Basic Herd Management
The guide on basic herd management serves as a fundamental platform for increasing farmers’ awareness and knowledge of the basic aspects of management required for profitable and sustainable beef farming.
- Beef breeds and herd composition
- Livestock herding and handling practices
- General husbandry practices - dipping, branding, dehorning,hoof care, castration, conditionassessment
- Management calendar listing the best time of year certain practices are required for commercial beef herd production
Herd Health Management
The guide on herd health aims to address the basic principles of herd health management and involves adopting a total integrated approach to production and health. Activities on the farm must ensure that healthy animals are produced under acceptable conditions for the animals and in balance with the natural resources.
- Basic principles of herd health management
- Biosecurity
- Structured observation and evaluation of sick animals
- Disease identification and treatment-viral, bacterial, protozoal, rickettsial and fungaldiseases, poisoning, injury and wound care
- Disease prevention through vaccination
- Parasite control
- Udder health.
Veld & Pasture Management
This guide focuses on several principles and practices related to veld management, which gives farmers ample information to effectively manage their environment.
- Veld management and related legislation
- Natural resources – soil, vegetation,
natural veld and bioclimate - Ecological processes, principles and disturbances
- Land degradation and soil erosion
- Plant succession
- The role of plants and animals
- Fire prevention and management
- Drought management
- Mapping and planning property
- Assessing and monitoring veld conditions
- Grazing systems
- Controlling unwanted plants
- Fodder flow planning
- Supplement feeding
- Pasture types and characteristics
- Pasture fertilisation, irrigation, weed
control and seed production
Reproduction Management
The reproductive performance of a beef herd is a major component of the profitability of a beef operation. This guide focuses on key management practices aimed at effecting optimal reproductive efficiency and increasing productivity within cow-calf herds.
- Basic anatomy of genital systems
- Basic physiology of reproduction
- Production cycle
- Bovine reproductive diseases and syndromes
- Natural breeding
- South African breeding seasons
- Managing reproduction in multiparous beef cows and beef heifers
- Bull selection, assessment and management
- Artificial breeding and oestrus synchronisation
- Embryo transfers and genomics
Cattle Marketing
Management
Beef consumption is predicted to increase by around 3% each year for the next decade. Therefore, it is important for farmers to be aware of the various ways in which they can market their cattle in order to achieve the highest possible profit.
- The South African beef classification system
- Guideline for age determination of the live animal
- Hides and offal
- Marketing options – auction sales, out of hand selling, direct abattoir sales, feedlot marketing and informal marketing
- Livestock marketing guidelines and documentation
- Procedures for transporting the animals
Farm Business Management
Financial management is a major course of business failure. Therefore, this programme will help livestock farmers to improve their financial business management skills to ultimately improve productivity, increase profitability and fulfill their long-term farming goals.
- Financial strategy and planning
- Capital and funding options
- Business cost and financial viability
- Budgeting
- Analysing accounts and financial statements
- Business risk and risk mitigation
Biosecurity Management
Biosecurity is management practices used to prevent the entry of disease-causing agents and, therefore, protects the health of the herd as well as the quality of the end product produced for the consumer.
- The state of biosecurity in South Africa
- Risks associated with dairy and the cost of disease
- Basics of biosecurity regarding animals, people and programmes
- Assessment of a farms biosecurity status
- Development of a biosecurity plan