theybuyata Bonsmarasale
willaddvaluetothegrowth
capabilityoftheirherd.TESTINGFEEDCONVERSION
StatisticsshowthatBonsmara
breedershavehadthemost
bullstestedforFCRoverthe
past 20 years.In2017,a totalof
638 bullsweretestedbybreeds
registeredwithSAStudbook.
A totalof 352 ofthesewere
Bonsmaras,morethan50%of
thetotal.Withmoreandmore
Bonsmarabreederssending
bullstocentraltestingstations,
thisnumberis likelytogrow.
Tomeetthissteadilygrowing
demand,Bonsmarabreeders
havebuiltsevennewtesting
stationsoverthepastfouryears.GROWTHABILITY
Accordingtoa recentstudybythe
UniversityoftheFreeState,the
Bonsmaracanachieveexcellent
growthwitha goodFCRwithin
a shorterperiodthanis common
inSouthAfricanfeedlots.Thestudywasconducted
todeterminethemaximum
profitmarginperiodofseven
breeds.Withanaveragedaily
gain of 1,98kg/ day, an FCR of
5.41:1,anda feedingtimeof
only 112 days,it is clearthat
theBonsmarais perfectly
suitedforoptimalgrowth.PREFERREDINFEEDLOTS
Thephrase“Tomeasureis
toknow”,coinedbyProfJan
Bonsma,thecreatorofthe
Bonsmara,canstillbeapplied
today.After 55 years,Bonsmara
breederscontinuetofollow
thismotto,andthisis why
Bonsmaraweanercalvesare
stillthenumberonechoice
forcommercialfeedlots.
Withitscapacityforgood
growthcombinedwith
anexcellentcarcass,the
Bonsmarais thesolutionto
manycattlefarmers’needs.- EmailtheBonsmaraCattle
Breeders’Societyof SouthAfrica
at [email protected].
OPPOSITE PAGE:
Bonsmara bulls
perform excellently
in growth tests. In
South Africa, more
Bonsmara bulls
are tested annually
than all other
breeds combined.
ABOVE:
Bonsmara weaner
calves are known
for their excellent
growth rates and
good performance
in feedlots.
According to SA Studbook data, PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
the Bonsmara shows excellent
growth in extensive, as well
as intensive, environments.
Eighty-eight percent of bulls sold
every year, on auction or out
of hand on the farm, are on or
above breed average for growth
breeding values. Taking into
account that all Bonsmara bulls
will be inspected at least once
by senior inspectors, it is safe to
say that only bulls with good
breeding values for growth, as
well as conformation, will be on
auction. Commercial breeders
can be assured that the bull
9 AUGUST 2019 farmer’sweekly 67