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FORESTRY
We have approximately
2150ha planted under timber. Fifty percent of our plantations are
planted with black wattle, ten percent with pine and forty percent
with gum.
We are in the process of
converting some of our Eucalyptus Grandis compartments to GxN and
Dunii. The yields of these species are considerably higher. We
rotate our gum and wattle trees on a ten year cycle. In the past
we regenerated our wattle compartments but we now replant with
seedlings. Gum is replanted every second cycle. We are currently
experimenting with the rotation of gum compartments to wattle and
vice verse. Gum do exceptionally well on wattle compartments.
Timber is sold standing
to our buyers. Selling timber standing reduces management time on
harvesting and no capital investment in expensive machinery is
required. Standing timber prices also exceed our net prices where
we do the harvesting and arrange the transport.
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BREEDING SIMBRA
Piet Retief is a tough
cattle farming area. Sour veldt, ticks and tick related diseases
are plentiful. This breed can adapt and our cattle are proof of
their adaptability. We farm extensively and our cattle feed off
grass and a summer and winter lick.
Our
vision is to produce genetically superior, easy care and highly
efficient Simbra cattle for the South
African market.
Genetic
predictability is important for us hence the use of our own
Simmentaler and Brahman and Simbra studs to breed Simbra. Our
Simmentaler and Brahman studs also supply us with of a source of
new F1 cattle.
It is
our policy not to show cattle. Showing cattle is very expensive,
unnatural and effects breeding values adversely. Instead we have
field days on our farm, invite fellow breeders and prospective
clients to visit our farm to see our cattle in working clothes and
share knowledge. We make use of the internet and printed press to
promote our stud.
Selection is one of our most important strategies. To produce
genetically superior cattle the selection criteria must be
stricter and the pool bigger. It is our quest to increase our
Simbra breeding cattle to 800 head. Fertility is our number one
selection criteria. Medium size, mature mass with above average
milk figures are our target progeny. We prefer red animals with
slightly more ear. We are not obsessed with breeding SP animals
nor polled animals. We strive to breed the best we can with the
best, polled or not, F1 or SP animal.
Currently we have ten
resident stud sires. Five Simbra, three Simmentaler and two
Brahman stud sires. See our “STUD SIRES” section for more info. We
do make use of imported and local semen and artificially
inseminate approximately 100 females per breeding season.
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AGRICULTURE
We have amalgamated our
agriculture division with CH Maree and formed a new partnership
C&T BOERDERY.
C&T BOERDERY is
growing from strength to strength. The partnership produces maize,
Soya beans, wheat, potatoes and cabbage.
We plant a wide variety
of maize cultivars and yield approximately 11 tons per ha under
irrigation and 6 tons per ha on dry lands.
We plant 22ha of
potatoes twice a year. Mondial is an outstanding performer in our
district, while we also plant small quantities BP1 and Platina |
