sold on the official mohair auctions has been RMS-certified, which is a great achievement by our mohair producers and brokers considering the RMS was only launched in March, 2020.

Looking ahead the main focus for the South African mohair industry remains sustainability, traceability and producing fibres regeneratively. The goals of the Responsible Mohair Standard are to provide the industry with tools to recognise the best practices of farmers and to ensure that mohair comes from farms with an advanced approach to land management, animal welfare and social responsibility.

Beyond the farm, it also aims to provide a system of traceability throughout the entire value chain – from farm to finished product.

On the traceability front, Mohair South Africa will continue to collaborate with Oritain, which provides a service that enables you to trace an actual product back to its true origin using advanced science, which is the new benchmark for product traceability. It is always

Mohair Market 2021

difficult to predict what the market will do from one year to another as there are many variables that can affect the price from season to season.

The South African mohair industry offers a product that complies with the needs of the textile brands and retailers, and if all things remain equal, there is no reason why mohair cannot go from strength to strength. The SA mohair industry remains committed to producing sustainable, traceable and regenerative mohair within an ethical environment.

MARCO

General Manager

M: 073 648 8935

T: 041 581 1681

E: marco@mohair.co.za

Figure 01

Figure 02

Figure 03

Figure 04

COETZEE

New England Samil

The mohair price over the last 12 years

If you look back 12 years ago, the average mohair price for the summer season of 2011 was R97.70 p/kg. The average mohair price for the season of 2022 was R382.00 p/kg. That is a 290.9% increase in price over 12 years and, on average, a 24.25% increase per year. We are sure that there are not many other industries that come close to these numbers.

From 2011 to 2014, the mohair price increased by 20.4%, only 5.1% per year on average. From 2015 to 2018, the price increased by 137.22%, averaging 34.31% per year.

From the summer season of 2019 to the winter season of 2020, we saw the mohair price decrease by 17.29%. The effect of the PETA expose from May 2018 was felt over these two years as brands and retailers who banned mohair stopped buying the product.

From the 2020 winter season to the 2021 winter season, the average price increased by 65%.

Although the RMS standard was launched in March 2020, the first RMScertified tops were only available to the market from the beginning of 2021. Brands and retailers that had previously banned mohair started buying it again and the demand for mohair during 2021 grew from strength to strength.

In the summer season of 2022 the mohair price increased to a new high of R442.24 p/kg in April. This is the top average price of a sale to date.

During the winter season of 2022 the price started to drop due to various international challenges affecting the world economies, including the war between Russia and Ukraine which directly influenced energy prices, inflation and interest rates across the world.

China’s economic growth was at a low point in 2022 as they continued to lock down the country due to Covid-19 protocols. All these factors influence the purchasing power of our international mohair buyers.

The price did stabilise and start to increase towards the end of 2022, with the average mohair price for the year being R382.00 p/kg, 1% down from 2021.

MARCO COETZEE General Manager

M: 073 648 8935

T: 041 581 1681

E: marco@mohair.co.za

MET PRESENTED AT

The Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa’s annual conference

in Swakopmund, Namibia on October 2-5, 2022.

The Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA) is the professional organisation of agricultural economists in South Africa. It was established in 1961 and held its first annual conference in 1962. AEASA has positioned itself strategically for the 21st century to enable it to be relevant to all agricultural economists, thereby assisting them to serve their communities. The shared vision is that AEASA’s products and services should support all agricultural economists active in the industry, irrespective of race, language, gender, career choice and educational level.

The theme this year was: “How recent value chain disruptions shaped agri-food systems in sub-Saharan Africa”. During the annual conference, the NAMC transformation review committee (TRC) hosted a workshop where industries presented and showcased the transformation work that they have done over the years, as guided by the NAMC transformation guidelines. Workshop theme: “A changing South African agriculture landscape –statutory measures, a tool driving transformation, and inclusive value chain”.

Among the industries, the Mohair Empowerment Trust left a mark of transformation. It is without a doubt that the MET is working hard to ensure transformation within the mohair industry. The objective is to ensure success without chasing numbers (of farmers), allowing for steady growth.

It aims to empower emerging farmers who have access to land that is suitable for Angora goat farming, with good infrastructure, and that will meet the Responsible Mohair Standards (RMS). We received very good feedback after the presentation.

The industries that presented were: Mohair Empowerment Trust

(Ms B Mokgwamme), Potato South Africa (Ms N Xaba), Red Meat and Primary Livestock Cluster (Mr D Olivier), South African Wine Industry Transformation Unit (Mr P Bowes), Raisins South Africa (Ms S Sell).

The MET presentation highlighted our industry’s focus on commercialisation, thanks to empowerment and training. Our videos were very well received and appreciated as they gave the audience the opportunity to hear from the farmers!

BEAUTY MOKGWAMME

Mohair Empowerment Officer

M: 083 443 2392

T: 041 581 1681

E: beauty@mohair.co.za

Angora Ram Breeders Society's Objectives

The Angora Ram Breeders Society was established in 1892. The original reason for establishing an Angora stud society was to create guidelines for the improvement of the angora goat. The members of the society created a set of breeding standards that its members adhered to. Rams and ewes were classed according to the standards set out by the breeders society.

Wonderful work was done and a great improvement of angora goats was achieved. Fleece weights were improved and kemp was reduced to virtually zero in our modern animals. Our past stud breeders dedicated their lives to the improvement of angoras and we are eternally grateful for the sacrifices and hard work of these pioneers.

MISSION STATEMENT ARBS

Our mission remains to improve the angora goat and to provide outstanding genetics to our commercial farmers. Our classing standards will ensure that the purity of the breed stays strong, while also enhancing the financial attributes of the angora goat.

RAM SALES

All our sales are held under the auspices of the Angora Ram Breeders Society. This means that the animals on those sales will have to undergo inspection before they are sold on auction. They must all adhere to the minimum standards set out by the ARBS. The classing standards are revisited regularly to make sure that they remain relevant to commercial producers.

VELD RAM PROJECTS

The veld ram projects were originally created because the feeling at that time was that we needed to assess animals in a group on natural grazing. This concept has been a great success and has led to animals being more adaptable and stronger as a result.

Animals are fed a supplement on the veld for six months and undergo strict selection along the way. They will undergo three different selections and rams that are not up to breed standards or that grow poorly are removed from these projects. Up to 30% of rams entered are removed.

This makes the veld concept a very good platform for breeders to test their best animals against other breeders’ stock. Buyers can buy veld rams with confidence, knowing that they have been through rigorous selection. Animals can also be compared on fleece and growth in the same environment.

PREPARED SALE

The annual prepared sale is held in Graaff-Reinet. The rams are prepared by individual breeders on their own properties and then brought to the sale. These rams entered are usually on a higher feeding plane. The benefit of this is that the good and bad traits of that animal are accentuated. The animals are subjected to a strict selection to make sure that they adhere to our classing standards.

PRIVATE SALES

Private sales have become popular in recent times. Most of the private sales are run on the veld ram concept and the rams also run for a minimum of six months together. Rigorous classing also leads to high quality sale groups. Ewes are offered on these sales as well and the same classing standards are applied to these animals.

CONCLUSION

The Angora Ram Breeders Society remains committed to providing the very best genetics to our mohair industry to expand mohair production. Please follow our Facebook page.

Angora Ram Breeders Society

ARBS President's Report 2021/22

Iwould like to begin my report by offering our condolences to the families of Peter Cawood and Oom Johan Bosch.

Uncle Peter has left a lasting footprint in our mohair industry and served as president of our society and on the SAMGA for many years, while Oom Johan was a much-loved member of the Somerset East community. As we look back at the 2021/2022 season one can only be grateful for the wonderful prices paid on all our sales. Fantastic averages were realised on the sales that have not been seen for many a year.

My personal take is that these are more realistic prices and well deserved for the dedication and effort our breeders have invested. Long may this positive trend continue.

One must, however, temper this excitement with the fact that we are still experiencing a drop in the number of rams entered and sold on official auctions. I hope and trust that we can create a positive increase in the number of rams entered and sold on official sales.

The quality of rams offered on our sales has steadily improved and any flock farmer would benefit from buying these animals.

Strict classing standards are applied to ensure only the best animals reach the sales. Our classing standards are being amended each year to make sure that they remain relevant to commercial farmers as well.

In 2021 we launched a social media campaign to promote our breed society and to create hype around our sales. I would like to convey my hearty thanks to Sean and Julie Hobson, mainly to Julie, for doing a wonderful job.

We will continue with this campaign and work closely with The House of Fibre to market our sales. I would like to thank House of Fibre and their team of field agents for doing a wonderful job of selling our animals.

Thank you, also, to my vice-chairman and the executive for advice and support in a very challenging year.

Lastly, I would encourage all our breeders and flock farmers to keep on promoting our wonderful Angora breed and the wonderful mohair fibre that we produce.

LLOYD SHORT ARBS President

M:

E:

071 347 5854

lloyd@wheatlands.co.za

L to R: Gary Hobson (buyer), Roche Jongkind (HOF) Neil Quale (seller), Richard Hobson (buyer), Jordi Van Hasselt (seller) Cassie Carstens (HOF), Jakkie Nel (auctioneer)

3. Van Hasselt & Guest Sellers Ram Sale

L to R: Jordi van Hasselt (seller), Gary Willows (HOF) representing the buyers, Cassie Carstens (HOF), Jakkie Nel (auctioneer), Ben van der Westhuyzen & Jackie Pieterse (buyers) not present

1. Graaff-Reinet Angora Ram Sale

L to R: Chris Curtain (HOF), Jannie Lategan, (seller), Reco Pietersen (buyer), Jakkie Nel (auctioneer)

2. Newlands Angoras & Guest Sellers Ram Sale

Back L to R: Hardie vd Heever (HOF), Danie Strauss (auctioneer), Johannes de Jager (HOF), Robert Bosch (buyer), Willie Jordaan (buyer), Roché Jongkind (HOF), Gary Hobson (seller), Ray Hobson (seller), Donna Hobson (seller), Anton vd Mescht (sponsor)

Back L to R: Roland du Toit (seller), Johan van der Schyff (seller), Leon Eybers (seller), Willem Retief (seller), Christian Marincowitz (BKB), Johan Botha (sponsor), Rocco de Villiers (sponsor) Front L to R: Danie Strauss (auctioneer), Izak van der Merwe (seller), Phillip Schutte (BKB), Corne Nel (BKB),

L to R: Michael Bosch & Robert Bosch (sellers), Cassie Carstens (HOF), Jordi Van Hasselt (buyer), Johannes de Jager (HOF), Danie Strauss (auctioneer)

L to R: Ray & Donna Hobson (seller), Jeremy MacLachlan (auctioneer), Neil Quayle

(buyer) not present

7. Noorsveld Mount Stewart Angora Sale

4. Graaff-Reinet Angora Ram Sale

5. Annual Karoo Angora & Nelspoort Auction

6. Rietfontein Angoras & Guest Seller

VETERINARY OVERVIEW

Disease Surveillance report

Cause of Mortality

The Mohair SA veterinary disease surveillance programme helps us as an industry to have an early warning system for impending outbreaks. It also enables monitoring and evaluation of the impact of certain diseases, as well as the discovery of “new” diseases. A total of 62 cases of multiple deaths were investigated in 2021. This gives us a window into disease occurrence within the industry.

It is interesting to note the downward trend in the occurrence of the clostridium diseases over the last five years. With the intensive feeding systems during the drought periods this would have been unexpected. It may largely be due to the fact that by far the majority of producers now use multi-clostridium vaccines compared to five or more years ago.

Of concern remains the number of pneumonia cases. These cases are often secondary to stress and underlying internal parasites. More producers need to use Pasteurella vaccination as part of their herd health management programme, as well as reviewing the underlying issues.

The biggest health problems in the industry still remain roundworms and coccidiosis . Although they are not the most frequent direct cause of death on diagnosis, they lead, by far, to the greatest number of losses in life and production. The impact on young weaned kids between January and the end of May each year is huge. Anthelmintic resistance and roundworm management strategies during these periods are of critical importance.

Biosecurity has again been highlighted with disease outbreaks in South Africa and it stresses the fact that producers and the industry need to look after themselves. On farm biosecurity, protocols are a must.

Disease surveillance forms an important part of biosecurity and we are fortunate that Mohair SA has been proactive in establishing a disease surveillance system to support its producers over the years.

MACKIE HOBSON BSc (Agric), BVSc, MRCVS Mohair SA, SAMGA Veterinarian

M: 082 860 0406

E: samgavet@gmail.com

W: www.angoras.co.za

VETERINARY OVERVIEW

Managing Pesticides in the Mohair industry

Producing pesticide free mohair is very important for the global mohair industry. Currently pesticides are regulated by the Oeko-Tex Standard, which is the minimum standard the mohair processors and spinners need to comply with, to enable them to sell their mohair to international buyers.

Prior to every official mohair sale, random samples are taken from the mohair on the auction floor, these are sent to Sisyphus Scientific Solutions in Stellenbosch where they test for pesticide levels. The results of these tests are sent to Mohair South Africa and distributed to our

industry vet, Dr Mackie Hobson, and to the relevant mohair brokers. Should any producer’s mohair test positive for pesticides, Dr Mackie Hobson will contact them to establish why and to assist them to find a solution to this.

We encourage all our farmers to make sure that the products that they use on their valuable Angora goats are in accordance with the Oeko-Tex Standard.

Annually the Mohair Industry publish a list of products that comply with the Oeko-Tex Standard for use by our producers. Ectoparasite Treatment Guidelines can be found at angoras.co.za.

If a producer has any questions or concerns in regards to the above, please contact the Mohair South Africa offices, and we will gladly assist.

MOHAIR SOUTH AFRICA Industry Body (NPC)

M: 041 581 1681

E: info@mohair.co.za

W: www.mohair.co.za

SAMGA pushes the boundaries

In a 2 689km round trip, SAMGA manager Sanmarie Vermaak and Mohair Empowerment Trust officer Beauty Mokgwamme drove to the Western Cape, West Coast and Northern Cape, to visit mohair farmers, a school and field officers.

Roderick and Melissa Smit farm about 45km outside Piketberg and have around 50 Angora goats; Arno and Selma Pienaar farm 110km past Vanrhynsdorp and farm with about 600 Angoras in Namaqualand; and Koos du Toit is in the Robertson area where he recently started farming with Angora goats.

We shared information about the broader mohair industry, discussed what SAMGA and MET’s roles are and worked through the Angora Management Programme, dip and dose drug lists and the best practice videos.

Schools’ programmes are vital for inspiring, educating and training the youth about the Angora goat, mohair and this precious industry in South Africa.

We used this opportunity to visit Augsburg Agricultural Gymnasium, a primary and high school in Clanwilliam. Angora goats are used for youth shows and they have many learners who take part.

Their goats are in great condition and the schoolgrounds and infrastructure are incredible. We have visited this school previously and look forward to walking a road with them.

Our industry is built on relationships and collaborations, and hence we drove through to Calvinia, where we met the OVK and BKB field officers from the area. Great discussions took place and a new SAMGA branch was established.

We encourage all the field agents to think along these lines as it helps to build a stronger producer collective which is good for everyone.

It was a privilege to visit the producers from the western part of our

country. What a positive group of people with tangible passion for their goats. They appreciated the effort made to see them and were grateful for our input.

It was very humbling and a reminder to all that each producer, no matter how far away they are from Port Elizabeth, is a part of the mohair industry and family – and we need to visit family at least once a year.

SANMARIE VERMAAK SAMGA General Manager

M: 079 236 7823

T: 041 581 1681

E: samga@angoras.co.za

The Purpose of MET Empowering and Training

Established in 2010, The Empowerment Trust (MET) aims to identify emerging farmers on suitable farmland for farming Angora goats. The target is to identify and qualify one beneficiary every year.

Strict criteria have been laid down by the trustees of the Empowerment Trust which includes:

• A pre-requisite is that the identified farmer must have access to land (farm), whether their own or rented on a long-term lease.

• A clean criminal record.

Angora goats will be sourced and funded by the Empowerment Trust and will remain the property of the Trust until paid for in full by the beneficiary. The cost of the goats will be covered by the contractual sale of mohair through a recognised broker and will be covered over a period of five years.

The Empowerment Trust partner will sign an interestfree goat loan agreement (memorandum of emerging commercial farmer goat loan agreement) and tripartite agreement to authorise the broker to pay over to the Empowerment Trust by means of a direct deposit 25%

of the total clip income realised by the broker on behalf of the empowerment partner at any of the official mohair auctions to be held for the duration of the agreement. The balance of 75% will be paid directly by the broker to the empowerment partner.

• A maximum of 2 000 goats will be made available per project, consisting of wethers (kapaters), ewes or a combination of both.

• Beneficiaries are limited to a maximum of two per project.

• The Empowerment Trust reserves the right to withdraw from the project and remove the goats should the criteria not be met.

• Regular meetings will be attended by the project management team.

• Mohair grower branches will be encouraged to join the project management team meetings to provide advisory support in terms of mohair production.

• The potential beneficiary must be willing to make financial inputs to ensure a sustainable farming operation (e.g. covering costs of basic farming supplies needed, such as dips, doses and shearing requisites).

• The Empowerment Trust will engage the relevant government role-players to ensure that the necessary infrastructure needs are met.

• On-farm training will be critical, particularly in terms of financial management.

The objectives of the Empowerment Trust are to promote black economic empowerment within the mohair industry.

• To ensure a sustainable supply of mohair.

• To establish black participants and entrepreneurs.

• To commercialise black and disadvantaged farmers within the mohair industry.

Mohair Empowerment Trust - Progress report

The Mohair Empowerment Trust is currently running eight projects involving about 5 000 goats, including two brand-new projects that started recently with their flock of kapaters. A total of six projects were settled between 2019 and 2022. Looking back, we were running about 6 500 goats at one stage and as the partners settled their loans, the goats were officially handed over to the farmers and their contracts ended.

We are excited and proud to see farmers graduating from the emerging level of farming and becoming commercial Angora goat farmers.

The Mohair Empowerment Trust farmers contribute approximately 17 000kg of RMS-certified mohair per annum and we are excited to see the average prices improve with every clip we produce per farm. The Trust continues to give support to its partners and non-partners. All the current partners (except the two new projects) and those who have graduated are RMS certified.

There are many communal and emerging mohair farmers who are not aware of the importance of RMS and we continue to educate and empower these farmers (non-MET partners). We continue to assist our partners with accredited and relevant training to ensure progress on their farms.

MET has attracted a lot of interest and support from local government and banks, and Agri-SETA has supported training.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We appreciate and value Dr Mackie Hobson’s input and service to our MET farmers. He has assisted us to decrease our animal losses which, in turn, has increased our production.

SAMGA - a special thanks to Sanmarie Vermaak who has ensured that we work closely together in training the farmers and farm workers. We appreciate the support.

Commercial Farmers - Thank you for your mentorship and support that you give our partners.

Brokers - You are our partners in this programme and the field agents have a great positive impact. Thank you.

Buyers - Thanks for buying our partners' hair and respecting what they do.

Mohair SA - Marco Coetzee thank you for your support, help and guidance with the admin and financial matters. The 'Back Office' instills confidence.

Marketing and Communication Team - Thank you for sharing beautiful stories in all mediums. We have gained great traction and attention.

Substrate Design, Ross Charnock Photography and Innova we value you.

MET chairman, Mark Shires and Trustees, we appreciate your support, input, guidance and scrutiny.

Lastly, to the partners and their families we are proud of you regardless of the challenges. We are striving for success together. Keep up the hard work as you journey to become commercial and sustainable agricultural businesses. BEAUTY

M: 083 443 2392

CURRENT MET FARMERS

Name Farm

Saleni’s Family - Project 2

Lloyd James

Mzwakhe Ndlela

Frank Williams

Ayanda Mehlo

Johnson Mandlendoda

Brakfontein Farm

Driefontein Farm

Eureka Farm

Rietfontein Farm

Krantzkloof Farm

Geluk Farm

NEW MET FARMERS (2022)

District/Area

Kommadagga

Somerset East

Adelaide

Kommadagga

Somerset East

Middleburg, EC

Name Farm District/Area

Marlon de Jager

Mzwandile Tesana

SETTLED PROJECTS

Groottafelkop Farm

Lifford Farm

Aberdeen

Grahamstown

Name Farm District/Area

Linda & Simphiwe Fani

Katie & Simon Miners

Saleni’s Family - Project 1

Leon Barends & Dial Bakers

Harris Family

Wilson De-Bruin & Jackson Mjoli

TRAINING

Doornrivier Farm

Weltevrede Farm

Brakfontein Farm

Irene Farm

Nthwantsho Farm

Tulpleegte Farm

Type Details

SAMGA

Agri-Seta

Annual Grootfontein mohair training

I3A- Partnership

Somerset East

Somerset East

Kommadagga

Graaff-Reinet

Matatiele

Beaufort West

On-farm training, farm workers, youth show – Agricultural school

November 2021 accredited leadership training for all MET partners and July 2021 accredited shearing training by NWGA

55 first-year students

Nov 2 - 4, 2021

Hosted accredited 25-day Agri Enterprises comprehensive mentorship programme from Feb 14 - April 18 2022

Target was rural communal farmers to deliver development and support in the following areas: Middelburg, Graaff-Reinet and Jansenville

41 rural communal farmers graduated

DRDAR Farmers, graduates and officials

Proud member of

How are the Emerging farmers doing?

By Sandy Coffey

When Simon Miners was young and growing up in Pearston in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, how was he ever to know that one day he would own and manage his own farm; that he would have a challenging yet flourishing business on the Weltevrede farm in the Smoordrift/ Cookhouse area, with the very animals that he loved as that young boy of 12?

How would his wife, Katie, know that together they would be one of the top MET (Mohair Empowerment Trust) farmers to have graduated to become commercial farmers in the district?

What about Lloyd James? Both his parents were farm workers in Pearston, so he grew up watching them work the land. How was he ever to realise his dream of having his own farm?

And yet today Simon, Katie, Lloyd and the other MET mohair farmers are living that dream.

It’s a sunny wintery day when Beauty Mokgwamme and I make our way from the Mohair SA offices to our first stop – a farm called Tulpleegte, not far from Beaufort West, in the Karoo in the Western Cape.

We are on a two-day trip to catch up with some of these framers, to see how they are doing post-Covid, post-drought and post-locust invasion.

It’s a long drive, but it goes quickly because Beauty is superb company and has a wealth of information to

share. As the mohair empowerment officer, she knows her farmers, she knows Angora goats and she knows mohair.

She shrieks with happiness as we near the farm. Her disbelief at how the land is recovering from the brutal seven-year drought is clear. We stop several times so she can inspect the plants and the ground.

So it is with optimism that we find ourselves at Tulpleegte – it’s a big farm and it’s barren, typical of the dry Karoo region in that area. But our hosts and owners of the farm, Jackson Mjoli and his partner Wilson DeBruin, are warm and inviting. We sit in the shearing shed to chat about where they are now.

After 1994, the government bought 24 farms in the area from commercial farmers to empower small-scale farmers and farm workers interested in obtaining 30year leases. This is how Jackson and Wilson came to apply for their land.

Finding competent black farmers wasn’t the challenge. The challenge was giving them the mentoring and farming support that they needed to continue flourishing.

So exactly how have they all managed to excel?

Enter the Mohair Empowerment Trust, with the aim to identify emerging farmers on a suitable property who have the potential to make a success of farming with Angora goats.

Yes, there are strict criteria to be met; some might say too strict.

The farmer must have access to land (mostly thanks to the Land Reform and Rural Development), they must be willing to make financial inputs to ensure a sustainable farming operation, and they must agree to “on-farm and off-farm” training, particularly in terms of regenerative farming practices, classing skills, animal health issues and financial management.

The goal is to uplift and empower small scale farmers to become large, commercially viable mohair farmers who will be able to participate positively within the mohair industry and serve in various mohair organisations on a high level.

Someone must run the project. Someone who knows farming, someone who can manage the emerging farmers, and someone who can get this done. Mohair SA was lucky enough to employ Beauty Mokgwamme, who is the empowerment officer. Everyone knows Beauty; I mean, everyone!

But back to Tulpleegte where Jackson and Wilson, Beauty and I walk around a portion of their farm. They are brothers-in-law and friends. Today they are 66 and 62 years old respectively – old in years, but not in spirit.

They met in 2001 in Beaufort West and have been farming together ever since. First it was on a commonage and then in 2014, through the Land and Rural Development Reform project, they were offered this farm.

water management, dipping and disease management, and how to care for the land.

“We now take care of the land first.” They are both fully hands on.

It’s tough being a farmer. Firstly, the seven-year drought was brutal. Many goats died and the land suffered enormously.

This time last year, they only had three kids. But now today, we look around and there is a buoyant nursery with countless kids frolicking in the green veld. The drought has broken.

But just when things were looking up, the locusts arrived.

“When that massive swarm arrived (the size of a huge field), it was terrifying,” remembers Wilson. “We worked up until 7pm each day trying to spray them away. They caused widespread chaos and it was heartbreaking to watch.”

Enter the Responsible Mohair Standard. Launched in March 2020 by Mohair SA and the Textile Exchange, it verifies and identifies mohair practices and farming systems that respect animal welfare and the environment.

It’s designed to ensure that animal welfare outcomes are delivered and that the goats are humanely treated, healthy and well cared for.

It further provides the industry with the tools to recognise the best practices of farmers throughout the value chain. Becoming RMS-certified makes a huge difference to the MET farmers.

“Instead of us seeing goats as an entity, we now see goats as part of the bigger world and how they fit in. The goats are our bosses – we work for the goats,” explains Jackson.

“The first thing we had to change was our mindset. It comes down to realising the impact of everything.

“No-one wanted this farm because it was barren and drought-ridden, but we wanted to take a chance,” says Jackson. “We also knew that the previous commercial owners had made a living off the farm, so there was potential”. They look at each other with pride.

“We had to use our courage,” he adds. And courage is what they have needed.

“I think we got the farm because we submitted a good business plan,” explains Wilson. “We did our homework. And we waited with hope. The day we got the farm was a very exciting one. We couldn’t believe we were now entrusted with this wonderful opportunity.

“As part of the land reform, the government assisted us with fencing, two houses, vehicles and they renovated our shearing shed. This is a 30-year lease. And that was a grant.”

They farmed slowly and deliberately with care, section by section, learning on the way – always through listening to the earth. There were hard lessons to learn.

Their progress accelerated when they were introduced to the Mohair Empowerment Trust at a SAMIL convention in Prince Albert. They were accepted into the trust and their five-year loan consisted of 200 kapaters.

They are the only MET farmers in this area and have been made to feel part of this farming community.

“We love Beauty; she’s black, she’s young, she knows her business and she loves mohair. It is her life and it is our life, so it’s a good match” says Jackson.

And it’s through Beauty that Jackson and Wilson have been exposed to extensive training – rotational grazing,

“Before RMS we might have thrown the dipping poison away down the drain. Now we know it might hurt our children for generations to come, so we dispose of it mindfully and safely.

“We now put the fire extinguishers away, and we make sure the shearers are hygienic and meticulous in their shearing. The RMS has made us much better farmers.”

Regardless of the challenges that they had during the drought, Jackson and Wilson paid off their loan in 2021. They have expressed their need for more goats and MET is evaluating this application.

“Most of the commercial farmers are looking after their land for the next generation,” says Jackson in an ardent tone. “That is what we want. A legacy for our next generation. Something that is theirs for life and beyond.”

He is quick to clarify. “We take nothing for granted. Not our farm, not our health and not our good relationship. We work hard with and for our goats.”

Katie and Simon Miners live on Weltevrede, some four dusty hours away in Cookhouse. We are greeted with great affection, hugs all around when we arrive. Their farm was one of the first to partner with the MET.

Simon was born in Pearston, on Mr Van Niekerk’s farm – his father was a farm worker there – and when he was old enough, he, too, began looking after the goats and watching and learning from his father.

And it was on this farm that he met his wife Katie, whom he married 42 years ago. She was born in

Continues on page 38

“We did our homework. And we waited with hope.”

Somerset East where her father worked on farms in that district and she, too, learnt about goat farming, classing, sorting and how to vaccinate and care for the animals.

When her father got a job on the Van Niekerks’ farm, her destiny was sealed. During this tenure, Simon, through hard work and dedication, had acquired his own goats.

Mr Van Niekerk sold his farm and Simon and Katie had to find space for their 200 goats on a commonage in Pearston. They applied to the Land Reform three times before being successful. Finally they were given the opportunity and were awarded this farm.

“We fell in love with it the minute we saw it,” says Simon. “It was ours, finally something we could call our own.

“It was a day I will never forget, walking onto this farm and into this house. I really did feel as if I was home.”

Home it may have felt like, but it still needed financial and structural attention.

With the help of Robert Turner and Lucky Mokheswane from the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA), their house was made livable, and they were given funds for input costs for specific farming projects as part of the process.

The department also provided the necessary implements and tools for their farm. But livestock was never part of the deal.

yet!” “I learn something new from my parents every day,” says Sakkie.

He is hungry to be the best farmer he can be and describes some of the challenges.

“There is the fencing, the rising and exorbitant cost of electricity, and water. The rooikat and the jackals are a menace and the current fencing cannot keep them out.

“The farm has been growing vertically and now we need more land and more goats to realise our vision for the future.”

Enter the magic of the MET again. At that time Bongani Ndlovu was working for the trust and as part of his job, he paid them a visit to assess the progress. He was accompanied by the ECRDA employees Robert Turner and Lucky Mokheswane and immediately recognised they were perfect candidates for the MET.

They were awarded a loan of 133 Angora goat ewes which set them on their way. Today they are superbly successful.

They paid back their loan in 2019 and are no longer emerging farmers, but full commercial and very proud farmers.

Katie and Simon work side by side as partners, with different roles. Katie looks after the admin, the notetaking, the record-keeping and the running of the home. Simon prefers the goats and the quiet. When it’s busy, Katie will jump in and sort the mohair as well. They are a formidable duo.

There is a powerful succession plan afoot. Quietly sitting in the corner of the room, we meet Sakkie, –Katie and Simon’s son. At 42 years old, he has been working hard on Weltevrede as well. It will be his one day although Simon “is not ready to stand down just

That is to be 100% self-sufficient, with a smoothly run and fully equipped farm.

Robert Turner tells me why they are well on their way to success.

“They know their goats. They control their finances well and they have repaid all their loans by putting the profit back into the farm to keep it moving forward. And they face their challenges with intelligence and hope.

“They are the number one classers (Simon and Katie class their own hair) in the district. They really are leading the way in professionalism and profit.”

Of course, implementing solar energy will change everything, but it’s prohibitively expensive.

Beauty’s involvement has been pivotal. From the initial loan, to farming advice, financial training, admin support and vaccine programmes, she is pure gold. She has facilitated attendance at numerous training courses that aim to better farming practices.

She has assisted greatly in the animal health, has linked them to other farmers for support and is transparent in how she manages the loans.

“She has done so much for us. I cannot thank her enough. And when she visits, she always brings us snacks!” says Katie with delight.

The RMS accreditation has been crucial in their success. For starters, the accreditation translates into higher prices. And then the understanding and knowledge of how to run a farm with responsible farming practices and how it all works together makes this a valuable process.

As with Jackson and Wilson, the RMS elevates their professional standard and the pride that goes with that. Ultimately the mohair industry quality rises exponentially.

From a macro perspective, it isn’t hard to see how valuable this has been, not only to the industry, but to how it impacts each family on a micro level.

Other MET farmers have similar stories.

Johnson Mandlendoda leases the Geluk farm near Middleburg, Eastern Cape. His chance meeting with Beauty at the local Spar while shopping changed his life forever.

Today he farms 450 Angora goat kapaters and he shares his vision of the future: “We want to be the premier Angora stud breeders in the region.”

Simphiwe Fani leases a farm called Doornrivier. He has been there for nine years. In 2015 he joined MET and paid back his loan in three to five years. Today his daughter has graduated with a degree from the

“I learn something new from my parents every day”

University of Free State in Bloemfontein.

“I didn’t struggle to pay the fees because my goats paid me,” he says with pride. Lloyd James has a daughter who now lives on the farm. She, too, was educated from the profits of the farm and is the first graduate in their family. This is succession planning at its best. Talking of succession, there is such a sense of pride and the need to leave a long-lasting legacy.

Ntsika Ndlela, who farms for his father on Eureka farm in Adelaide, is poised to take over the farm. He, too, has ambitions but “the old man still has a few years in him!”

“I am still learning from him,” he smiles. “It’s comforting to know that there is a plan once the patriarch has sat down.” “We will rise and fall and rise and fall until we get to the top,” says his father, Mr Mzwakhe Ndlela. Sitting there listening to them, I have no doubt.

Simphiwe Fani has an even bigger vision.

“The big picture for the farm for me is to be able to pay the guys who help me, so they can get a share of the farm too.”

Empowerment can easily be misunderstood and mismanaged. But Jackson puts it perfectly: “Help us out now and then leave us to swim. We don’t want to be holding hands forever. We want to be standing up on our own feet, and when we do, that’s when we help someone else out. “That’s when we all win,” he says as he looks at me in a serious and steadfast manner.

So, how are the MET farmers doing?

Beauty and I reluctantly depart for Gqeberha with a spring in our step. It’s evident that this process, this empowerment, this support from the stakeholders, is not only the demonstration of true empowerment, but it has been critical for the mohair industry.

And ultimately it has been life-changing for the hardworking and dedicated farmers, here in the heart of the global mohair industry.

I am reminded of an old saying: “If you keep your face toward the sunshine, the shadows will fall behind you.”

The Mohair Empowerment Trust farmers could have written that themselves.

THE HOUSE OF FIBRE

Exciting times for the new Broker

The “new kid on the block” is not that new anymore (three years old) and The House of Fibre has established itself as the leading international broker of the mohair industry.

In the first seven months of 2022 the core of the news was dominated by three factors.

Fact 01

Exciting times as we moved into a new, state of the art warehouse.

Fact 02

An exciting, innovative marketing and sustainability strategy.

Fact 03

Excellent demand and prices for mohair in the 2022 summer season. We also prepared and sold a substantial portion of the Australian clip, as well as the Lesotho and the UK clips as an international broker.

PRICES

Although it was an excellent season, consistency was key, and this year’s average prices were great all around. The House of Fibre also changed the way of reporting top prices by identifying it per micron and not per agegroup. This way it is far more accurate and fairer. The latest innovative sales report is more compact and gives more accurate information. The best prices for the 2022 summer selling season were:

TWENTY-FIVE MICRON AND FINER PRICE GROUP

• Van Hasselt Farming, Prince Albert at R899.00/kg

• SJ Nel, Steytlerville at R880.00/kg

• Lategan Junior, Aberdeen at R862.10/kg

TWENTY-SIX TO TWENTY-SEVEN MICRON PRICE GROUP

• PH Viljoen, Kleinpoort at R800.00/kg

TWENTY-EIGHT TO TWENTY-NINE MICRON PRICE GROUP

• PCL Michau, Mortimer at R745.00/kg

THIRTY TO THIRTY-ONE MICRON PRICE GROUP

• LR Eybers (PTY) LTD, Rietbron at R600.00/kg

THIRTY-TWO TO THIRTY-THREE MICRON PRICE GROUP

• SC Ferreira, Cradock at R495.10/kg

THIRTY-FOUR MICRON PRICE GROUP

• Die Wieg Boerdery (PTY) LTD, Oudtshoorn at R450.00/kg

THIRTY-FIVE TO THIRTY-SIX MICON PRICE GROUP

• House of Fibre Binning at R408.10/kg

THIRTY-SEVEN MICRON AND STRONGER PRICE GROUP

• Kareekrans Boerdery, Somerset East at R378.50/kg

PHOTO CREDIT: Samantha Reinders

Our new state-of-art warehouse

On July 1, 2022 The House of Fibre moved to new premises at 7 Metcalfe Street, Deal Party in Nelson Mandela Bay.

This was necessary because the space was limited at the old premises in Paterson Road. With 13 000 square metres of floor space it makes the new warehouse the biggest and most modern mohair-handling facility in the world. Being one of the most sustainable fibres in the world, we followed suit with our building and took the facility completely off the local municipality electricity grid to rely solely on eco-friendly solar energy. We will also harvest the water from the roof to replenish the scarce water resources of Nelson Mandela Bay.

To be completely eco-friendly, the diesel clamp Hyster fleet inside the warehouse will also be replaced by electric Hystersin time. All these specific measures live up to the standards set in the world for responsible, sustainable mohair.

House of Fibre and BKB sustainability and marketing initiatives

Sustainable supply chains are not just advisable but the key to survival and the focus for brands and retailers globally. To emphasise the urgency, it has been reported that retail-related supply chains are responsible for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and with the current shocking reports on climate change, the time to change or improve practices is now.

The only way this can be achieved is through unparalleled transparency with each partner in the supply chain in aligning strategies on longer term goals, values and the investment of time and money.

To this end, in recognising the responsibility we have as a broker to represent South African mohair farmers in the global market, The House of Fibre, through our dedicated sustainability department at BKB, is committed to engage and support the daily discussions with global sustainability and buying teams.

We are actively building long-term business relationships and identifying collaborative opportunities, bringing the bookends of the supply chain together – you the farmer and the brand purchasing your fibre.

We have actively been assisting brands and retailers in understanding the impact their mohair sourcing has on the environment, the welfare of the animals and the people who work directly with and are supported through

the industry, extremely critical criteria when deciding on which raw material industries to support.

As you can imagine, this process is time-consuming as a retail product may contain a single brand logo, but it takes a giant web of stakeholders (in cases up to 17) to get a product onto a shelf.

In recognising the changing role and responsibility of a broker, The House of Fibre and BKB sent a delegation to Europe in July for the second time this year to actively engage international supply chain partners.

We met with brands, retailers, spinners, processors, and fellow brokers to support the process of collaborating to ensure you, our farmer clients, are represented when critical sourcing decisions on mohair are agreed upon and adopted within buying teams.

Highlights of our trip

1. Italy

We attended Pitti Filati in Florence, a three-day trade show where the leading spinners exhibit latest yarn developments and over 3 000 buyers from brands and retailers make purchasing decisions for the next season. In addition to pre-arranged meetings, BKB was invited by Confindustria Toscana Nord to form part of a panel discussion dedicated to animal fibre production. Lindsay Gurney, our sustainability manager, was given the opportunity to share our group vision and sustainability direction, which sparked interesting conversations bringing new opportunities.

2. France

We attended Premiere Vision in Paris, an event for fashion professionals covering yarns, fabrics, leather, designs accessories and manufacturing. We met with multiple brands and supply chain stakeholders to further identify areas to collaborate.

3. United Kingdom

Textile Exchange, John Lewis & Partners and BKB came together at the John Lewis head office in London to host a brand workshop where we were able to share our sustainability strategy and how it aligns with sourcing goals set by brands and retailers. We further were able to present our property profiling and regenerative plans for The House of Fibre-BKB group.

It was apparent that the overarching focus of brands and retailers for the near future is to source raw material (i.e. mohair) from farms that comply with regenerative programmes that provide scientifically sound reporting systems. The House of Fibre and BKB have developed a mechanism to achieve this and have called it BKB/House of Fibre – Property Profiling. Property Profiling will be offered by BKB and The House of Fibre to willing farmers with a shared objective of being able to capture the impact of their management on land and biodiversity, as well as to support any content claim they need to make in the marketplace (e.g. RWS/RMS and Regenerative).

The profiles help to describe a farm’s natural context and monitor the condition of the resource over time, and to support other vital management systems driving the business.

The monitoring will be closely guided by us and based on scientifically robust measures of accessing regeneration of the farm. This can be built on over time as farming focuses and market requirements evolve. It is

an adaptable, flexible and, most importantly, a realistic mechanism to capture a farmer’s journey and support adaptive management for long-term resilience.

The House of Fibre and BKB sustainability and environmental managers will support this programme fully, as well as our technical field officers, who are undergoing a series of regenerative training to equip them to facilitate this important process.

Very importantly, we believe in a collaborative approach and this programme has been developed in consultation with representatives from the entire supply chain –farmer to brand.

In doing this, we ensure whatever measures are implemented will receive support and buy-in from the international market.

This type of marketing, the world’s first in mohair, will guarantee The House of Fibre maintains the number one spot in the world as a mohair broker.

PIERRE VAN DER VYVER General Manager - House of Fibre

T: 066 056 8125

E: pierre.vandervyver@house-of-fibre.co.za

PHOTO CREDIT: Bronwyn Botha

Opening of Bo-Karoo Branch in 2022

These are exciting times for the industry, with the growth and expansion of producers exceeding our expectations.

Branches have been established in areas not usually associated with mohair. Last year the North West branch was opened and it continues to grow. The goats have not only adapted, they are thriving.

During the year we attended a well-organised OVK mohair day in Carnarvon, where we were asked to open a branch. The producers in the region were enthusiastic and I am sure they will make a success of their Angora goat farming.

We have further expansion planned for the near future, and I would like to thank our manager, Sanmarie Vermaak, for all the hard work she has put in to ensure the growth and success of the mohair industry.

The importance of establishing a branch cannot be underestimated. Information is vital to the modern-day farmer. The mohair industry is proud of its ability to circulate information among the producers. This is done via the weekly newsletter, the journal and SMSes when necessary.

Another important part of assimilating and learning about the mohair industry is the information day. These are usually done in conjunction with farm workers training. Any branch may contact us if it wants to host an information day.

Also important in establishing a branch is the constant updating of producers’ information, which

is essential for us to assist you.

Last, but not least, are the meetings of like-minded producers to discuss and compare their farming experiences. If you would like to establish a branch in your area, please inform Sanmarie and she will assist in this regard.

MARK SHIRES SAMGA Chairman

M: 072 522 0132

T: 041 581 1681

E: samga@angoras.co.za

The BKB journey of regenerative agriculture

Throughout our numerous engagements with brands over the last year, including participation in industry events worldwide, it is glaringly clear that most brands have answered the call to become part of the climate change solution. Many of them have committed to not only reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, but to support regenerative agriculture and biodiversity conservation.

Numerous brands started their climate change journeys with large climate change goals and an intention to test how these could be implemented.

Textile Exchange launched its Regenerative Landscape Analysis at the beginning of 2022, which provided a framework for the fashion and textile industry to understand, communicate and invest in regenerative agriculture. The analysis proved very useful to help navigate the regenerative landscape over the last year.

The key takeaways from the analysis included:

• A transition to regenerative agriculture is fundamental to supporting the long-term health

of the fashion and textile industry, and its success will depend on how these industries can work with farmers to develop more resilient systems to unlock immense social and environmental benefits.

• Regenerative agriculture can't be prescribed. It is contextual and nuanced, and relies on a fundamentally holistic systems approach that puts humans and ecosystems at its core.

• Programmes should be rooted in justice, equity and livelihoods to acknowledge the indigenous roots of regenerative agriculture and past and current racial injustice to underpin future work.

• Regenerative agriculture is about much more than increasing soil carbon levels and calls for the avoidance of carbon tunnel vision. Regenerative systems have shown a myriad of documented interdependent co-benefits related to biodiversity and water availability, as well as quality, climate resilience and livelihoods.

• We need to move out of silos to speed up the transition. It is critical to collaborate and

PHOTO CREDIT: Bronwyn Botha

create a knowledge-share approach to advance regeneration.

• Understanding these key takeaways and getting to know the landscape around regenerative agriculture in the industry, BKB realised that support needed to be created to not only help brands achieve their goals and provide multiple markets for the fibre produced, but to also support the farmers under our network to implement and/or report on regeneration.

It did become quite clear that while all understood the movement was needed, what was more unclear was how to achieve these goals and how to scale up these interventions to ensure that markets supporting these efforts could still source enough fibre.

For most of the year, it became evident that Land 2 Market and ZQRX were the only certifications that were being recognised for regeneration. The challenge was the scalability, with very few farms being able to achieve the certification off the bat.

Beginning of 2022

Answering the call for regeneration and a reversal of climate change, BKB has spent the last year hard at work trying to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and finding ways that we could credibly communicate the successes of regeneration that brands and consumers could trust.

Most of the wool and mohair farmers supplying BKB operate on natural rangelands. Most of South Africa is considered a brittle environment and relies on grazing and rest cycles to promote vegetation health.

If most of our farmers are grazing on natural rangelands, how much more perfect is the opportunity for regeneration?

Identifying the potential that the wool and mohair industry could have on a movement of regeneration, work was needed to start to understand what it meant, how to support its implementation across the landscape and how to back up the story of regenerative farmers in the market.

This led us on a year-long rollercoaster ride of investigation, trial and error and ultimate adaptation as we navigated the complexity of regeneration and what it meant for our product. Through this, some realisations were made.

REALISATION 1: What does regeneration mean to BKB?

BKB recognises any land management practice that supports the functioning of the four ecosystem processes through the improvement of soil health, water security and improved biodiversity as regenerative. We recognise that there are numerous practices and management tools that farmers can use to improve the health of their rangelands.

REALISATION 2: How to implement regeneration

Regenerative agriculture relies on mimicking the natural functioning of ecosystem processes. Realising this, one has to understand the complexity of the natural world and the variation of what the different ecosystems look like and how they function. This variation is context specific and therefore it is impossible to prescribe the implementation of regeneration. Other factors that influence the context of a farmer's land are their capacity and resources and the unique objectives they each set for their businesses and rangelands. What is well described and tested are the seven principles of regeneration which provide the fundamentals of what are the key factors needed to achieve regeneration and the priority of each in succession.

REALISATION 3: How do you track regeneration?

If regenerative agriculture cannot be prescribed, it is important to gauge the impact that any land management intervention is having on the land. This can be achieved by planning one's land management (grazing planning, fire management and/or rehabilitation interventions), and for each intervention defining indicators to monitor. These indicators need to be

PHOTO CREDIT: Bronwyn Botha

relevant to the question being asked and need to be comparable over time. Setting a baseline when you start your journey and routinely monitoring the change over time is what truly supports a farmer to be adaptive and protects him/her as they implement a trial-and-error approach and constantly learn as the environment reacts and changes.

End of 2022

A new realisation which became evident at this year’s Textile Exchange conference in November was that regeneration is not a simple process-driven solution and that there is a need to rather support journeys of regeneration.

Probably the most important role-players in this journey within the fashion and textile industry remain the custodians of the land, meaning the farmers.

But while the farmers have the most opportunity to influence the regeneration of the environment, they cannot be expected to do this without support from the industries themselves.

The willingness of brands to support their producers became very evident at the conference and left everybody feeling more positive and excited to work together in the effort to recognise farmers and invest back into productive landscapes to create an enabling environment for regeneration.

What does all this mean for 2023?

This need for regeneration is a growing one, with consumers becoming more conscious of what they are buying and a global population calling for the reversal of climate change and a movement of working with nature to support regeneration for the survival of mankind.

With a much clearer understanding that regenerative

agriculture is not a cut-and-paste solution and that it requires a more holistic approach to planning and management, work can start to focus on supporting the journey of regeneration over time.

Producers are encouraged to give the principles of regeneration another look and to feel comforted that they are most likely already on a journey, and that their way forward can be supported by numerous players in the industry, from brokers to brands.

Many brands have committed to investigating investment and market support to producers, meaning 2023 holds the opportunity to unlock exciting projects.

BKB launched its first brand-driven project with the H&M Group to restore and rehabilitate Albany Thicket in South Africa. We envision this to be only the first of many more to come.

BKB has recognised that the path forward is built in collaboration and that no-one needs to be navigating this journey alone.

Different role-players operate under different mandates and if we unlock all of these mandates and their associated resources, we may stand a true chance to not only paint a more realistic light on our industry, but also to be a big driver in the change we need to see in the fight against climate change.

BRONWYN BOTHA Enviromental Manager BKB

M: 071 272 5784

E: bronwyn.botha@bkb.co.za

REGENERATIVE FARMING

OVK - The new landscape for mohair and wool farmers

by Jo-Anne Bester

Global warming and the resultant climate change has become a major concern to businesses and individuals globally, with governmental and non-governmental goals in place to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

For the fibre and apparel industry, this means a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from fibre production and manufacturing by 2030.

With this goal in mind apparel brands are increasingly being pressured to seek greener solutions, and understandably so, since the fast fashion industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than both the airline and maritime travel sectors combined. Fast fashion is cheaply produced, poor quality and ultimately quickly disposed of, with massive contributions to the pollution and landfill crises, among other concerns.

This creates an opportunity for slow fashion and for natural fibres of superior quality and durability with an enhanced lifecycle and biodegradable attributes.

The movement towards more sustainable consumer behaviour, which has been compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, generates promising opportunities for farmers who produce natural fibres, including wool and mohair. This is especially true when these commodities can be

certified as sustainably produced, since the issue of animal welfare comes to the forefront in the production of these fibres.

The proof is in the pudding, as we can see with the market indicator for this season’s closing wool sale that took place on June 8 closing at R180.07 clean for RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) wools compared to non-RWS wools, which closed at R164.91. This is a considerable difference and the tendency was seen all through the 2021/22 wool-selling season.

Overall, good quality Merino wools within the medium to fine micron classes performed well, despite the setback of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and subsequent ban of wool imports from China. This is indicative of the strong demand for these types of wool, especially certified Merino wool of high quality.

Mohair also experienced a good selling season with record prices of R910/kg having been achieved despite also having been affected by the foot-and-mouth outbreak, although to a lesser extent. Mohair is mostly exported to Italy and it is interesting to note that about 70% of South African mohair is certified as sustainable.

The strong demand for wool and mohair could perhaps be due to the increased demand for more sustainable products. It should, however, be noted that if the ban

was to continue much longer, the situation could change periodically for South African wool and certain types of mohair.

Regenerative farming practices refer to a holistic approach to farming that ensures that soil health and regeneration is brought to the forefront. The aim is to farm alongside nature, thus restoring natural balances and relationships between soil, soil microbes, organic matter, plants, animals and water.

This movement requires less or no reliance on chemicals and to keep soil covered with live roots for as much of the year as possible to ensure adequate crop rotations and to integrate livestock. It essentially mimics the naturally occurring biodiversity and, in so doing, improves the overall health of soil.

Healthy soil is believed to have a better ability to sequester carbon, thus lowering the overall carbon dioxide emissions of the farming unit.

Regenerative farming is the latest buzzword in the quest for sustainability for many reasons, but perhaps mostly for its potential to lessen the release of greenhouse gas emissions within the agricultural sector.

Although the concept of regenerative farming is not new and has been implemented by a number of producers for many years, the bulk of the agricultural sector currently operates on industrial farming practices. This contributes significantly to global warming, soil erosion and the degradation of soil.

such movements to ensure their products remain relevant and competitive as consumer behaviour and preferences evolve.

With the race on to lessen carbon dioxide emissions and with new technology, more and more carbontracking apps and programmes have come to the forefront.

This poses opportunities for farmers to measure their carbon footprint, to take steps to reduce their footprint to carbon neutral or carbon positive levels, and then to obtain certification and even apply for carbon credits.

This, coupled with the demand for sustainable consumer products, is almost guaranteed to achieve premium prices on commodities such as wool and mohair as the fibre and apparel industries are actively seeking solutions to lower their carbon footprint.

Better prices for commodities and financial gains from carbon credits are not the only anticipated advantages to adopting a regenerative farming approach.

Other anticipated benefits include:

• Lower input costs

• Improved natural resistance of soil to flood and drought damage, since healthier soils are better able to absorb and retain water

• Decreased soil erosion

• And increased financial stability over the long run

This is especially true for wetter, more moderate climates where the physiological processes happen faster and thus the positive results can be seen much quicker than in arid landscapes.

There is, thus, real potential for these areas which are largely suited to cash crop production to obtain carbon credits through implementing regenerative farming practices. These producers could also benefit financially by integrating livestock into their systems.

One of the major concerns threatening animal fibre production is, of course, the relatively high release of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the ruminant’s digestive processes. The same concern is also seen in cattle production on a much larger scale.

The contribution of carbon dioxide emissions from livestock has led to movements such as meat-free Mondays to encourage consumers to consume less meat. This, of course, is also a direct threat to wool and mohair producers since a large part of their income, and in many instances the bulk of it, is derived from meat production.

Luckily for livestock farmers, as mentioned above, studies into regenerative farming practices indicate that having a livestock component incorporated into a cropping system is an essential part in the goal to improve soil health without the use of chemicals, and ultimately sequester carbon more effectively.

Sustainable and traceable have become key points of consideration for international markets in the fashion industry, and the movement can be expected to spread to the food and beverage sectors, too.

It is thus important that producers be prepared for

In the more arid regions of our country, the restorative impacts are much slower and considerably more complex and expensive to achieve. This highlights how sensitive these ecosystems are to over-grazing and poor management practices, and why it is imperative that good management systems be implemented to avoid further soil degradation.

Regenerative farming poses promising outlooks for healthier farming systems that ultimately produce healthier products and limit agriculture’s detrimental effects on the environment.

For more information about regenerative farming practices and benchmarking opportunities, please contact Jo-Anne Bester.

JO-ANNE BESTER Regional Manager Fibre - OVK

M: 066 485 0850

E: joanneb@ovk.co.za

REGENERATIVE THINKING AND LAND MANAGEMENT

The real estate between our ears

by Roland Kroon

The concept of regenerative land management, or indeed regenerative agriculture, is currently enjoying much attention.

As with anything topical, there are wide and varying interpretations as to what it is, with an even wider scope of opinion as to what constitutes regenerative practice.

The health of our planet and the fate of nations are inextricably entwined with the health of the land. We thus seek a set of guiding principles for management which are universally and easily applicable.

The need for a change of land management practice is thrown into stark reality with the endless stream of proof that conventional management is simply not working.

Below are some examples:

• Agriculture (food and fibre production) is one of the most environmentally destructive industries on earth.

• We are losing biodiversity at an unprecedented rate (loss of biodiversity = desertification).

• In SA, for every ton of maize produced, an estimated 2.5 tons of topsoil are lost.

• It is estimated in SA that only 10% of the rainfall is effective (ie: contributing to the growth of plants and healthy water cycle).

• Australia is losing half a hectare (one football field) per minute to salinisation.

• New Zealand is now picking up nitrogen fertiliser residues in the water ways, which were applied 50 years ago.

• An estimated 14 calories of non-renewable energy is used to produce one calorie of food energy.

• Ours is the sixth civilisation and all previous ones failed because of failed agriculture. The only difference between our current civilisation and those before us is the fact that we have fossil fuel.

• The energy contained in one barrel of oil is equal to the energy of 12 years of manual labour.

The list is endless, but the terrifying reality is that the above examples are taking place despite the highest level of skill, knowledge, wealth, technology and resources that the world has ever seen.

It is clear, then, that regenerative management has less to do with technological solutions and resources than with the way decisions are made. Therefore, by implication, regenerative practices start with a regenerative mindset.

Creating a regenerative mindset can be the easiest or the hardest thing to do. Easy when one considers it requires nothing more than mental energy to imagine a multigenerational business, farm or industry where the decisions we take today must be aligned to our vision to support the livelihood and prosperity of future generations.

The hard part is letting go of our mechanistic, solutions-based, shortterm and reductionist decision-making, much of which is fueled by external interests.

Since an estimated 99.99% of global agricultural practice is conventional, the regenerative mindset is still largely regarded as a pariah. Therefore the transition requires a modicum of courage and a great deal of commitment.

There are only four things in nature which we can steward. These four ecosystem processes, which form the foundation of life on earth, are water cycle, mineral energy, energy flow and community dynamics.

Water cycle:

This refers to the micro and macro hydrological cycle. Essentially the goal must be to ensure that as much water as possible returns to the atmosphere via growing leaves. This will ensure that the landscape remains hydrated. An effective water cycle will mean less runoff, less silt, fewer droughts, fewer floods and a highly productive landscape.

Mineral cycle:

This is simply the perpetual cycle of minerals which provide that unseen link between plant, soil, animal and ecosystem health. An effective mineral cycle depends not only on that which is above ground, but also the fungal life in the soil which solubilises the minerals in the rocks and soil in order for them to become available to the rest of the ecosystem. Understanding the mineral cycle (therefore the carbon cycle) is key to designing management practice around climate change mitigation.

Energy flow:

Energy is the foundation of all life. Sunlight energy is the only true source of energy for life on earth. It is infinitely renewable and it is management which makes it scalable. The only way to capture that energy is via growing leaves. Energy is harvested either directly from plant products, or via animals which consume plants.

The photosynthetic process produces, among other things, oxygen and cellulose. Cellulose is the most abundant organic compound on the planet and can only be used by animals. Critical to the energy flow is the exposure of the growing points to sunlight. Under conventional land management practice, this cycle is compromised by unhealthy plants, caused by the twin devils of overgrazing or over-resting of plants. Overgrazing and over-resting occur side by side under conventional management and it is management, rather than animals, which must be blamed for the large scale degradation of landscapes across the world.

Community dynamics:

This refers to the interaction of all the elements of an ecosystem, including humans. Nature does not waste, therefore every living thing in an ecosystem has a place and a role. More than 50% of life on earth lives below the soil and it is the complexity of soil health which gives those that live above the soil the freedom to live. Our stewardship of the biodiversity holds the key to regeneration of landscapes and their infinite scalability to support life.

The regenerative mindset requires that we attempt to understand and predict the consequences of our management actions, not in terms of

ABOVE Water cycle: It’s not how much rain you get, it’s how much you keep. Conventional management 16mm rain event. Karoo, South Africa.

BELOW Regenerative farm: 68mm – Karoo, South Africa.

ABOVE Planned grazing vs continuous grazing.

knee-jerk conventional metrics, but in terms of the long-term implications for the four eco-processes.

The impact of management may, in many cases, be counter-intuitive and therefore a regenerative mindset requires the humility to recognise our inability to control nature, and also our capacity to enable it.

Regenerative land management is not about how to do things, but more about what to do. Debate around management practice will rage forever as academics, scientists, farmers, consumers and processors elbow for shelf space in the minds of the public.

There will never be consensus on, for example, the best grazing practice, but to plot the way forward, we need to find a node of consensus which will provide a baseline to informed management practice.

There can surely be no argument that in order to harness more sunlight we need more plants per unit of land, more growing leaves per plant, more growing days per year and, under that, healthy, vibrant soils which support life.

If we have consensus on this, then management practice must focus on replicating this relatively simple formula as it will sustain this generation and many to come.

The world is slowly awakening to the need to rapidly address the issues of desertification and global climate change.

This has spawned a “solutions-based” industry where the assumption is that if one does the opposite of what is thought to have caused desertification, then it will reverse it. This has given rise to the anti-meat lobby, the anti-cow lobby and the carbon craze, among many others.

These solutions, taken within the reductionist, conventional mindset, amount to little more than a “tick box” exercise at best and greenwashing at worst.

A regenerative decision-making process will accommodate the current situation and implement corrective measures which will be little more than a gentle massage to support and align the elements of nature towards a stable and diverse landscape capable of supporting multiples of the biomass it currently does.

In summary then, the move from conventional to regenerative management is much less about what one does than it is about how one thinks. Contrary to common belief, it does not cost money, it makes money.

It is less about transformation than it is about transition. It requires one to do things differently rather than doing different things.

Since humans think in words, it is our thoughts that will shape our words, our words will inform our actions, and our actions will create the foundations upon which this and future generations will build their lives.

Tread gently on the earth for it is our footprints that will be our legacy.

Accredited Field Professional – Savory Institute Director – Healing Hooves (Pty) Ltd

M: 082 883 2710

E: rkroon@yebo.co.za

ABOVE Carbon cycling: Dormant season graze to allow plants to flourish when new season starts.

ABOVE Dead locusts: 10 weeks after spraying, nothing has eaten them.

BELOW Locust frass (dung) decomposing within two weeks of swarm – no spraying.

ROLAND KROON

The Herding Academy is a leading institution in training to regenerate healthy landscapes & livelihoods The training provides a holistic regenerative decisionmaking framework to support modern day challenges.

We train regenerative land management principles by applying local & traditional knowledge in a contemporary context, to support sustainable land management initiatives

The Herding Academy trains accredited professional trainers, land managers & executive decision-makers throughout Southern Africa.

The Herding Academy

by Johan Bouwer, Founder

The need for communities to build internal resilience against future potential threats, post Covid-19, is imminent. In sub-Saharan Africa rangelands make up 50% of the surface area, where people depend on that land for their survival. Yet conventional land management practices have resulted in the general degradation and denudation of rangelands.

Land degradation has a negative impact on the environment, the economy and regional socio-political stability.

The Herding Academy plays a significant role in positioning sustainable rangeland management as a critical skill for regenerating landscapes and establishing healthy livelihoods. It offers the only accredited regenerative land management training programme tailor-made for land stewards and implementers. The need for training land managers has shifted towards a greater need for training professional regenerative land management trainers from different communities to ensure the successful continuation and growth of the project.

The Academy is currently supported through formal partnerships with the Herding 4 Health, Peace Parks Foundation and Meat Naturally programmes, which provide the necessary framework to secure the integrity of the learning programme.

They provide the support and feedback for an impact-based, decision-making framework.

Expanding formal partnerships with other interested training partners such as the mohair, wool, meat and crop producers is crucial.

Organisations such as Mohair SA, BKB, SANBI, Cape Leopard Trust, Meat Naturally and wool agents such as Seagard Masurel have been crucial in the participation of these courses and in implementing regenerative principles into their policy frameworks and standards.

Professional Herders

A total of 176 trained herders for the Meat Naturally project hail from communities such as the Tsitsa sub-catchment in the Eastern Cape, the uMkhomazi catchment and the Umhluthuzi catchment in KwaZuluNatal. The training is being conducted on-site within these communities, which enables us to continually mentor students in their local environments and allows us to target their specific needs.

Once fully implemented, the total number of hectares influenced by this project alone will reach more than 393 700, and around 55 000 head of cattle – markets still to be explored by the conscious consumer.

What to Expect in 2023

Globally the environmental consciousness of consumers is imminent. Fashion houses and supply chains are continuously searching to enhance their offerings through best practice.

The Herding Academy continues to offer executive regenerative land management courses to land stewards, owners and decision-makers, as well as introductory courses to farm workers on farms.

In addition, a practical implementation course will be launched for decision-makers who are involved in dayto-day practical implementation.

The Academy is positioning itself as a leading trainer of professional regenerative land management trainers in order to provide meaningful, accredited and sustainable training to rural communities throughout Southern Africa.

Proud member of

The science of intensive goat farming

by Roelof Bezuidenhout

Smallstock farmers who have not yet converted to an intensive farming system are weighing up the pros and cons of this type of operation. They might fret about the high cost of infrastructure, water supply, the ever-rising price of labour and feed, an elevated level of management and even the possibility of eventually breeding a less hardy flock, but the steady mohair price, coupled with the need for high kidding and weaning percentages, makes it an enticing proposition.

The question is how far you can go, given the cost of, particularly, feed and infrastructure. Fransie Fourie of Ferreiraslaagte in the Jansenville Noorsveld area has gone all the way, stopping short, however, of going to the expense of farming under roof.

Fransie is running a full-feed operation, keeping groups of 25 ewes in 50m by 50m camps from a week before kidding to weaning. His system of 60 such camps have room for between 900 and 1200 ewes, which are fed pellets at a rate of 3,5% to 4% of

liveweight and second grade lucerne hay at a rate of 0,5% of liveweight per day. Each camp is fitted with a small shed for shelter, all made of old materials to keep the cost of infrastructure down to a minimum. Only the wire for the fencing is new. The road between the camps is continuous, cutting out gates and making it possible to inspect the entire layout within 30 minutes. The camps are also used for merino lambs later in the year when lambs are produced for the market. That is when feed conversion is a deciding factor.

Putting out the feed every day is an operation that can be mechanised via augers to the extent that it requires only one worker. So, the system need not be labour-intensive at all. But it demands daily handson management to keep functioning efficiently. It is, in fact, a combination of two sciences – the practical feeding and farming side and the financial management side. You might need a mind-shift.

While intensification is possibly the way forward for extensive small-stock farmers, it won’t work without meticulous bookkeeping, accurate record-keeping, and a computer programme to process the data. Your budget must be spot on, says Fransie.

His camp system has evolved since he started feeding in 2016, along with the development of a computer programme to fit his needs. It’s become an indispensable planning tool that incorporates the variables over which a farmer has a measure of control. It enables him to see what effect changes in the price of feed or mohair, or changes in the amount of feed or kidding percentage, will have on the bottom line. And it allows him to compare intensive, semi-intensive and extensive systems.

The advantages of intensification seem obvious. There’s greater control over the flock from production to reproduction. It can side-step some of the effects

of droughts, it can take grazing pressure off the veld and even allow you to keep more animals on the farm, and it can increase selection pressure because of much higher weaning percentages. You can identify and cull poor performers. The mortality of twins is low, you’re in full control of the kidding process, and young goats grow out better. If your initial infrastructure cost is low, you can always revert to a less intensive system if the need arises. But the important thing is to know exactly where you stand economically. Without measuring and recording, you’re simply in the dark.

A closer look at Fransie’s system

Before the mating date on March 15, ewes are split into veld flocks of 200 each. These are then given 3% teaser rams for synchronisation for 10 days before the breeding rams are introduced for 42 days (two cycles). The teasers ensure that 75% of the ewes’ kid in the first week halfway through August.

Rams and ewes 4 to 6 weeks before mating:

This is the time to shear, dip and give vitamin and mineral supplements. Animals must never be in poor condition, yet they mustn’t be fat – they must have a body score of 3 to 3.5. Supplementary feed depends on veld condition.

Ewes 21 days before mating:

Flush feed with 25% protein lick in pellet form (250300g per ewe per day). Pairing mass of 46-48kg for adult ewes and 34-38kg for two-tooth ewes.

Monitoring ewe weights:

Mark 30 ewes out of the 900 from the different agegroups with a numbered tag and weigh them regularly to establish nutritional needs. You don’t want to lose more than 10% liveweight during any stage of the cycle. Better still is to keep them at mating mass. If ewes weigh 46kg at the start they should never drop below 43-44kg. Closer to kidding they should weigh 10% more than their mating mass.

Flush feeding is not always necessary when it rains at the right time and camps have good grazing. But the trick is to ensure some positive weight gain. In fact, good nutrition six months before conception is essential for follicle growth and eventual fertility. Continue with flush feeding for 21 days after rams are put to the ewes.

Mid pregnancy (31-90 days):

Scan ewes 42 days after rams have been taken out. Cut down on supplementary feed if the veld allows and use the control group of marked ewes as a guide with the feeding regime. Expect a conception rate of 95% in four-tooth ewes and older and 86% in two-tooth ewes, as well as 22% twins.

Late pregnancy (30 days to kidding):

If possible, shear before scanning and two months before kidding. Start supplements 21 days before kidding, irrespective of veld condition (400g-500g per ewe per day). Four weeks before kidding administer a pour-on. Then, when the ewes are brought into the lamb camps, they get a mineral and vitamin

supplement. They are used to small camps because of their previous exposure and, therefore, are less stressed and begin to eat immediately.

They get adapted as follows:

• Day 1-3: 1kg roughage plus 1kg pellets

• Day 4-6: 500g roughage plus 1.5kg pellets

• Day 7: 1.75kg or 2kg pellets (singles or twins) plus 250 roughage.

• Feed twice a day – pellets in the morning, roughage in the afternoon.

Kidding:

Two men supervise the kidding phase. Twin ewes are kept apart with 20 per camp. The sheds provide 1.5m by 1.5m of space per ewe and can be used for ewes and kids with problems. Five milk goats are used to supply extra colostrum which can be frozen and used for weak angora kids after defrosting in warm water. You can do the same with angora ewes that have too much milk. Again, let control group weights indicate the level of feed for the ewes. As soon as kids start eating, switch over to the creep pens. The sooner they start on creep feed the better. Up until 10kg liveweight they eat very little, with growth being dictated by the mothers’ milk. Ram kids get castrated at eight weeks and all kids get a tapeworm remedy, and later a broad spectrum, depending on the results of dung samples. Kids are inoculated against pasteurella and pulpy kidney bloednier (Multivax P) and receive a vitamin and mineral supplement before weaning and shearing. Before weaning the ewes are allowed out during the day into a bigger camp adjoining their kidding camp, where the kids are kept inside by a barrier at the gate that is low enough for the mothers to cross easily. The ewes return on their own. Kids are weaned at 90 to 120 days when they weigh 20 to 22kg and shorn at five months

Management second shearing:

The kids are weaned in larger, electrified camps which share a small camp in which feed is put out in the late afternoon, and in which all the kids stay overnight. The area can be lit up with a solar light and it helps to play a radio every now and again as additional protection against predators. This year Fransie lost only six kids between the first and second shearing. Usually, the kid kapaters are sold after their second shearing.

Other factors:

It goes without saying that there must be a plentiful supply of uninterrupted water. Make provision for 5-8l per ewe and 2-3l per kid per day. It is essential to keep water troughs clean and cool. Don’t let them become contaminated with feed. When the water pH changes, so does the rumen pH. Water in the shade of “garingboom” shelters is 29C versus water in the sun that can rise to 41C, which is undrinkable. Painting plastic pipes silver further helps to reduce the temperature.

Place troughs and tanks next to the road to make monitoring easy. For peace of mind, have the water tested for bacteria, pH and heterotrophic plate count. The water should be tested at source as well as in the drinking trough every one to two years.

General:

• If possible, select an area with good runoff and some natural shade and windbreaks for your camps.

• Rest feeding camps for 4 to 6 weeks before using them again.

• Second-grade lucerne or teff is adequate – you want really coarse roughage to keep the rumens going and prevent acidiosis.

• Twins need special attention.

• Be observant and vigilant.

• Use your own data from your own business. Someone else’s will look different. A possible drawback of a highly intensive system is that you could eventually breed a flock that is less hardy, less able to survive on the veld. But you must weigh that up against the benefits of higher

Supporting Diagram

Layout of Ewe camps after kidding.

production.

• You can start small and see how it goes.

• Remember, your kids can bring in nearly 70% of the income.

• Important diseases to guard against include pulpy kidney, pasteurella, sponssiekte (black quarter), rooiderm and nutritional disorders. Also look out for colibasellosis (disinfect kids’ umbilical cords) and coccidiosis. Contact your vet if you’re uncertain about the cause of deaths.

For more information contact Fransie Fourie.

Fransie Fourie Jansenville farmer

M: 083 235 6270

E: ffourie65@gmail.com

Ewes move in and out of small camp over a barrier to bigger camps 30 to 40 days after kidding.

Daidoh 22 Mohair competition and award ceremony

DAIDOH LIMITED is a Japan-based company operating in the apparel and real estate business segment.

Part of the apparel segment rewards mohair producers for producing top-quality summer kid mohair.

Congratulations to Johan & Etienne Terblanche, who are the 2022 mohair Daidoh competition winners with their award for the highest average price for their kid mohair clip, during the 2022 summer season. It was an evening worth celebrating in our industry and our

congratulations extend to all the winners of this event.

Winner:

1. Johan and Etienne Terblanche

2. SJ Nel (Schalk)

3. Van Hasselt farming (Jordi)

4. EE Brits (Ripple)

5. FE Colborne (Fred)

L to R Image 1: Fred Colborne, Johan and Etienne Terblanche, Ripple Brits, S Nel, Jordi Van Hasselt, Image 2: Marco Coetzee handing a prize to Fred Colborne, Johan Terblanche, Image 3: Johan and Elna Terblanche receiving the winners award Image 4: Marco Coetzee handing a prize to Andreas Nel

PHOTO CREDIT: Fredalette Uys

PHOTO CREDIT: Carin Venter - Plaas Media

PHOTO CREDIT: Fredalette Uys

Q&A’s for Control Union Audits

By Marco Coetzee

During the SAMGA & MSA roadshow, many of our mohair producers had questions surrounding the RMS audit process, for example, changes in audit questions from one audit to another. The Mohair Industry understands the importance of this audit process and the impact it has on our farmers; thus, we organized a meeting between SAMGA, MSA, Mohair brokers and Control Union.

Control Union presented to the Mohair Industry and allowed industry representatives to voice their concerns and create solutions. The following information was clarified during this meeting:

The Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS), launched in March 2020, has not changed since it was approved through the International Working Group (IWG) prior to the standard being launched. It is still the same standard with the same requirements.

For the RMS to change, it needs to go through the IWG process, on which the South African Mohair Industry, including the Mohair Producers (through SAMGA), has a significant influence. The same process was followed when the RMS was developed by Textile exchange.

Control Union was responsible for setting up the audit checklist approved by the Textile Exchange assurance team. This checklist is being used by the Control Union auditors when they visit your farm for external 3rd party audits.

Q Q Q

Control Union sent this exact checklist to all the mohair brokers. Both Mohair Brokers acknowledged using this same checklist when performing the annual farm audits.

A A A

Why do the audit questions differ year to year if the RMS standard didn't change and the audit checklist has had no changes?

The challenge is that the audit checklist leaves a lot up to the auditor's interpretation at the audit time. This means one auditor can interpret one question one way while another auditor interprets the question differently.

For example, the audit checklist question will say - Is the working environment safe for the farmworkers?

Auditor A assesses the farm and identifies big rocks on the staff houses to prohibit the zink roof from blowing away. Auditor A does not see this as a safety risk, and the farmer passes the RMS audit.

Auditor B see’s the same rocks on the roof as a significant safety risk as he believes the rocks could fall off the roof and injure a farmworker

How do we get away from the different interpretations?

Control Union has numerous meetings regarding interpretations with their auditors. They have agreed to include the mohair brokers and the mohair producers (through SAMGA) in these interpretation meetings to improve consistency in the audits and understand the mohair producers' perspective.

What do I, as a farmer, do when I believe the external auditor has not been fair or accurate?

Control Union stated that any farmer who feels the 3rd party auditor has not done a fair audit can contact them directly via email: cdclerk@controlunion.com

What do I do when I, as a farmer, believe that the broker auditor has been unfair?

BKB and OVK confirmed that the farmer should contact their broker immediately if there are any concerns during an audit.

BKB and OVK noted that they are upskilling their field agents to assist the farmers with the RMS process.

We would like to encourage our mohair producers to contact Control Union and your broker when you have a challenge with the auditor on your farm. For the mohair producers that have not yet started your RMS journey, we would like to encourage you to contact your broker to get your RMS journey started.

The RMS is key to the current demand for mohair and is the minimum standard accepted by most brands and retailers using your mohair!

Celebrating 2 Years of RMS certification!

2 YEARS OF RMS With sustainability being of crucial importance to the mohair industry, Mohair SA partnered with Textile Exchange 2 years ago, on the 17th March 2020, to launch the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS). The RMS provides the industry with the tools to recognise best practices and ensures that mohair comes from farms with an advanced approach to land management, animal welfare and social responsibility. Producing mohair responsibly is a non-negotiable for the South African mohair industry, and the roll-out of the RMS remains a priority. Well done to the entire mohair industry for pulling together, working hard, and making the progress we have, your efforts do not go unnoticed, and we are incredibly proud to be associated with such an incredible industry.

Fashion

GUGUBYGUGU Gugu Peteni is a South African fashion designer based in the city of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) where she studied fashion and textile design at Nelson Mandela University and graduated Cum Laude in 2017. Thereafter she worked as an in-house designer and retail manager in Studio Mohair (Mohair SA offices) for three years. In 2019 she established her own brand, GUGUBYGUGU, which is the epitome of her generation – unapologetic, bold, genderless and experiments with knits and wovens in mohair, wool and cotton. The year 2022 was a time of growth and real cementing of the brand within the SA fashion industry. A number of highlights include: • Selected as a finalist for the SA fashion week menswear scouting competition where she showcased her sustainable collection sponsored by Mohair SA and Cape Mohair.

• From all the designers showcasing at Fashion Week, she was the youngest to be selected as one of five designers to be mentored by European buyers and showcasing at Paris fashion week. • Scouted by a fashion agency in London which will be stocking her products by March, 2023. Find the full article on mohair.co.za

ENTER THE TALENTED BURTON MILES Mohair

SA was approached by an eager young student from the Western Cape who wanted to incorporate mohair into his collection. Enter Burton Miles, a third-year fashion design student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town. Burton has worked under some of our well-known SA designers, including the LVMH award-winning Lukhanyo Mdingi.

“I didn’t choose fashion as a career, it chose me,” Burton said. “I wanted to do something for my younger self and, at the same time, pay homage to the people who played significant roles in my life in [my hometown] Haarlem. My debut collection is called Harvest.” Harvest is a trans-seasonal collection that transcends the confines of gender-specific clothing. It is based on Burton's childhood memories and explores themes of identity, gender, religion and history, amalgamating them with agriculture to bring about garments that have his memories sewn into them, archiving the emotions and experiences of the designer in a body of work. “I was first introduced to mohair in my mentorship with Lukhanyo Mdingi, who continues to use it in his work,” Burton said. “I, too, chose to use mohair in various ways in my first collection. I felt as though mohair tells a story of resilience, fragility and beauty, mohair invites you in to see, feel and admire, and that is what I wanted for my collection – for people to see me, feel my emotions and admire the beauty created from a dynamic upbringing. We look forward to our journey with Burton and are excited to see his collection come to life. Find the full article on mohair.co.za

TEXTILE TEACHINGS

by Frances van Hasselt

With any interaction and conversation, ideas take shape, thoughts shift, and new actions are set into motion. Whether these exchanges are big or small, what you say and how you say it has a way of circulating back. One of the most wonderful outcomes of being part of The World Hope Forum’s Farm to Fabric talk series was receiving an invitation by Lorenza Wong, a lecturer at Parson’s School of Design and The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, to share our mohair story. This is a dream opportunity to connect with some of the best makers, creators, students, lecturers, and the broader textile community. There is no doubt that schools such as these birth a new generation of fashion and textile leaders.

Upon setting off, I wondered what on earth I could share that would be of interest to some of the most brilliant minds in the industry, working in a context so far removed from our tiny studio in the middle of the Karoo. The more I thought about my presentation, it became clear to me that this was not an isolated conversation about our studio. Rather, I was purely the spokesperson presented with the opportunity to tell the full story about our South African mohair industry.

When a story becomes one that includes the entire ecology of elements, actors, animals, plants, herdsmen, farmers, and makers needed, to get the fibre from farm to fabric, the story turns into one of the most unique and engaging textile tales; Ancient, sustainable, bespoke, geographically centred in South Africa; A small fibre that holds communities together. A fibre deserving of much celebration and attention. In telling this story, the response could not have been more positive. Everyone wanting to know more about the Karoo, the animals, the fibre, the people, and our way of making. I hope we never take for granted that being a country which produces and processes most of the world’s mohair is quite simply phenomenal. That said, let us not be mistaken in thinking that the rest of the world is telling our story and making products celebrating mohair for us. It was startling to realise how little is known about mohair in both these prestigious institutions.

There is great interest in mohair at the moment, and we need to engage more with institutions like these. Most of the yarn provided to the schools is sponsored by spinning houses that work mainly in wool. As a result, most of the yarns available to students are wool-based. Not one of the students that I engaged with had ever worked with mohair before. These are students passionate about textiles which will go out into the world and make from their personal reference points. If they have never been exposed to mohair, the chances of them including it in their work going forward is not high.

I believe that we have a massive opportunity to engage with these institutions and provide them with mohair, be it raw, carded, or yarn form. Building up a relationship will lead to skill exchange and knowledge transferal. Many of the students and lecturers expressed interest in visiting SA and collaborating on a mohair project of some kind. I personally feel that these interactions will only benefit the industry.

My time in New York coincided with the Parson’s Textile MFA students’ final exhibition. The level of craftsmanship, command of materials and composition was exceptional. I walked away so encouraged by the direction in which the future of textiles is taking, led by young minds who are makers before they are designers. Their work is largely hand-made, and they care about the process and the message they wish to put out into the world. Find the full article on mohair.co.za

PHOTO CREDIT Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC (top left), Frances van Hasselt presenting at Parsons School of Design (left centre), Frances van Hasselt presenting at Parsons School of Design (top centre) Parsons School of Design, Sample bunch of tops at The Fashion Institute of Technology (top right), and development pieces in the loom at The Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC (bottom right) Textile MFA Exhibition (bottom centre) and Frances van Hasselt presenting at Parsons School of Design (bottom left)

Photo credit: Richard Hobson

Photo credit: Richard Hobson

Photo credit: Kayla Maree

Photo credit: Corlia van Wyk

Photo credit: Corlia van Wyk

Photo credit: Brett Walker

Photo credit: Robs Wienand

Photo credit: Robs Wienand

Photo credit: Carmen Outram

Photo credit: Thorn Park

Photo credit: Brett Walker

Photo credit: Brett Walker

Photo credit: Brett Walker

Photo credit: Kayla Maree

Photo credit: Robs Wienand

NATURAL FIBRE CONNECT

CONFERENCE 2022

Understanding the perspectives of the growers and herders is key to building better textile fibre supply chain partnerships to accelerate innovation and sustainability.

The Natural Fibre Connect online conference for the alpaca, cashmere, mohair (represented by Mohair SA) and wool industries was successfully held on September 7-9, 2022.

Over 1 000 tickets were sold for the live event, with an on-demand content platform to participants from 43 different countries.

For six hours on each of the three conference days, over 80 speakers shared their knowledge across nine key themes such as animal welfare, social welfare, regenerative agriculture, traceability, green finance and the metaverse. The majority of the presentations were available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Mongolian.

Highlights of the event were speeches from His Majesty King Letsie III from Lesotho, artist Michelangelo Pistoletto and La Rhea Pepper, the CEO of Textile Exchange. A fairly big contingent of the South African mohair industry was also present at this conference, including Marco Coetzee (Mohair SA), Jackie Gant (Mohair SA), Mark Shires (Chairman of SAMGA), Dr Mackie Hobson (mohair industry vet), Mark Wienand (mohair farmer), Beauty Mokgwamme (Mohair Empowerment Trust) and Geoff Kingwill (mohair farmer).

Recordings of all live presentations and discussions are available on the platform, along with additional on-demand content until the end of the year.In addition to the live conference, ticket-holders also had access to a virtual exhibition hall where close to 40 different sponsors representing the alpaca, cashmere, mohair and wool industries exhibited their organisations and projects. Visitors to the virtual booths were able to connect and interact with the respective booth representatives.

The Natural Fibre Connect conference highlighted the challenges of the textile industry of natural fibres of animal origin, considering current global trends.

PARTICIPANTS BY INDUSTRY SECTOR

Industry experts, opinion leaders, breeders, brokers and brand representatives shared their experience, concerns, limitations and challenges the industry faced in the light of new consumer demands.

One of the most important conclusions was that sustainability has multiple dimensions –environmental, economic, social and cultural. Only when all four dimensions are being addressed can progress in areas such as climate change, desertification and animal welfare be achieved.

This became apparent in the discussions about traceability and green finance, where efforts need to go beyond Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) or animal welfare standards and, instead, must consider economic and social dimensions as well. The argument can, however, also be reversed. Improving livestock and regenerative practices and certifying them requires financial resources and the commitment and partnership of the entire value chain.

Speakers of the green finance session showed that funds exist and that the natural fibre industries must work together to tap into this massive opportunity.

Speakers of the Web 3.0 session also gave a glimpse into how the metaverse and blockchain technology will change supply chains and on-farm data management, as well as consumer interaction with textile products and the people working in textiles.

The transformational power of the new technologies is the future of the industry and will connect us in ways we cannot imagine today.

The event was closed with growers and herders connecting live from Australia, Mongolia, China, South Africa and Argentina to share their perspective, challenges, questions and ideas with the rest of the supply chain.

EU-SA Partners for Growth Project

EU-SA Partners for Growth funded a mohair study tour to visit important mohair stakeholders in Italy and Belgium from May 29 to June 4, 2022.

The purpose of the trip was to meet in person (especially since Covid-19 had prevented this) and to engage with value chain stakeholders, a skills development institution and a NPO that is fighting a cause that benefits our mohair and wool industry in SA.

The delegation comprised of representatives from the following sectors - producers: Sias Reynolds and Lloyd James, processor: SAMIL MD Mike Brosnahan, Mohair headquarters: GM Marco Coetzee and MSA relationship officer Jackie Gant, Partners for Growth: project lead Beni Letebele, and government: National Agricultural Marketing Council economist Noma Yeki.

Prato in Italy is the engine room for fancy yarns and is known for its innovation, creativity and knowledge. The delegation met with six high-end machine-knitting and fancy yarn spinners, a private design university and a business chamber for a collective of spinners.

Brussels in Belgium was an appropriate city to visit as it is home to the headquarters of the United Nations and this project is EU-sponsored.

The delegation had an amazing opportunity to meet and spend time with the CEO of an 85-year-old highend brand that weaves worsted cloth for apparel (primarily men’s but some ladies). They source only the finest top-quality natural fibres, including mohair, wool, cashmere, silk, cotton and vicuna to produce the most magnificent suiting fabrics.

Our final privilege was to spend the afternoon with a hardworking NPO involved with advocacy work for natural fibres. Without their dedication, passion and commitment to natural fibres, our industry would be worse off. The value to those that went on this tour was gaining a “bigger picture” insight, new information on the value chains and what the market wants. It was a privilege to have time with the MDs and CEOs who took us through the issues of interest, concerns and what

the future holds. The value to the CEOs and MDs was the opportunity to engage especially with the producers and the processor. They had some interesting questions for the economist representing the SA government and the team from the industry body from MSA.

More engagements like these are needed for learning and building relationships for the long-term to create communication channels that will bring the farmers into contact with the market so that they can be responsive to market demands and so that the spinners, manufacturers and designers can be in tune with what is happening at producer level.

Lastly the delegation that travelled together had many hours of discussions and debates while building some amazing relationships. We are eternally grateful for the EU-SA Partners for Growth Project and what it has afforded us and the industry.

Natural Fibres Roundtable

On July 12, 2022 Mohair South Africa attended and presented at a Natural Fibres Roundtable in Pretoria which looked at concrete steps to capitalise on value chain development prospects for three strategic agricultural products, namely, wool, mohair and cotton.

The Roundtable was facilitated by the EU-SA Partners for Growth project, which has been involved in the development of bilateral opportunities for trade for these value chains through supporting dialogue, research, study tours and webinars in the sector value chains.The EU sponsors many technical and financial support instruments that can have significant

development impact if structured to work in a coordinated way. This Roundtable’s intention was to inform the sub-sectors of the various instruments, to find synergies and to plan an approach to the development and capital markets that can drive the investments required in the respective value chains.

The Roundtable was well received and good relationships were built with institutions – Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, NAMC, Cotton SA, Cape Wools, the IDC and the EUSADC – that could potentially fund future projects within the mohair industry.

Pitti Immagine Filati

Italy, 29 June - 1 July 2022

by Jackie Gant

PPitti Immagine Filati is a leading global event that takes place twice a year – in January and at the end of June – in Florence. It showcases some of the most exquisite yarns for the knitting sector and highlights technological innovation. The overarching theme for the 2022 show was sustainability.

Any knitwear designer of garments and home accessories will consider what yarn to use to achieve a certain look, feel and functionality. For this reason it is important to attend top-end trade shows that focus on yarns to continually educate and inspire designers, spinners, manufacturers, retailers and students on the value, sustainability and properties of mohair.

Mohair SA was back at the Fortezz Da Basso in Florence on June 29, 2022 after a two-year break because of Covid-19. It was a scorching hot summer and the conversations around global warming were alive and well.

The attendance stats showed that 1 750 visitors attended from 40 countries to view 80 exhibitors, with 95 journalists.

Sophie Steller, of Sophie Steller Studio, a UK-based designer, and her team did an outstanding job curating and designing the on-trend knitted samples and the stand that was manned by Jackie Gant and Siobhan Momberg. Both SA spinners were in attendance and spent time on and around the stand. All the top-end Italian spinners who use mohair took a stand, so it made sense for Sophie to feature these, and the two SA spinners’ yarns, in the garments on the stand.

When we had queries about the yarns used in the garments, we could direct them to the relevant people at the show.

We had many inquiries from design schools, colleges and universities from all over the world that want to add mohair to their curriculum and require sponsored yarns and information.

One of the Mohair Trust’s objectives is education and training, which is vital for the industry’s longevity, and while we do some work in this area, it would be amazing to do more.

We encouraged people to take pictures of the stand and what it has to offer, unlike many other stands that try to protect their collections from being copied.

The visitors didn’t disappoint as they took tons of pictures, examined and inspected the stiches, and discussed the colour combinations and designs.

We received many compliments. The minimum order quantities for the smaller designers remain a challenge as they don’t have the capital to buy large quantities of different yarns in different colours. If spinners do offer a smaller quantity, it often comes with a hefty price tag and in limited colour offerings. Confindustria Toscana Nord arranged a workshop that was held on one of the afternoons. The topic was Animal Welfare: Resilient supply chain of animal fibre for textile production, and they invited mohair, wool, cashmere and alpaca Mohair, Wool, Cashmere, and Alpaca to take part.

MSA, BKB, Schneider Group, Alpaca and Cashmere presented to a live audience of spinners, journalists and young designers in person and via zoom. This was interesting and well received.

Should we attend in 2023?

Absolutely, because about 41% of the mohair tops are exported to Italy and we need to support them.

Première Vision

Paris, 5-7 July 2022

by Marco Coetzee

Première Vision, or PV as it is fondly known, is hosted twice a year (early July and early February) in Paris, France and has been in existence for over 45 years.

This massive trade show brings together all the players in raw materials and services for the fashion, clothing, textiles and fabrics industries. This year PV focused on trends, sourcing and production for the 2023/24 autumn-winter season.

Mohair SA general manager Marco Coetzee and Siobhan Momberg were on the Mohair SA stand and we were assisted by Sophie Stellar, who did an outstanding job with the design and set up of our stand.

Our stand showcased what the industry has to offer in terms of sustainability and traceability, and also highlighted the characteristics of mohair with six outfits made out of mohair yarns sponsored by Italian and South African mohair spinners. We also showed the greasy fibre, scoured fibre and mohair tops.

More than 23 300 people attended the show in person over the three-day period, with more than 1 200 suppliers showcasing their products.

Who visited our stand?

Brands and retailers: We had conversations with brands and retailers that are still not using mohair since the PETA expose of 2018. They were interested in what the industry had done since then in terms of animal welfare and where we are currently on our sustainable journey. We also had conversations with brands and retailers that are currently using mohair and the majority were interested in sustainability within the mohair industry.

Designers: Plenty of designers who were looking for inspiration for their next winter season ranges visited our stand. They were very interested in the design and colour of the six outfits on display. They wanted to know where they could source the yarn and where they could find the manufacturer that made the outfits, with some wanting to order the exact material that was on the stand. And, of course, we were able to connect them to the relevant yarn makers and manufacturers.

Manufacturers: The manufacturers that visited our stand were actually displaying at PV themselves. Manufacturers like Samuel Tweed, Laurent (biggest user of mohair in the UK) and William Halstead all wanted to know about mohair’s sustainability journey and the availability of RMS mohair from South Africa. These manufacturers also sent many buyers from brands to our stand to discover what we offered in terms of sustainability and animal welfare.

Universities and students: On one of the three days, there were a number of universities and students visiting the trade show. Some of the universities that teach textile design showed interest in including mohair as part of their syllabus. But, of course, they were looking for yarn or other sponsorship to support the programmes. Students who visited the stand were most interested in the mohair fibre and for many of them it was the first time they saw mohair.

Our conclusion of Premiere Vision:

Overall, Mohair South Africa’s attendance at the 2022 PV trade show was a success. We reached a lot of people who are currently using mohair, but also many people who are not using it.

We like to believe that we influenced the majority of people who visited our stand by not only informing them about our industry, but also connecting them to the relevant role players within our industry.

PV Paris is a show where brands (sources) and designers come to identify or place orders for materials to use in their upcoming ranges. Obviously our stand did not offer any materials to buy, as Mohair SA is a not-for-profit company, but we connected them with the relevant yarn makers and manufacturers they were interested in.

“

My own perspective, looking at the quantity of people we influenced and connected with, it was money well spent,” said Marco.

2022 Textile Exchange Conference

by Jackie Gant

Colorado is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It is part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Denver is the capital of Colorado.

The journey to reach Colorado Springs was long but so worth it. Many of us experienced our first falling snow and, yes, the child in us came out! What a blessing it was. With 900 in-person attendees and 700 virtual attendees it was an intense programme and event.

The conference was held in a beautiful space –Broadmoor Conference venue, which has five different halls and a huge exhibition area. While online is the less expensive option, the in-person experience is the best way to engage and meet people.

Most of the attendees were brands, fibre industry organisations and companies, and only two farmers –one wool farmer from the US and one from Tasmania.

Next year we hope to have a more balanced audience at the conference, with more farmers from across the animal and vegetable fibre sectors in attendance.

The various fibres represented were:

• Animal fibres and leather

• Cotton and fibre crops

• Manmade cellulous fibres

• Synthetics

Who attended:

• Mohair SA: Marco Coetzee and Jackie Gant

• SAMGA: Sanmarie Vermaak

• OVK: Jacques le Roux

• Stucken: Ruth Pringle

• BKB: Lindsay Gurney and Bronwyn Botha

• Cape Wools: Deon Saayman

• Textile Exchange: Siobhan Momberg

A well-represented group of South Africans from Port Elizabeth! We did meet a few South Africans working abroad and people who have parents who are originally from SA.

Textile Exchange has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030

Why the textile industry?

This industry is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

How is this possible?

• Think “fast fashion” which uses fossil fuels to manufacture synthetic and acrylic fibres, used to manufacture clothing, homeware, knitting yarns etc. These are cheap and tossed away within a year. Plus, these items don’t disintegrate when placed in the landfill.

• The over-production of clothing that ultimately ends up in landfills around the world.

• Plant-based fibres consume loads of water to grow and have high carbon emissions during their manufacturing. Often forests are cleared to grow these crops and the trees that are huge photosynthesis “machines” can’t do their jobs.

• Animals that produce mohair, wool, alpaca and cashmere etc contribute methane gas and during their manufacturing processes, there are carbon emissions. The difference between the natural animal and plant-based fibres vs synthetics is that these disintegrate in the landfill.

Why should we care?

The planet is under immense strain and global warming very real. Our climates have changed from generation to generation as we experience floods and droughts worse than ever seen before. What will be left for our children, grandchildren and the next generations after them?

How can we help?

Acknowledging that each one of us can make changes in how we farm, live and shop. In our mohair industry we can make significant changes by thinking, living, farming, manufacturing, and buying differently.

Our takeaways from the 2022 Textile Exchange Conference:

• We had interesting meetings with brands and service providers that we need to potentially work with in future.

• PEF (Product Environmental Footprint) launched phase 1 of their documents on 30 November, 2022, which focuses on greenwashing – substantiating green claims. The balance is due between 2023 and 2024.

What does this mean for the mohair industry?

• The PEF methodology will be used to implement new textile regulations which will be mandatory for all EU textile companies to comply with. Note that most of the South African mohair tops are exported to Europe, which will mean that European brands and retailers will need to source materials that comply with the environmental requirements of PEF.

• The PEF methodology is flawed, but we are taking a stand by supporting the Make the Label Count initiative.

• For more information go to: www.makethelabelcount.org. Besides this, we are engaging with stakeholders wherever we can.

• The collective goal of the week was to map out a positive impact pathway which means if we reduce the textile industry’s emissions, we can limit global warming by 1.5C, which will be beneficial for soil health, water and biodiversity.

• Textile Exchange launched a variety of tools and resources to assist us to track what we are doing. This includes supply chain visibility, access to quality data and creating spaces for shared learning.

• Various initiatives were launched and the relevant one for the mohair industry is LCA (Life Cycle Assessments) studies and regenerative agriculture. It’s vital that our industry has scientific proof of our impact on the earth from farm to finished garment.

• We can’t afford to work in silos – collaboration is vital to get the best results.

• Being hands on and seeing what’s happening on the ground is crucial in supporting data that is used for important decision-making.

• The only way you can influence anything is by getting to know the people who make up the value chain. Whether it’s a farmer choosing to move away from synthetic fertilisers or a factory deciding to make a switch to renewable energy, at some level it’s always about the person deciding.

• Climate change is a business risk and should be treated and managed accordingly.

• Sustainability isn’t just the responsibility of the sustainability person/team or leadership teams, it’s across the whole company.

Lastly it will take less time to get used to new ideas when they financially benefit you!

On a local note, BKB launched their collaboration with the H&M Group supported by Textile Exchange with a restoration project that will be implemented on 85 wool farms across Albany Thicket area in South Africa. This is a first-of-its-kind project that can be the catalyst to unlock future brand and retailer investment opportunities for our producers and across the supply chain.

'We don’t know what we don’t know and what we do know we can’t prove!'

What does the project entail?

The two-year project is aimed at improving biodiversity through restoration while encouraging a regenerative approach to agriculture.

Are you eligible?

For year one, the following criteria are applicable:

The

project will take a three-stage approach:

1. Baseline the property and identify areas for restoration

2. Implement both active and passive restoration via our team of experts through Rhodes Restoration Research Group

3. Set up monitoring protocols to gauge impact over time

Changes Announced

At the conference they announced that the founder and CEO, La Rhea Pepper, would move into a new inspiring role of catalyst and founder, making way for Claire Bergkamp, the current COO to transition into the CEO role from January.

Heinrich Schultz, chair of the Textile Exchange Governance Board, will step down as chairman from January, 2023.

The 2023 Textile Exchange Conference is planned for London, but we haven’t seen an official statement yet.

1. Are you a certified RWS wool farmer?

2. Do you farm in the Albany Thicket biome? (See map)

For more information, please reach out to Bronwyn Botha:

M: 071 272 5784

E: bronwyn.botha@bkb.co.za

OUR FRONT COVER

POMOCA, founded in 1933, is a Swiss manufacturer of ski touring skins and rubber outsoles. As the oldest skin manufacturer and leader in the field of ski touring, POMOCA initially revolutionized the market by the invention of waterproof treatments EverDry in 1985, followed with its special rubber membrane Safer Skin, invented in 2004, POMOCA continued to set the highest standards in the functionality and performance of ski touring skins.

POMOCA invests strongly in innovative and environmentally responsible technologies, collaborating with partners such as the Polytechnic University of Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Innsbruck (AT). In the last 20 years POMOCA RACE, RACE PRO and RACE PRO 2.0 became icons, winning around 70% of all international medals including 8 out of 10 world championships. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is fully integrated in the product innovation, development, and in the company culture. The origin of the mohair is taken very seriously, and since January 2020 all production of POMOCA climbing skins is 100% PFC-free. The manufacturer, which belongs to the family-run Oberalp Group, is thus the first supplier of ski touring skins without environmentally harmful PFCs. “Pomoca is not only skins

POMOCA is Swiss Technology to empower your freedom in the mountains with precise, reliable, and simple solutions. In the end, what matters is not the technology but your experience in the mountains: We want to make your heart sing.”

WHY WE USE MOHAIR

Mohair is currently the fiber that offers the best performances in terms of glide and grip.

Historically when skiing was a way to move about in the Scandinavian countries the skin of seals was used. They would attach these under their skies to go hunting in winter.

The industry then had to find a solution to replace the use of the seal’s skin and the fiber that offers the closest performance is Mohair. We did a lot of tests with different fibers, natural and synthetic but the one that works the best is Mohair!

To develop this yarn requires an extensive testing period of up to a year in a variety of conditions and temperatures to ensure optimum performance by the end users. This is a highly complex process which classifies this yarn as a technical yarn vs the traditional yarns that we are accustomed to.

TECHNOLOGIES

WHAT IS A SKIN?

The plush offers GRIP and GLIDE to the skin. These characteristics var y depending on the material used (nylon, mixed or mohair) and the way the fibers are woven (thicker or thinner, longer or shor ter more or less angled). Normally, a skin that GLIDEs more, GRIPs less.

These treatments provide waterproofing for fibers, which is key to preventing snow clumps from forming. Wet fibers can freeze with a change in temperature. When the fibers freeze they attract snow which sticks to the skin, forming clumps. They also give the color to the skins and help with fixing the fibers to the angle/backing, which is why it is impor tant for durability and GLIDE/GRIP

The lining prevents water transfer from the plush to the adhesive. A lining that is not waterproof causes dampness on the adhesive and reduces its tack (stickiness). The adhesive could come away from the skin and stick to the ski. A quality lining guarantees the correct functioning of the adhesive and also increases resistance to the skin tearing.

The adhesive attaches the skin to the ski. In cold and wet conditions, adhesion may be difficult: in general, the adhesives do not perform well in water or cold, as it is harder for them to stick in a wet environment (mist or heat in spring/damp snow) or in the cold.

1. A PLUSH WITH ANGLED FIBERS...

2. ...SUBJECT TO VARIOUS TECHNICAL TREATMENTS...

3. ...WITH A LINING...

4. ...AND AN ADHESIVE...

Hair production, reproduction and income of Angora goat ewes that had six kidding opportunities

by Gretha Snyman

The ewe flock plays an important role in the generation of income from any small stock enterprise. In the case of Angora goats, it generates income from the current flock through hair production and reproduction (also mainly through hair production from kids) and contributes to future flock income through genetic improvement of the progeny. The longer the ewes are kept in the flock, the longer is the generation interval. A longer generation interval in turn will lead to a slower genetic response per generation. However, a longer generation interval means fewer young ewes need to be selected for replacement purposes, with subsequent higher selection intensity. Therefore, it is important that ewes should be kept in the flock for an optimum number of years. This optimum number of years will differ between stud breeders and commercial producers. It will be longer in the latter case, as most of the genetic progress will come from sires bought from stud breeders.

In order to maximise current flock income, producers must ensure that high producing ewes are selected and retained when keeping ewes in the flock for a longer period. The identification of high producing ewes at an early age that will maintain their production levels throughout their lifetime in the flock is thus imperative. It is expected from Angora goat ewes to maintain high levels of fleece production, as well as reproduction, throughout their lifetime in the flock. The aim of this study was to determine the range in hair production, reproduction and income of Angora ewes that had six kidding opportunities in the flock. Furthermore, the relative contribution of hair production and reproduction to income of these ewes was also investigated.

RESULTS

Data collected on the flocks of three South African Angora goat producers from 2000 until 2015 were used in this study.

TOP AND BOTTOM PRODUCING EWES

Top and bottom producing ewes were identified among the ewes that had 6 kidding opportunities according to the following criteria:

Top producing ewes:

• Produced 8 or more kids over 6 kidding opportunities

• Weaned 7 or more kids over 6 kidding opportunities

• Had a lifetime total weight of kid weaned among the highest 25% ewes

• Had an adult body weight among the heaviest 25% ewes

• Had an adult fleece weight among the heaviest 25% fleeces

• Had an adult fibre diameter among the finest 25% fleeces.

Bottom producing ewes:

• Produced 4 or fewer kids over 6 kidding opportunities

• Weaned 3 or fewer kids over 6 kidding opportunities

• Had a lifetime total weight of kid weaned among the lowest 25% ewes

• Had an adult body weight among the lightest 25% ewes

• Had an adult fleece weight among the lightest 25% fleeces

• Had an adult fibre diameter among the strongest 25% fleeces.

Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute, Private Bag X529, Middelburg (EC), 5900 E: GrethaSn@dalrrd.gov.za

From the available data set, 179 top and 118 bottom performing ewes were identified. The adult productive performance of these ewes that produced more than 8 and fewer than 4 kids respectively over 6 kidding opportunities are presented in Table 1. Although there were 179 ewes that produced 8 or more kids, not all these ewes were in the top categories for the other traits. The number of ewes that also falls in the top category for the other traits is also indicated in Table 1. The same applies for the ewes in the bottom category.

winter market indicators for the 2018 seasons. A value of R238/kg was taken for fleeces with an average fibre diameter of 34 micron and less, while a value of R222/ kg was taken for fleeces with an average fibre diameter above 34 microns. Only adult hair production was considered (hair production of kids was accounted for under reproduction income). An average yearly hair production income for each ewe was obtained by dividing her total hair production income by her number of shearings.

Reproduction income was determined by multiplying the lifetime number of kids weaned by R1060 (Obtained from income per ewe generated at different weaning percentages). An average yearly reproductive income for each ewe was obtained by dividing her total reproductive income by her number of kidding opportunities. Total yearly income per ewe was obtained by adding the yearly hair production income and the yearly reproduction income of each ewe.

The ewes that had 6 kidding opportunities were also divided into four categories based on their total yearly income. The relative sources of income for these ewes are depicted in Figures 1 and 2. When comparing the relative sources of income among the top and bottom income category ewes, it is obvious from Figures 1 and 2 that the main difference in total yearly income could be ascribed to differences in yearly reproduction income. Yearly hair production income was nearly the same for ewes in all categories. From Figure 2 it is further evident that reproduction income contributed more to total income in ewes in the top 25% income category compared to ewes in the bottom 25% category.

The number of ewes that were in the top categories for reproduction, body weight as well as the fleece traits is given in Table 2. From Table 2 it is obvious that ewes that are top performers regarding reproduction are not top performers with regard to fleece production.

See Table 1 for explanation of trait abbreviations

REPRODUCTION AND HAIR PRODUCTION INCOME OF EWES

Income per ewe was calculated as hair production income and reproduction income. Hair production income was based on the average of the summer and

Table 1. Adult productive performance of the top and bottom performing ewes over 6 kidding opportunities

Table 2. Number of ewes in the top categories for reproduction, body weight, as well as fleece traits

Figure 1. Income sources from ewes in the various income categories

Figure 2. Percentage contribution to total yearly income of income sources from ewes in the various income categories

EARLY AND ADULT PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTION TRAITS OF THE TOP 100 AND BOTTOM 100 EWES ACCORDING TO YEARLY INCOME OF EWES

Ewes that had 6 kidding opportunities were assigned to Top 100 and Bottom 100 lists according to their total yearly income. These lists were used to compare the early and adult production and reproduction traits of the ewes in the Top 100 and Bottom 100 income categories respectively. Early and adult production and reproduction traits of the ewes in the Top 100 and Bottom 100 categories according to yearly income are presented in Table 3. All traits, except for adult fleece weight and yearly fleece income, differed significantly between the Top 100 Income and Bottom 100 Income ewes.

Table 3. Early and adult production and reproduction traits (± s.e.) of the Top 100 Income and Bottom 100 Income ewes DISCUSSION

performing ewes that produced more than 8 and fewer than 4 kids respectively over 6 kidding opportunities. Although there were 179 ewes that produced 8 or more kids, not all these ewes were in the top categories for the other traits. The same applied for the ewes in the bottom category. The ewes that were top performers regarding reproduction were not top performers with regard to fleece production.

The negative relationship between reproduction and fleece production was further illustrated by the relative sources of income. There was more variation in yearly reproduction income than in hair production income among the ewes. There was a slight negative relationship between yearly hair production income and yearly reproduction income. Consequently, there was no discernible relationship between yearly hair production income and total yearly income. The relationship between yearly reproduction income and total yearly income on the other hand, was significantly positive. When comparing the relative sources of income among the top and bottom income category ewes, it was obvious that the main difference in total yearly income could be ascribed to differences in yearly reproduction income. Yearly hair production income was nearly the same for ewes in all categories. It was further evident that reproduction income contributed more to total income in ewes in the top 25% income category compared to ewes in the bottom 25% category.

Early reproduction

Early reproduction, as well as lifetime reproduction, of the Top 100 Income ewes that had 6 kidding opportunities were higher than that of the Bottom 100 Income ewes. Selection of top performing young ewes after their first parity would therefore increase ewe lifetime income.

Early body weight

Birth weight, weaning weight, as well as 8- to 16-month body weight were higher for the Top 100 Income ewes than for the Bottom 100 Income ewes. Ewes that had 6 kidding opportunities that produced the highest total weight of lamb weaned (TWW) also had a higher adult body weight than ewes that produced less TWW. The same trend was observed for number of kids born. Furthermore, ewes that had higher early body weights were kept in the flock for a longer period. Selection of young replacement ewes could thus be done on increased early body weight.

Early fleece weight

When compiling lists of the top and bottom producing ewes for the adult productive traits, it was evident that it would be difficult to get ewes that are top performers in all traits. There were 179 top and 118 bottom

The favourable genetic correlations of early fleece weight with reproduction (0.41 Second shearing fleece weight and TWW; 0.36 Third shearing fleece weight and TWW; Snyman, 2018) did not seem to realise phenotypically in the adult ewes. Ewes that had 6 kidding opportunities that produced the highest TWW had a lower adult fleece weight than ewes that produced less TWW. The same trend was observed for number of kids born over 6 kidding opportunities. These trends differed from the following, where the Top 100 Income ewes that had 6 kidding opportunities had higher third shearing fleece weight than the Bottom 100 ewes. Contrary to this, and more in agreement with the adult situation, second shearing fleece weight was lower for the Top 100 than the Bottom 100 ewes. This

could most probably be explained through the fact that hair production contributes from 20% to 40% to yearly income, compared to 60% to 80% of reproduction. From these results it follows that too much emphasis on fleece weight at selection age of young replacement ewes should be avoided.

Early fibre diameter

The unfavourable genetic correlations of early fibre diameter with reproduction (0.57 Second shearing fibre diameter and TWW; 0.57 Third shearing fibre diameter and TWW; Snyman, 2018) were manifested phenotypically where these early fibre diameters of the Top 100 Income ewes were higher than that of the Bottom 100 Income ewes. There were negligible correlations of TWW with adult fibre diameter. This implies that selection for low early fibre diameter should not be done in the young ewes.

CONCLUSIONS

There are large differences in hair production, reproduction and income among ewes that had 6 kidding opportunities. These differences could be exploited by placing selection emphasis on those traits that contribute most to yearly income and for which high levels of production can be maintained until an older age. Reproduction contributes the most to total yearly income and fortunately ewes can maintain

high reproductive levels up to the age of 7 years. Unfortunately, the reproductive traits have the lowest heritability of all the economically important traits. Body weight indirectly contributes to reproduction through favourable genetic correlations with reproduction. Selection of young ewes should therefore be focussed on early body weight, as well as number of kids produced, and weight of kids weaned at the first parity. The negative relationship between reproduction and fleece production in the adult ewes emphasises the fact that positive selection pressure on early fleece weight should not be done at the cost of reproduction. Only young ewes with unacceptably low fleece weights should be culled, while too much selection pressure on early fibre diameter in the ewes should also be avoided. Selection for fleece production and fleece traits should rather be addressed through ram selection.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The following persons / institutions are acknowledged for their contribution to this project:

• Mohair South Africa for partial funding of the project

• Participating breeders for their inputs

• Personnel at Jansenville Experimental Station, Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform.

Relationship between mohair auction price and quality and other factors

by L. HUNTER 1 AND A.F. BOTHA 2

The question is often posed as to which factors, except for changes in market demand, fashion and global economy, affect the auction price of mohair and their relative importance. For example, there has been an ongoing debate concerning the relative quality and processing performance of Summer and Winter Mohair, and whether there are any associated price differences. Various studies have been undertaken over the past 60 years in an attempt to answer certain of the above questions.

From the previous studies and auction data analysis it became apparent that to properly answer mohair auction price versus quality and other related questions and gain a better understanding of the various factors which have an effect on the auction price of mohair as well as their relative importance, it was necessary to analyse mohair price vs quality (auction data), in far more depth and detail, and over many years, but in the process, allowing for the effect of Market Fluctuations (via the Market Indicator) on the auction price. An important question which needed answering, is whether, for the same mean fibre diameter (MFD) and Length, other factors, such as Style and Character, Season and/or Goat Age, have an effect on mohair auction price. All the fore-going will be of value to the grower, particularly in terms of understanding the various market forces and their relative importance in terms of the auction price of mohair, understanding, of course, that prevailing fashion, supply and demand, economic, political and other market related forces will have a major impact on the auction price of mohair on any one particular day or auction. Within this context, it is also necessary to emphasize the importance of finding new markets (applications etc.) for mohair in order to make the fibre less vulnerable to fashion changes and other vagaries of the market which influence demand and price.

What clearly emerged from the above exercise is that there is a need to determine and quantify the

relationship between mohair auction price on the one hand, and the various subjectively and objectively measurable mohair quality related characteristics, such as Fineness (Mean Fibre Diameter), Staple Length and Style and Character, and other possible relevant factors, such Season (Summer versus Winter) on the other hand. A study, sponsored by MSA, was therefore undertaken to address this issue, covering a period of 13 years (2009 – 2021), taking into account the impact of non-quality related factors, such as seasonal and market forces (e.g., supply and demand, exchange rate etc.) variations, as represented by the Market Indicator, on auction price.

DATA CAPTURE

The first step was to obtain an accurate, reliable and ‘clean’ set of the auction data over the past 13 years in the form of an Excel spreadsheet which can be analyzed (or else it will be a matter of ‘garbage in garbage out’)!

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Analysis of variance and multiple regression analyses were carried out on i) the “raw” or “actual” price data (i.e., not normalized) and ii) on the price data normalized to the 2021 price level by means of the appropriate seasonal Market Indicators.

Quantitative (empirical) regression equations were derived between the Market Indicator Corrected (i.e. normalized to the 2021 price level) price, on the one hand (dependent variable), and mohair quality (Mean Fibre Diameter, Appraised Length, Style and Character etc.), Season (Winter versus Summer) and Goat Age (Kids, Young Goats and Adults) on the other hand. Dummy variables were used for the ‘non-quantitative’ parameters.

The statistical analysis was rather complicated and had to be adapted and extended due to the nonquantifiable (qualitative/subjective) and discrete nature

1. Nelson Mandela University 2. PRIVATE

RESEARCH

of certain of the key independent variables, such as Style, Season (Winter versus Summer) and Goat Age.

Furthermore, even each of the supposedly ‘quantifiable’ variables (i.e. fibre diameter or fineness and appraised length) did not, individually, have a precise or accurately measured value, which could be directly linked to the price of the same lot, but were essentially only available as ranges (‘appraised’ or otherwise) which required that a single ‘representative’ value, within the range, had to be estimated and allocated for the purpose of the statistical analysis. It is again necessary to emphasize that the lack of actual measured mean fibre diameter and length results for each sale lot directly linked to the price fetched by that particular sale lot seriously hampered (limited) the statistical analyses. This will again be referred to later in this paper and should form the basis of a further study.

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The wide-ranging and in-depth analyses, using Excel, Statistica and R (Core Team 2022) software, respectively, were carried out which generated a large body of empirical equations and graphs, and only a very brief summary will be given, with a few selected graphs and tables, to illustrate the main (key) findings and conclusions, this being informed by the limitations and constraints of the data base as mentioned previously.

Figures 1 to 10 and the associated tables, show the Overall Average Values over 13 years for the various parameters for the following three scenarios:

i. Actual (non-normalized) Auction Prices

ii. Normalized to the 2021 level Auction Prices and

iii. Empirically Predicted Auction Prices

In a ‘nutshell’, the following conclusions can be drawn for these Averages based Figures and Tables

Overall Average Quality Parameters:

• Figure 1: The Fineness (MFD) of the different Styles differed very little (≈30.8 ± 0.3μm), the same applying to the Winter and Summer clips within a Style, where the difference was 0.1μm, except for the ‘Mixed Style’ and ‘Short Style’ where it was 0.2μm.

• Figure 1: As expected, only the Short (0) or No Style differed in Appraised Length, from the other Styles, its Average Appraised Length being ≈75mm, while those of the other Styles were ≈119mm, with the Winter and Summer Clips not differing significantly in terms of Appraised Length.

• Figure 2: The Appraised Length did not vary much as the MFD increased (i.e. as the mohair became coarser), being ≈108mm on average throughout.

• Figure 3: The average Mean Fibre Diameter of the different Appraised Lengths differed very little, being 30.7 ± 0.3μm, that of the Winter and Summer Clips also differing very little and not consistently.

• Figure 4: On average, there was very little difference in the Fineness (MFD) of the Winter and Summer Clips, with the difference being 0.1μm for the Young Goats and Adults, and 0.2μm for the Kids, with the Winter Kids Hair being, on average, marginally coarser than the Summer Hair. This is largely in line with the results of a recent study involving the actual measured MFD values for a representative cross-section of the 2010 and 2015 Clips, but where the Summer Kids were found to be on Average ≈2μm finer than the Winter Kids, which is more in line with what one would expect, since the Summer Kids represent the first shearing and the Winter Kids the second shearing some 6 months later.

• Figure 4: The average Appraised Lengths were almost identical (at ≈107mm) for the different Goat Age Groups (Kids, Young Goats and Adults) as well as for the two Seasons (Winter and Summer), except for the Summer Kids where it was 109mm.

Price Quality Relationships:

The Multiquadric regression analyses yielded the following best fit regression equation:

PREDICTED PRICE (2021) [R/kg] = 961.6045 - 48.7365 x mfd + 0.6422 x mfd²+ 4.3789 x length -0.0129 x length² -25.0061 x summerdv -1.9869 x style1dv -2.7716 x style2dv -27.4370 x style3dv + 246.5778 x kidsdv + 141.5275 x younggoatsdv

Multiple R-squared: 0.7674

As expected, of the measurable characteristics, the mohair fineness (mean fibre diameter MFD) had the main effect on the auction price, it being followed by the ‘appraised length’.

The relationship between auction price and MFD is quadratic, as illustrated in Figures 5 to 7 for Average Style Summer Kids, Average Style Summer Young Goats and Average Style Adults, respectively. Once again, the non-linearity between auction price and fineness and length is clear as well as the interaction between fineness and length in terms of auction price, namely length has a more pronounced effect on price at the shorter and finer end of the scale, and the effect of fineness on price is correspondingly greater at the finer end of the scale.

Effect of Style on Price:

Figure 8 illustrates the overall average effect of Style as well as Season (Summer versus Winter) on the Actual Average Price (i.e. not normalized), the Average Price Normalized to the to the 2021 year level and the Predicted Price (2021 level). It can be seen that, in general, the trends shown by the 2021 level Normalized and Predicted Prices are close to those of the Actual Average Prices. What is also apparent is that there is, on average, very little difference in the average prices of the different Styles, except for the ‘Short No Style’ category. Furthermore, there is also hardly any differences between the Summer and Winter Clips for the same Style, with, if anything, the overall average prices of the Winter Clip, Actual, Normalized and Predicted, being marginally higher than those of the Summer Clip for all the Style groups.

Effect of Mean Fibre Diameter on Price:

Figure 9 illustrates the relationship between Actual Price and Mean Fibre Diameter (MFD) for the three price categories and illustrates the well-known effect of an increase in MFD leading to a decrease in auction price, with the overall Actual Average Prices for the Winter Hair generally being marginally higher than those for the Summer Hair.

Effect of Appraised Length on Price:

Figure 10 shows that the Auction Price tends to increase fairly sharply from 60mm Appraised Length to 90mm Appraised Length and then more gradually from 90 to

110mm and from 110mm to 130 mm, with the Winter Hair on Average, fetching a slightly higher price than the Summer Hair of the same Appraised Length.

Effect of Goat Age on Price:

If the Overall Average prices are compared for the different Goat Ages (Figure 11) then it can be seen that (as expected) the prices paid for the Kid Hair are always significantly higher than those for the Young Goats, with those for the Adult Hair the lowest. It is also apparent from Figure 11 that, for the same Goat Age category, the prices of the Winter Hair tend to be, on Average, slightly higher than those of the Summer Hair, the only exception being the 2021 Normalized Price for the Kids, where the reverse is true, which actually makes sense considering the important effect of fineness (MFD) on price and the fact that Summer Kid Hair, being the first shearing is, on average, finer than the Winter Kid Hair.

FINAL COMMENTS

It is necessary again to emphasize that the lack of actual mean fibre diameter and ‘length’ results, linked directly to the auction price for each particular sale lot, seriously hampered (limited) the statistical analysis and the exercise should be repeated once such data becomes available since it can generate valuable, if not key, information!

Furthermore, what has become very clear, is that there is a need for the cost-effective, accurate, objective measurement of potentially important quality and price related properties of mohair, particularly mean fibre diameter (fineness) and its variability, as well as length (staple or otherwise) and eventually possibly also fibre/staple strength, clean yield, lustre and colour. This would be of great benefit to the mohair industry and pipeline, from grower to consumer as well as for trading and marketing purposes, as is clearly illustrated by other natural fibres, notably cotton and wool, where the most important quality and price related properties are objectively measured on a routine basis, and widely accepted and used internationally for trading, processing, application and various other purposes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Authors are deeply indebted to Mr Wian Heath (MD - WTB) for the bulk of the highly complex statistical analyses and for his untiring commitment to the study, also to Prof Rajesh Anandjiwala for certain of the analysis, as well as to the MSA for providing the data and for sponsoring the study.

L Hunter

M: 082 657 0505

E: Lawrance.Hunter@mandela.ac.za

A.F Botha

M: 084 675 1348

E: afbotha@gmail.com

FIGURE 1: The average Mean Fibre Diameter and Appraised Length for the different Styles

FIGURE 2: The average Appraised Length for the different Mean Fibre Diameters

FIGURE 3: The average Mean Fibre Diameter (Fineness) for the different Appraised Lengths

FIGURE 4: Average Mean Fibre Diameter and Appraised Length for the different Goat Ages

Predicted Price vs MFD: Summer, Kids, Average (Style 2)

(2021) [R/kg]

FIGURE

Predicted Auction Price (2021 levels) for Summer Kids , Average Style at different Mean Fibre Diameters and Appraised Lengths

Predicted Price vs MFD: Summer, Young Goats, Average (Style 2)

MFD [micron] MFD [micron]

The Predicted Auction Price (2021 levels) for Summer Young Goats , Average Style at different Mean Fibre Diameters and Appraised Lengths

FIGURE

Predicted Price vs MFD: Summer, Adult Goats, Average (Style 2)

Price (2021) [R/kg] Predicted Price (2021) [R/kg]

MFD [micron]

5: The

6:

FIGURE 7: The Predicted Auction Price (2021 levels) for Summer Adult Goats, Average Style at different Mean Fibre Diameters and Appraised Lengths

FIGURE 8: The effect of Style on the average Actual Auction Price, the Normalised Auction Price (2021 levels) and the Predicted Auction Price (2021 levels)

FIGURE 9: The effect of Fineness (Mean Fibre Diameter) on the average Actual Auction Price, the Normalised Auction Price (2021 levels) and the Predicted Auction Price (2021 levels)

FIGURE 10: The effect of Appraised Length on the average Actual Auction Price, the Normalised Auction Price (2021 levels) and the Predicted Auction Price (2021 levels)

FIGURE 11: The effect of ‘Goat Age’ (actually fineness) on the average Actual Auction Price, the Normalised Auction Price (2021 levels) and the Predicted Auction Price (2021 levels)

In Loving Memory of Billy Colborne

By David Hobson

The South African mohair fraternity lost one of its great stalwarts with the passing of William Colborne on October 31 at the age of 86 in a hospital in Gqeberha.

“Oom Billy”, as he was affectionately known, was widely known and respected throughout the mohair industry and beyond.

During his funeral service in Willowmore on November 5, attended by mourners from far and wide, there was, indeed, a celebration of his life.

There is such a lot to celebrate as we remember what Billy meant to his family and to his community, and his many achievements.

Our thoughts and sympathy go out to Irene, his wife of nearly 60 years, and to Fred, Debbie, the grandchildren and sister Marjie. We know that visits to the family farm, Kilborne, were favourite holidays for his grandchildren, where they enjoyed his stories and experiences of farm life.

Billy was passionate about his Angora farming and his sheepdogs. He showed a steely competitiveness in all his endeavours and worked hard to do his best to be the best.

He expressed appreciation for his family’s support while he was away from home. His brother and farming partner for 35 years, Neville, was able to look after their farms during his absence.

Later it was his son, Fred, who took over this role.

Billy’s example of striving to be the best also laid a solid foundation for Fred to carry on. He was a wonderful stockman, with the ability to nurture his livestock, especially during the demanding times of drought. The mohair clips from Kilborne often attracted record prices, especially the kid and young goat bales. Numerous records, sometimes world records, were set at the mohair auctions.

He won a multitude of trophies, most notably winning the Count Zegna Trophy 10 times and the Daidoh and Miyuki awards each on two occasions. Besides winning, he was a finalist numerous times.

As a breeder of Angora rams, he achieved a world record price of R118 000 for a ram sold at a sale in Willowmore in 2015.

Billy served the mohair industry with distinction and in recognition of 57 years’ involvement, he was presented with the Merit Award in 2013.

As a trustee and vice-chairman of the SA Mohair Trust he looked after the producers’ assets with diligence from 1998 until retirement in 2006. He was a member of the Mohair Growers Executive from 1982 until 2005. Billy gained even wider recognition with the Eastern Cape Farmer of the Year award in 2000.

His other great interest was his sheepdogs. He had used sheepdogs on his farm from an early age and always promoted the use of them on farms throughout the country.

In 1977 he started competing in sheepdog trials and won a multitude of awards and accolades. Here again his competitiveness and determination to be the best were evident.

Some of Billy’s achievements with his dogs were: gold medal at SA Games in 1981, several times SA Dog of the Year, and on several occasions he won the SA Championship and Junior Championship.

Billy was president of the SA Sheepdog Association for many years, and throughout his life maintained a keen interest in the association’s affairs.

Despite this amazing list of achievements, he was a humble man dedicated to his family and his farming. Billy was a devout member of the Anglican Church in Willowmore. It was an indication of the respect in which he was held that the Dean of St Mark’s Cathedral in George, who had known him personally over the years, came up to take his funeral service.

Rest in Peace “Oom Billy”.

For this is the path we all must walk

It is part of the Maker’s plan.

MSA Bakkie

A fresh new look in 2022

In Loving Memory of Johannes Hermanus Bosch

Johannes Hermanus Bosch of Johan, maar meestal Tjor, soos die meeste mense hom geken het, is gebore 24 Julie 1955 en het groot geword op die plaas Aalwynberg in die Somerset-Oos distrik. Hy het op Gill-Kollege gemaktrikuleer in 1973. Na sy militere opleiding het Johan kom boer. Hy het die aangrensende plaas Rietfontein aangekoop, ‘n spoghuis gebou en begin lande maak vir die vale! Hy het ook vir Bettie Bosch, ‘n boorling van Somerset-Oos en ‘n ou skoolkys gevra om te trou op 8 Maart 1986. Die goed het alles gelyk gebeur, so ken ons egter vir Johan. In 1982 het hy ook die wyse besluit geneem om sy eerste Angorabokke aan te skaf. Sy bynaam TJOR het van skooldae af gekom omrede hy net soos sy pa, vreeslik lief daarvoor was om stukkende enjins reg te maak, trekkers te restureer en mense te help. Hy het altyd ook vir mense gesȇ, ek is nie ‘n goeie boer nie, maar my werf sal netjies wees en my gereedskap reg.

Hy was egter ook ‘n goeie boer. Jy kon enige tyd in een van sy skure of werkskamer ingaan, alles netjies met ‘n lys gereedskap wat enige ingineurswerkswinkel op jaloers sal wees. Baie mense het hom natuurlik onderskat en hy het die rol vreeslik geniet, ‘n gebore platjie met ‘n baie fyn humorsin. Johan het nooit ‘n druppel drank gedrink nie, maar jy sou dit nooit sȇ nie! Altyd gereed om ‘n poets te bak en as jy hom eers geken het, is jy sy vriend verewig. Besonder lief vir sy alma mater op skool, dorp en gemeenskap. Nadat die twee seuns klaar gemaak het met hulle landbou opleiding op LOI Grootfontein het hy gesȇ, ek sal die “mechanic” wees, wees julle twee die veeboere en hy het voortgegaan om vir hulle ‘n Angora stoet te begin. Johan was al vir jare een van die grootste angoraboere in die distrik en het elke jaar ten minste 10 ramme op die Somerset-Oos ramveiling aangekoop. Hyself was nooit teenwoordig nie, sy veldman moes verantwoordelikheid neem. Die rol het so uitgebrei dat Johan en sy twee seuns die amptelike SomersetOos Angora ramveiling oorgeneem het en op hulle plaas, Rietfontein, hoogs suksesvol aangebied het. So het die stoet ook in statuur gegroei. Aanvanklik was die basis maar meestal jongooie geselekteer uit hulle eie kudde. Hulle eerste stoetram is by Ray Hobson gekoop wat ook vir hulle nog ‘n ram geleen het. Daarna is ook die bekende ram “Lighter” van LOI Grootfontein aangeskaf. Johan was gelukkig om te sien hoe sy seuns suksesvol boer met top rampryse en internasionale toekennings soos die die Ermenegildo

Zegna trofeë. Johan was so trots dat hy bereid was om sy bekende keps en oorpak te veruil vir ‘n pak klere om die toekennings te ontvang saam met sy seuns! Dit gebeur nie baie dat jy Johan sonder sy keps sien nie! Vaarwel aan ‘n geliefde vriend van die sybokhaarbedryf en ‘n staatmaker vir die Somerset-Oos gemeenskap.

By Pierre Van der Vyver

PHOTO CREDIT: Michelle Brink

PHOTO CREDIT: Michelle Brink

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Ox-wagons, mail boats, and mohair

by Linda Henderson

In this age of digital dynamics where products are sold and traded internationally in a matter of minutes via the internet and broadband, a reflection on how things were done in days gone by demands respect for our forebears, who had to send and receive handwritten reports for their mohair clips by ox-wagon and wait for sales reports from Bradford in England by mail ship several months later.

Life happened in the slow lane then, but in some ways nothing has changed.

A well-documented and rare account of the history of the Maasdorp family’s adventures at Winterhoek in Graaff- Reinet, dating back to 1869, allows a glimpse of the way things were.

Gysbert Henry Maasdorp acquired the farm Winterhoek in 1869 after he failed to qualify as a medical doctor in London due to ill health.

Henry, as he became known, ran a very successful mixed farming operation that included the wellknown Maasdorp Angora stud. Later he became the representative for Graaff- Reinet in the Cape Legislative Assembly for a term of 17 years.

Back then Angoras were not well known in the Eastern Cape, but several imports had been made from Central Asia with limited success.

Henry was intrigued by the prospect of these animals because his farming terrain seemed to be perfectly suited to their needs, so he went on a quest to find the most suitable breeding stock.

Correspondence from Henry recalls that some Angoras had arrived at the Cape by default in 1884, in a consignment that was destined for Australia, but which had landed and settled at Algoa Bay.

These goats found their way to Cradock where they mostly stood in a shed or a kraal. This did not please Henry, who was looking for veld-adapted animals (even then! Ed).

A Mr CF Ziervogel from Somerset East, who could be regarded as one of the pioneers of mohair production in the Eastern Cape, had bought one pure ram and 20 pure ewes from Sir Titus Salt in Swellendam, who owned the best and, indeed, the only pure Angoras in the Western Cape.

Ziervogel brought his purchased flock back by oxwagon and started a successful mohair journey in the Eastern Cape, where he focused on rearing the animals on natural pastures.

Soon the enterprise was supplying goats to all the

local farmers, most of whom were crossbreeding with feral goats.

In 1870 the now Honourable Gysbert Maasdorp was able to purchase the core of the Ziervogel flock, including a very famous ram, Rhodes, when Ziervogel retired and moved to Pretoria. This laid the foundation of the Maasdorp stud.

Several other imports from Central Asia Minor (Turkey) followed to improve the quality of the Cape goats until the sultan slapped a ban on the export of goats to South Africa.

One ram, Effendi, escaped the wrath of the furious sultan. In what must be one of the earliest records of ram breeding, the sale transactions of Effendi were dutifully noted on a loose page that served as official documentation of three transactions of the ram to different owners.

Reading a document that records the existence of a ram that lived more than 150 years ago is like studying the Red Sea scrolls!

The records state that Effendi was imported by AC Stewart and Co, from Port Elizabeth, from the best goat district in Ayash in Turkey and was sold to Henry Hutton of Bedford on January 11, 1870.

He, in turn, sold it to Mr Ziervogel in November 1870. Mr Maasdorp then bought it from Mr Ziervogel in 1873, which gave him the edge on breeding stock in the Eastern Cape.

It took a while to get the genetics in place and almost as long to complete the sale and remuneration process of the clip.

After shearing, the mohair was carted to GraaffReinet by ox-wagon and delivered to Savage and Hill, who were general merchants in the town and agents for a US shipping company.

They hauled the clips by ox-wagon to Port Elizabeth (Algoa Bay) and shipped them to WM Guy and Sons in Bradford where they were sold to various mills and factories.

If all went according to plan this process could take anything from nine months to a year before the farmer could pocket his income.

The Maasdorp family from Steytlerville is still in possession of the most beautifully scribed, faded, and frayed letters of correspondence that served as official documents of the processes dating back to 1885.

you left the mohair unreservedly in our hands and we have been holding on in anticipation of a better market which we expected this year. English wool prices have been enhanced by ½ shilling per pound. The mohair is very hairy and lustre goods are not in demand at the moment. The chances of any advance on mohair prices look very remote. If we do not get it sold in time, we will remit you some money in advance on account if instructed.”

This system is reminiscent of the voorskot and agterskot days when brokers would advance money and hold back the clip for a better price. It begs the question if there was any price manipulation then or whether the brokers were acting in the interest of the farmers. We will probably never know.

Looking at the final accounting sheet of the brokers, it seems that the export costs were rather excessive, and one wonders how it compares to our current charges.

Mr Maasdorp received a statement or account of sale from Savage and Hill in Graaff-Reinet in January 1887 for his 27 bales of mohair that were checked in during January 1886.

In the letter, Mr Savage says: “We may mention that the broker’s remarks on the sale of your mohair were very flattering, speaking of it as being a very superior parcel and that it compares very well if not better with the Asia Minor clip.”

These letters were sealed with a whole lot of trust and bags of hope, and faith that all could be trusted and that prices would be acceptable and fair!

It is interesting to read that the letter dated October 26, 1885, from Mr Maasdorp to Mr William Guy and Sons in Bradford has the same tone bemoaning the same woes of farmers today, almost 150 years later.

Mr Maasdorp writes: “As you say our ventures this time may be unprofitable as at the time, we shipped from here we might have got a better price than now offered in Bradford. Yes, we can't fix any price limit as we must submit to the state of the market. Your letters have inspired us with confidence, and we leave the matter entirely in your hands. We would however like you to realize this sale by the end of the year. Please use your judgment in the matter. We must be satisfied with whatever price you can get for us.”

What comes as no surprise is that farmers have been price-takers and not price-makers from the beginning!

On January 7, 1887, Mr Guy responds to the letter with these words: “From your letter dated in October 1886

A total of £636 19s 10p for 27 bales of mohair! In some ways it sounds lucrative given the fact that a pound was a pound and had real buying power then.

I’m left to wonder what 27 bales of mohair would realise on a sale today and what role inflation has played in the real buying power of the clip.

I wonder if there’s someone out there who can answer that.

Graaff Reinet Veldram Project

PHOTO CREDIT: Livestock Photographer

Mohair Management

MOHAIR SA SA MOHAIR FARM WORKERS’ ASSOCIATION

Chairman & Non-Executive Director: Non-Executive Directors:

General Manager:

IR Bekker

I Smith, P van der Vyver

M Coetzee

SOUTH AFRICAN MOHAIR GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION MOHAIR TRUST

Chairman: Vice-Chairman:

Executive Members:

MS Shires

S Reynolds

Chairman: Committee: Manager: Chairman: Vice-Chairman:

C Kemp

E Blouw, M Buys, G Sam

S Vermaak

Manager:

IR Bekker, S Hobson, C Kemp, A Mehlo, J Oelofse, L Short, W Truter, J van Hasselt S Vermaak

Members:

A Kirsten

M Shires

C Hobson, J Oelofse, C Kemp, A Mehlo, J Louw, D Short, N Hadi, L Short, D Nel, I Staats

ANGORA RAM BREEDERS’ SOCIETY MOHAIR EMPOWERMENT TRUST

President:

Vice-President:

Executive Members:

Manager:

Mohair SA Staff

L Short

H Greeff

S Hobson, G Hope, P Jordaan, D Short, R van der Merwe, J van Hasselt

S Vermaak

Chairman: Vice-Chairman & SAMGA:

Members:

Officer:

M Shires

D Short

A Kirsten, K Mosoma, A Mehlo, B Nyhodo, IR Bekker B Mokgwamme

General Manager Relationship Officer marco@mohair.co.za Jackie Gant jackie@mohair.co.za

Marco Coetzee

Mohair Empowerment Trust Officer Accountant beauty@mohair.co.za

Beauty Mokgwamme

Nickey Small

nickey@mohair.co.za

Retail Store

Sanmarie Vermaak

SAMGA Manager sanmarie@angoras.co.za

Technical Officer

Riano Greyling

riano@mohair.co.za

Jackie Gant Marketing & Communications Officer jackie@mohair.co.za

Contact Details

Mohair SA / SAMGA / SA Mohair Farm Workers Association

Address:

Postal Address:

Tel: Fax: E-mail:

Nozuko "Zuki" Ntontela

General Enquiries

retail@mohair.co.za

info@mohair.co.za

Angora Ram Breeders Society 127 Fordyce Road, Walmer, Port Elizabeth, 6065

P O Box 2243, North End Port Elizabeth, 6056 (+27) 041 581 1681 (+27) 041 487 1336 info@mohair.co.za

Address:

Postal address: Contact number: Email:

21 Hoofstraat, Jansenville, 6265 Posbus 50, Jansenville, 6265 (+27) 049 836 0140 rambreeders@angoras.co.za

SA Mohair Growers’ Association

List of branches with the names and contact details of the chairmen and secretaries respectively

ABERDEEN

Chairman: H van Rensburg, 083-446 8985, hannesnorette@gmail.com

Secretary: N van Rensburg, 084-580 9644, hannesnorette@gmail.com

ADELAIDE

Chairman: T Painter, 072-949 3558, tonypainter@kroomie.co.za

Secretary: EA van der Vyver (Emsie), 046-645 3016 / 083-226 1941 adelaideboere@gmail.com

ALBANY

Chairman: S Danckwerts, 046-622 7946 / 084-387 6886, sdancwerts72@gmail.com

Secretary: K Bowker, 079-036 4787, kevnat@imaginet.co.za

BEAUFORT-WES

Chairman: R du Toit, 082-926 9497, roland@baakensrug.co.za

Secretary: C Nel, 082-410 8898, corne.nel@bkb.co.za

BEDFORD

Chairman: S Pringle 072-992 5633, kelso@bosberg.co.za

Secretary: C Snelling, 063-476 5595, bedfordfarmers22@gmail.com

BUFFELSHOEK

Chairman: S Hobson, 079-057 0557, seanhobson1@gmail.com

Secretary: J Short, 072-596 8530, lloyd@wheatlands.co.za

COCKSCOMB

Chairman: S Nel, 082-825 8564 driekuilen@gmail.com

Secretary: K Knoetze, 082-297 6941 066-340 4360

CRADOCK

Chairman: H Collett, 082-321 0125, collettdairy@lantic.net

Secretary: M Koegelenberg, 081-277 3788, cradock.au@gmail.com

DRAKENSBERG

Chairman: T Mavuso, 072-027 0006

Secretary: S C Molutsoane, 082-444 3109, scmolutsoane@gmail.com

FORT BEAUFORT

Chairman: B Knott, 083-228 4403, brett@katco.co.za

Secretary: L Botha, 082-873 6821, dirk.lindsaybotha@gmail.com

GEORGIDA

Chairman: Vacant

Secretary: N Fourie, 044-771 1070 / 072-392 8645, niaan@vodamail.co.za

GLENCONNOR

Chairman: F Rudman, 083-280 1337, fjrudman74@gmail.com

Secretary: P Dixie, 079-884 2619, dixiepn@gmail.com

GRAAFF-REINET

Chairman: R McNaughton, 049-845 0161 / 082-928 5223, hmcn@isat.co.za

Secretary: F Minnaar, 049-841 1500 / 082-505 2791, faminnaar@hotmail.com

JANSENVILLE

Chairman: G Taljaard, 049-836 0339 / 083-415 9038, gert@noorsveld.co.za

Secretary: Y Basson, 063-186 3555, gert@noorsveld.co.za

KAROO-ANGORA

Chairman: GJ van den Heever, 066-056 8761, hardie.vandenheever@house-of-fibre.co.za

KLEIN KAROO

Chairman: W Truter, 044-888 1722 / 082-566 2070, weebert@mweb.co.za

Secretary: P van der Westhuysen, 044-272 8718 / 083-635 6884, klipdriftzebra@gmail.com

KLIPPLAAT

Chairman: N Outram, 082-332 5380 nejo@vodamail.co.za

Secretary: F van Loggerenberg, 072-774 5251 fjc.freek@yahoo.com

MORTIMER

Chairman: J du Toit, 083-456 3871 jjdutoit046@gmail.com

Secretary: C du Toit, cjsnyman@gmail.com

MURRAYSBURG

Chairman: T van der Merwe, 087-158 1576 / 076-949 7707, jonkersnek@pop.co.za

Secretary: F van der Merwe, 073-924 1136 fevdmerwe@gmail.com

NOORD-WES

Chairman: P Marx, 073-370 9149, petrusmarx@gmail.com

Secretary: A Marx, 072-203 4788, angene.vanwyk@gmail.com

PEARSTON

Chairman: B Davenport, 082-322 1864, bertie@r63.co.za

Secretary: A Koegelenberg, 083-655 2839, pearstonlbv@gmail.com

POST RETIEF

Chairman: D Emslie, 061-772 4040 postretieffarmers@gmail.com

Secretary: R van Vuuren, 072-525 4290 / 087-350 1781, postretieffarmers@gmail.com

PRINS ALBERT

Chairman: J van Hasselt, 076-165 4389, jordivh91@gmail.com

Secretary: T le Grange, 071-130 0802, terblanchelegrange@gmail.com

RICHMOND

Chairman: OD Hugo, 053-693 0834 / 083-232 9346, skietkraaljag@gmail.com

Secretary: Vacant

RIETBRON

Chairman: MAV van der Merwe, 044-934 1136 / 083-590 6564, korenkraal@gmail.com

Secretary: MJ Murray, 076-515 0734, mjmurray995@gmail.com

SOMERSET-OOS

Chairman: C du Plessis, 083-288 3056, corneduplessis@r63.co.za

Secretary: Vacant

SOMERSET-OOS (PADDAFONTEIN)

Chairman: G van Rooyen, 074-321 4933

Secretary: C de Bruin, 064-506 2241, christellewiese@yahoo.com

STEYTLERVILLE

Chairman: P Knoesen, 082-858 3506, peterknoesen@gmail.com

Secretary: Z Hampson, 076-608 6319 steytlervillelv@gmail.com

R Strydom, 072-109 0899, renierstrydom2@gmail.com

SWAERSHOEK

Chairman: D Glennie, swaershoek@jabama.co.za

Secretary: P Delport

TARKASTAD

Chairman: P Herselman, 045-846 9280 / 072-241 1555, pieterherselman@yahoo.com

Secretary: J Phillips, 045-846 9307 / 082-495 6097, nix.jay.phillips@gmail.com

UNIONDALE

Chairman: N Fourie, 044-771 1070 / 072-392 8645, niaan@vodamail.co.za

Secretary: D Giles, 076-463 3648

VICTORIA-WES

Chairman: W Viljoen, 053-004 0087 / 073-888 7188, rrnwkaroo@telkomsa.net

Secretary: H Marais

WATERFORD

Chairman: W de Wet, 082-887 5363, wdewet@mweb.co.za

Secretary: R Kruger, 082-895 4025, wdewet@mweb.co.za

WILLOWMORE

Chairman: S J B Schoeman, 074-312 9663 sjbschoeman@hotmail.com

Secretary: A Greeff, 044-923 1887 / 082-789 6824, beervlei@gmail.com

ZUURBERG

Chairman: R von Holdt, 083-554 5565, robroy@igen.co.za

Secretary: G Webster, russelpark@bosberg.co.za

GLEN MUKHEIBIR EXECUTIVE FINANCIAL ADVISER

gmukheibir@oldmutual.com

OUR CLIENT VALUE PROPOSITION

We are financial advisers who provide customers, who have aspiration for the future, with personalized strategy and world-class financial solutions. This enables them to bu ild and protect wealth and create legacy for generations to come.

We use a process that we call “TAKE FLIGHT WITH US ”, which serves as a manual in developing a s trategy to implement personalized financial solutions. Our practice encompasses the ethos of ESG – Environment, Social and Governance.

OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU

We provide comprehensive financial planning in the context of a long -term partnership with you. It is important that everyone is clear on what to expect if we are to develop and maintain a succ essful working relationship – one where we can help you achieve your financial and lifestyle goals.

KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP: WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

We will consistently and responsibly perform all ser vices related to the provision, review and ongoing monitoring of the financial planning solutions we implement on your behalf.

Angora Ram Breeders Society

The following is a list of the members of the above society. In order to improve and maintain high standards in respect of Angora goats in South Africa, all studs are inspected and flock histories investigated upon receipt of application for membership.

MEMBERS

Stud No Owner / Name, Postal Adress

333 Angela Genetics, Angela Genetics, PO Box 3446, North End, 6056

325 Bosch, M C & R P, Rietfontein Angoras, PO Box 81, Somerset-East, 5850

187 Cawood, P L, Cawoodholme Angoras, Cawoodholme, P/Bag Klipplaat, 6255

153 Colborne, F E & Sons, Kilborne, PO Box 161, Willowmore, 6680

315 Colborne, N, 16 Gladys Road, Providentia, Port Elizabeth, 6070

133 Du Plessis, P, Karoo-Lelie Landgoed BK, Posbus 65, Cradock 5880

214 Du Toit, R, Baakensrug Angoras, PO Box 1281, Beaufort West, 6970

341 Erasmus, S, Erasmus Angora Stud, Uitval, Wolmaransstad, 2630

266 Eybers, L, Welgedacht Angorastoet, Posbus 35, Rietbron, 6450

299 Eybers, L, Welgedacht Angorastoet, Posbus 35, Rietbron, 6450

244 Ferreira, G T & Seuns, Snyberg Angoras, p/a N Rossouw, Posbus 24, Leeu Gamka 6950

330 Fourie, A H, De Hoop Angoras, De Hoop, Posbus 47, De Rust 6650

323 Grootfontein Studente Angorastoet, Privaatsak X529, Middelburg 5900

105 Hobson, AB & Sean, Martyrsford, PO Box 385, Graaff-Reinet 6280

317 Hobson, AR, Thorn Park Angoras, PO Box 47, Steytlerville 6250

142 Hobson, AR, Thorn Park Angoras, PO Box 47, Steytlerville 6250

295 Hobson, D L, Hobson Pastoral, PO Box 482, Eppingdust 7475

340 Hobson, D L, PO Box 482, Eppingdust 7475

118 Hobson, R B, Jackson Angora Stud, Jackson Farm, PO Box 32, Pearston 5860

109 Hope, G, Lochdale Angoras, PO Box 114, Jansenville 6265

329 Hugo, O D, Olmar, Skietkraal, Posbus 30, Richmond 7090

338 JJ Boerdery Angora Stoet, J vd Schyff & J du Pisanie, Ouplaas, Posbus 1853, Plettenbergbaai 6600

332 Jordaan, P, Legacy Angoras, Gert Jordaan Familietrust, Posbus 139, Aberdeen 6270

195 Jordaan, W, Posbus 68, Cradock 5880

Spinners

Stud No Owner / Name, Postal Adress

343 Jordaan, Z, Ziege Angoras, Rietfontein, Posbus 303, Somerset-Oos 5850

102 Kirkman, J D & Son, Nashvale, Steytlerville 6250

267 Lategan, J, Fairview, Posbus 118, Aberdeen 6270

174 Lee, C, PO Box 15, Klipplaat 6255

196 Lotter, G J L, Du Preezskraal, Du Preezskraal, Posbus 147, Willowmore 6445

339 Marx, PJ, Marwyk Angora Stoet, Uitval-Grond, Posbus 475, Wolmaransstad 2630

262 Nel, SJ, Slater & Nel, Drie-Kuilen, Posbus 90, Steytlerville 6250

344 Nortje, M, Good Hope, Willowmore, 6445

313 Retief, FJ, Driehoeksfontein Boerdery Pty Ltd Posbus 415, Murraysburg 6995

342 Retief, WJ, De Badboerdery, De Bad, Posbus 65, Hanover 7005

324 SAMIL Farming (Pty) Ltd, Woodlands Angora Stud, PO Box 3446, North End 6056

117 Shires, M S, The Angora Stud, Mount Stewart, P/Bag Klipplaat 6255

217 Short, D, Wheatlands Angora Stud, PO Box 711, Graaff-Reinet 6280

116 Short, L, Shirlands Angora Stud, PO Box 325, Graaff-Reinet 6280

336 Smith, D, Baviaanskloof Kleinpoort Angorastoet, Kleinpoort Baviaanskloof, Pk Lulet 6452

188 Stegmann, G F & Sons, Slagterskuil, PO Box 170, Willowmore 6445

248 Truter, M & H, Wolwedans Angorastoet, Posbus 862, Oudtshoorn 6620

286 Truter, M & H, Die Wieg Angorastoet, Posbus 862, Oudtshoorn 6620

334 Van der Merwe, I, Kunna Angoras, Kunna, Aberdeen 6270

328 Van der Merwe, R P Jnr, Newlands Angoras, Posbus 1, Aberdeen 6270

101 Van Hasselt Farming, Gannahoek Angoras, PO Box 137, Prince Albert 6930

242 Van Hasselt Farming, Zwartberg Angoras, PO Box 137, Prince Albert 6930

327 van Zyl, A P , Vlugfontein Angoras, Posbus 14, Colesberg 9795

185 Viljoen, P H, De Hannesrust, Kleinpoort, 6236

Please contact the ARBS office to update your details. Please supply your telephone, cell and email address.

Samil Spinning Stucken Yarns

Tel: (+27) 041 486 2430

Email: sales@samil.co.za

yarns@samil.co.za

Address: 79 Burman Rd, Deal Party, Port Elizabeth, 6012, South Africa

Tel: (+27) 041 397 4700

Email: info@stuckenyarns.co.za

Address: Hendrik van Eck Drive, Riverside Industria, Uitenhage, 6229, South Africa

CONSCIOUS FASHION.

With a great appreciation for the natural beauty of this noble fibre, Mohair has become a highly sought after luxury textile in the fashion industry for its many unique characteristics. Shop a wide variety of local fashion brands all at our retail store today.

FIND THESE FASHION BRANDS IN STORE AND MORE:

Local Manufacturers

Abafazi

Ricca Turgle (+27) 082 851 0233

Adele’s Mohair

Adele Cutten (+27) 046 675 1090

African Expressions (Samil)

Roxanne Maddox

(+27) 041 486 2430

abafazi.net@gmail.com

adele@adelesmohair.co.za www.adelesmohair.co.za

roxanne@samil.co.za www.africanexpressions.co.za

Anné-Marie Conroy Designer Knitwear

Anné-Marie Conroy

(+27) 082 450 9783

Annette Oelofse Mohair

Annette Oelofse (+27) 082 466 6174

Berg Weaving

annette@mohairblanket.co.za www.mohairblanket.co.za

Brian Choromanski (+27) 082 807 7498 brian@littleweavers.co.za

Camdeboo Leisure

Paul Michau & Danie Jordaan (+27) 083 785 2857 danie@dosaka.co.za camdeboo@telkomsa.net

Cape Mohair

Johan Gouws (+27) 021 534 4134

Coral Stephens Hand Weavers

info@capemohair.co.za www.capemohair.co.za

Murrae Stephens (+26) 082 431 3340 murrae@coralstephens.com www.coralstephens.com

Cowgirlblues

Bridget Henderson (+27) 083 445 1150

shopping@cowgirlblues.co.za www.cowgirlblues.co.za

Elsa Barnard Woven Carpets

Katrina Nel (+27) 046 624 8707

Falke Socks

Sean Goldberg (+27) 021 951 2137

Frances VH Designs

Frances Van Hasselt (+27) 072 959 6953

Freya Hats

ebmohair@gmail.com www.mohaircarpets.co.za

seang@falke.co.za

Barnard Mohair

Jan Paul Barnard (+27) 082 851 0233

Joshine Creations

Josephine Mbuzi (+27) 083 258 0250

Karoo Looms

Sophia Booley (+27) 023 541 1363

La Mohair

Larissa Primmer (+27) 084 583 2553

LocalislekkerZA

Charlene Phillips (+27) 082 217 8557

Luminous Ware

Hanli Fourie (+27) 076 032 8234

Mandii Mohair Boutique

Mandii De Bruyn (+27) 076 810 0272

Miss Knitwear

Candice Johnson (+27) 073 885 1645

Mors

Raihana Govender (+27) 083 786 5645

info@mohairweavers.co.za

josephinembuzi@gmail.com

info@karooweavery.co.za www.karooweavery.co.za

lprimmer@telkomsa.net

charlene@localislekkerza.co.za www.localislekkerza.co.za

info@luminousware.co.za www.luminousware.co.za

mandiimohairbotique@gmail.com

candice@missknitwear.co.za www.missknitwear.co.za

Nceduluntu - Wesley Project

Colette Tilley (+27) 082 770 4056

Nomvula’s Knitters

Frances Bekker (+27) 082 478 3022

Ruskorex

info@francesvh.com www.francesvh.com

Stephanie Brearley (+27) 082 579 4839 freyahats@gmail.com www.freyahats.co.za

Hinterveld (Stucken)

Daniel Stucken (+27) 041 992 4880

Ingubo Weavers

(+27) 082 451 1563

INKE Knitwear

Natalie Green (+27) 073 207 4088

info@hinterveld.com www.hinterveld.com

info@capemohair.com www.capemohair.co.za

natalie.green@inke.co.za www.inke.co.za

raihanagov@gmail.com

nceduluntuwesley@gmail.com

nomvulasknitters@gmail.com www.nomvulas.com

Andrew & Jarred (+27) 082 789 6686/ 082 796 8733 andrew@ruskorex.com jarred@ruskorex.com

Samil Yarns

Gina Moolman (+27) 041 486 2430

Shuttleworth Weaving

gina@samil.co.za www.samil.co.za

Rob & Julia Shuttelworth (+27) 082 540 9639 woven@shuttleworthweaving.com www.shuttleworthweaving.com

Stucken Yarns - MSSA

Nico Stucken (+27) 041 397 4700

Vuya Knitwear

Jacques Burthy (+27) 076 284 0859

Wrapt Knitwear

Hanelie Bekker (+27) 076 723 6563

info@stuckenyarns.com www.stuckenyarns.com

jacques@vuyagroup.co.za

chat@wrapt.co.za www.wrapt.co.za