Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
Beefmaster
The Beefmaster has proven itself to be a highly adaptable animal that offers producers the best return on their investment, says Marius Corbett of the Corbett Beefmaster Stud.
Marius Corbett runs the Corbett Beefmaster Stud in Sterkstroom, Eastern Cape. The home farm, Sherwood, was bought in 1953 by Corbett’s grandfather, Kruger. Kruger originally ran a sheep and goat farm, and had a few cattle on the side. However, over the years, as labour and input costs increased, cattle became a major part of the business. In 2001, Corbett ended his athletics career and joined his father, Faan, on the farm. As there are so many challenges in the agriculture sector, including political, economic and safety issues, as well as drought, fire, disease and the cost of labour, Corbett believes that farmers have to love their jobs and be passionate about their businesses to make them a success. His passion is cattle breeding, and the Corbetts thus now run only cattle. “Focus on one industry and do it well, rather than trying everything and burning your fingers along the way,” he says.
The Corbett Beefmaster Stud was registered in 2007, and the stud and commercial herds are run together as one unit. The animals graze on different veld types, from sweetveld to hard mountainous sourveld. Apart from the licks they receive, the cattle receive no extra feed. This is an excellent selection tool to get rid of animals with too high energy needs, says Corbett.
The Corbetts started using Beefmaster bulls in 1998 when other breeds didn’t quite meet their needs and expectations. The first Beefmaster bulls were bought from Trevor Stretton’s Creative Beefmasters (now Benchmark Beefmasters). However, WO bulls and heifers acquired at the WO sale in Vrede have made the biggest impact on the Corbett stud.
SIX ESSENTIAL TRAITS
Tom Lasater, the creator of the Beefmaster, developed the breed by focusing on only six essential selection traits. These are fertility, disposition, weight, conformation, hardiness and milk production.
Fertility: all Beefmaster heifers are expected to have their first calf at two years old, and should produce a calf every year thereafter.
Dispostion: calves that demonstrate bad disposition at weaning must be culled.
Weight: bulls are retained based on weaning weight and yearling weight. About 85% of all yearling heifers are kept. Strict selection should occur throughout the animals’ productive lives to keep herd numbers down.
Conformation: conformation is defined as “type on the hook, not type on the hoof”.
Hardiness: animals must relentlessly meet production expectations year after year on veld.
Milk production: only bull calves with above average weaning weights must be considered as potential herd sires.
COW:CALF RATIO
‘ PASSION IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE YOUR FARM A SUCCESS’
Corbett says the cow:calf ratio is the second most important factor in his stud, after pregnancy rate. A pregnancy rate of 90% or more has been achieved over the last decade, while a cow:calf ratio of 52% has been achieved on a regular basis. To achieve this, the Corbetts strive to breed an early-maturing cow that weighs around 500kg. The average weight of their cows is currently 475kg, which includes two-yearold cows. Corbett says heavier cows struggle to wean a calf 50% of its dam’s weight, especially in a drought-stricken area with no extra feed. The table illustrates how selecting for calf:cow ratio, rather than weaning weight, can result in greater income.
Stud Book SA’s official figures have shown that the Beefmaster has the best cow:calf ratio of all breeds registered with Stud Book.
“One often hears at bull sales that a bull should have weaned [at] at least 300kg to make a positive impact on your herd. People should be very careful not to always buy the heaviest weaning bulls.
“Before long, you could have a lot of cows struggling to adapt to your environment. They then skip a breeding cycle because their energy needs are just too high. If that starts happening, the impact of that bull will not be so positive anymore,” says Corbett.
PASSIONATE ABOUT CATTLE
Corbett Beefmasters grow their bulls out on natural veld. A summer growth veld test is conducted on yearling bulls. Strict criteria are considered until the time of sale.
The Corbetts are serious and passionate about their cattle. As they have no other income stream, they have no choice but to keep their beef production profitable.
This is why they have chosen the Beefmaster.
“It is such an adaptable and profitable breed, and won’t let you down during tough times,” says Corbett.
MAKING STRIDES IN THE EASTERN CAPE
The Beefmaster in the Eastern Cape has made huge strides in the past decade, and has gone from three to four sales to 14 sales at which 18 different breeders sell bulls. By buying top genetics from the best studs in South Africa and the US, the Eastern Cape breeders have managed to breed a hardy Beefmaster that can adapt to any conditions in any part of the country and be profitable.
• Email Marius Corbett at mgcorbett@nokwi.co.za.
• Phone the Beefmaster Cattle Breeders’ Society of South
Africa on 051 410 0935.