The past 18 months have been incredibly harsh on beef producers in South Africa with beef prices down 25% year on year, and reaching levels last seen 7 years ago. This drop in prices has been seen across all types of cattle from weaner calves produced for the feedlots, slaughter cattle destined for the market and then, in turn, the drop has also been reflected in the sale prices of pedigree Hereford bulls. It appears as if the market has bottomed out and beef producers are now hopeful that 2025 will be kinder to them.
The South African Hereford Society has a stable core of registered breeders, (approximately 35) who are committed to supplying the genetic needs of our commercial farmers. Hereford bulls are a good choice in these commercial cross breeding programs given the purity of the breed and its genetic distance from popular local female lines. Popular local female lines would be the Zebu or Indigenous African breeds in the warmer climates and British Beef or Composite types in the temperate climates.
The Hereford breed is one of 40 registered breeds of cattle in South Africa and, in order to remain relevant to commercial beef production, breeds need to evolve continuously and meet the needs of the commercial farmer’s requirements or risk becoming irrelevant in the country’s beef production. The Hereford breed has been doing this for 107 years now in South Africa, and is one of only 7 breed societies to offer Genomic based EBVs which have been running since June 2022.
The adaptability of the modern day Hereford, bred to survive in the harsh African climate is the cornerstone for our breed’s success. These cattle demonstrate a remarkable ability to thrive in a diverse range of climates across the country, from areas with as little as 200mm of annual rainfall to the wetter climates boasting annual rainfalls in excess of 1000mm. Temperature extremes fluctuate from minus 20 degrees to 45 degrees Celsius.
We wish all our overseas associates a wonderful festive season. May 2025 be a phenomenal year for Herefords!
