Ford eventually sold Koppiesdam
to finance the purchase of
Klipfontein, a larger farm.
Balance is a theme that keeps
recurring in Ford’s approach. “I
love the land, but unfortunately
you can’t just live on the land;
you need the finances for it,”
she says, adding that a farmer
is unlikely to succeed if he or
she is not a business person.
It was also her focus on
balance that initially led her to
shift her efforts to commercial
production. Although she loved
stud breeding, particularly
the hands-on work with the
animals and being able to breed
for improvement, she found the
income-effort ratio out of balance.
“I was generating 20% of my
income from my Hereford stud
component, but it was taking
80% of the work. I thought
that if I took that extra 80% of
time and effort and put it into
the commercial side, I could
earn more than the 20% [stud
profit value] money back.”
THE COMMERCIAL HERD
Ford began building her
commercial herd with Hereford
heifers, buying in Brahman
bulls to put to the Hereford
heifers that were not included
in the stud, and Santa Gertrudis
heifers to put to these bulls.
“I went into the Braford side
and ended up with a type of
red herd to which I eventually
started putting Bonsmara bulls.”
She eventually also included
Simbra cows and Brangus bulls.
Nowadays, she has herds
of mostly Bonsmara, Brangus
and Simbra cows that must
conform to three non-negotiables:
adaptability, fertility, and
the right look for the herd.
“I want an attractive
animal that’s productive
and adaptable,” she says.
She runs her cattle operation
on a rands and cents per
hectare basis, as carrying
an unproductive cow leads
to financial loss. She also
does performance recording.
“If your cow doesn’t calve
ABOVE:
Alwene Ford.
RIGHT:
The cow herds are
a mix of Bonsmara,
Brangus and
Simbra cattle.
Ford insists on
adaptability,
fertility and the
right appearance.
BELOW RIGHT:
The date of birth
of each calf is
recorded, and each
animal receives
an ear tag stating
its birth month.
This enables
Ford to identify
calveseasily.
OPPOsITE PAGE:
Stockman Willem
Visagie separates
some of the
cows and calves
beingbrought
intothekraal.
photos:sabrina Dean9 august 2019 farmer’sweekly 37