Bushman’s Mountain Breeding Philosophy
From the onset our goal was clear, breed the most profitable cattle for the Karoo. To achieve this a cow needed the following attributes; hardiness, fertility, production capacity and marketability.
Hardiness and Calving Ease
Our Tuli cattle have proven themselves capable of thriving no matter the climate. With temperatures ranging from 49°C in the summer and -14°C in winter these cows are expected to perform with little to no support.
That means braving droughts, parasites and disease, with genetics doing the heavy lifting.
Our approach was simple, whether it means raising a calf in the rugged mountains or trudging through spares veld as a young bull, if you do not thrive, you do not survive.
Our females are also selected for a phenotype conducive to ensuring easy calving, which is further bolstered by an average birth weight of 7% of mothers weight across the herd, eliminating any need for intervention.
Fertility and Longevity
Fertility forms the backbone of any good herd. Delivering a calf each year without exception is non-negotiable. At 24 months our heifers enter their first breeding season and are expected to maintain an ICP of 385 (as per our herd average) from there on out.
Longevity allows us the luxury of needing less replacement heifer, ensuring only the cream of the crop are retained to propagate the best genetics. More than 5% of our current cows will soon be delivering their 10th or more calf.
Production Capacity and Productivity
Meat is money in the cattle business; at the end of the day the scale will determine your pay check. We followed Prof Jan Bonsma’s in his thinking by focusing on a cow’s productivity when it comes to weaner calves.
For the least amount of veld eaten she needs to produce the biggest possible calf, thus ensuring you can produce the maximum amount of meat per hectare. Currently, our cows can boast with producing offspring with an average weaning weight of 233 kg over their lifetimes, averaging 52% of mother’s weight.
Universal Marketability
At the end of the day a good product’s true worth lies in its ability to sell. Cosmetic appeal is only part of it. Bulls that show early fleshing, maximum depth and good carcass qualities are prized above the rest. By utilizing phase D growth tests we have ensured that we select sires that not only look the part but prove they can achieve competitive ADG on the veld. This ensures progeny that can perform well in feedlot conditions, but also ensures cattle that can be finished off on the veld.
Our goal is to provide animals to both commercial farmers and breeders, that propagate a strong and fertile female line along with profitable weaner calves that can achieve competitive ADG in any condition.
At Bushman’s Mountain Every breeding decision is measured against one standard: will it increase the lifetime profitability of both the commercial and stud cow.
Bushmans Mountain by the Numbers
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375 Days
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7.05% of dam's body weight
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226 kg per calf
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50.5% of dam's body weight
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5%+ of cows producing their 10th calf or beyond
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24 Months
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106
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94%
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