The Simbra Society is committed to providing quality service and leadership that promotes genetic progress within the breed and ensures a high return on investment to our valued members. Parallel to the requirements of the global livestock industry, we hope that Simbra breeders and friends share our vision and mission to produce safe, high-quality, and sought-after beef, profitably, whilst maintaining animal welfare and a low carbon footprint. Part and parcel of achieving this is the education of livestock farmers emerging through to stud. A recent initiative involved a collaboration with Mr. Sechaba Majola. Mr. Majola is an Animal Scientist who has played an integral role in the establishment of emerging and developing farmers’ study groups across the Eastern Free State. On the 27th October, Simbra, along with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) hosted an information day for emerging and developing farmers in Ladybrand.
The day was well attended with a total of 71 people present. Some of the topics that were covered included the beef cattle management calendar, practical application of EBVs and interpretation of a sales catalogue, and the KyD project and the importance of record keeping. Unfortunately, we were unable to host this event on a local farm due to risks of a Foot and Mouth outbreak, and this meant we were not able to host a practical session on heifer and bull selection. However, with the help of Molatek and FarmSpace, Simbra was able to put together a useful virtual tour that provides important information on selecting the right heifer for your herd (www.cattleinfo.co.za/simbra/). The general feedback received after the information day was very positive and we have been asked to make such a day an annual event.
Special thanks to and appreciation to the ARC, Voermol, OVK and the Ladybrand NG Kerk.