Santa Gertrudis

Breeding goals and breeding philosophy

It is no secret that there is a perception, right or wrong, that Santa Gertrudis cattle struggle to adapt to harsh, extensive farming conditions. This perception was gained by the kind of cattle that was bred years ago. Huge, late maturing cattle, with adaptability problems. In our part of the country this perception is still used as an argument. The wrong kind of Santas was introduced here and they did us no favours. Our region is very unforgiving towards inadaptable cattle. We strive to breed early maturing cattle. With the long winters and the low quality grass our cattle tend not to get too big, therefore they are as suited to this region as any of breeds the that flourish on the Highveld.

Tibra does not make use the National Beef Performance Testing Scheme. We believe it is too time consuming and that we must rather test for traits that are more relevant to the conditions in which we farm. We don't need to weigh a calf to know that it's mother has milk, any trained eye will notice a calf that is lagging behind. Why must we weigh a calf after wean? We breed our heifers between 14 and 18 months, if she is not adapted then she wouldn't be ready for the bull. Another aspect is birth weight. Everybody is striving to breed calves with birth weights into the high twenties. That type of calf can never reach a weaning weight of 245kg within 205 days, there simply is not enough time, except if it is given extra feed. We are misleading the commercial bull buyers by offering these bulls as safe curve benders. We don't say bulls with a birth weight of 50kg are safe, but we are convinced that the over feeding of pregnant females is a greater contributor to birth problems than the bull's birth weight .

Most of our bull calves are culled at wean. We believe there is no way the average stud breeder can keep more than 25% of his bull calves, otherwise his selection pressure is to slack. The calves that stay on the farm must be measured on the veld for at least two winters and one summer season without extra feed. At the age of two we send them to the cows in our commercial herd to see how they will look in there working clothes. Only thereafter if they proved themselves we bring them in, at the age of almost three years, to the feedlot in preparation for them to be sold off to the commercial market. That in short we believe is the right way to select the bulls we sell.

The customer always buys the best looking bull in the sale pen and by that time the bad ones should be gone. The buyer and breeder that select a bull on paper without seeing the bulls does not have an "eye" for good cattle. In many cases performance tests are being used as as gimmick to sell bulls. 

It is further our belief that the secret of any successful stud breeding operation lies in the cowherd. We have in our herd certain "cow families". Females that are connected to each other by way of there mothers. The breeding history of these lines makes it easier to breed cattle into a certain direction. Furthermore there are bulls in the business, some of them long gone, that are timeless. These bulls made the modern Santa Gertrudis in South Africa what it is today, why not still use them if we can? Through AI and the use of progeny of these bulls we clearly see that they are still making a huge contribution.

It is only with severe quality control at the farm gate and with good after sale service, we believe, that the Santa Gertrudis will earn and keep it's rightful place, which it deserve, in the cattle market.

How do we define a TIBRA bull?

TIBRA breed bulls for our own use and for the commercial farmer. We don't keep a lot of bulls each season because we are striving to supply only the best quality to our customers. What is our outlook on producing a good bull?

• First and foremost he must come out of a good dam. She or her family must have a trackrecord in our herd. 

• He must a true specimen of his Breed.

• He must have the ability to adapt in a extensive commercial cattle breeding environment without help.

• Born without assistance.

• He must process testis of which the circumference is above average.

• He must be without structure faults.

• He must be tested for fertility and STD. 

• Preferable over the age of two and a half years.

• He must be presentable and by that we mean you must feed him in order to put him up for sale. A manufacture would not build a car, fit it with all the luxuries, test it and then not paint it. Thin bulls don't sell, feeding  must only be used to get the bull ready for the market.

• Last but not the least we have the guts to sell our bulls with a 100% no nonsense warranty. If he can not adapt at his new home we will replace him.   

Veldbul Suid Afrika

TIBRA believes in the goals set out by Veldbul Suid Afrika. It will take a major mind shift after years of brainwashing for South African farmers to underwrite this method of measuring. This is the only means of testing bulls for South African farming conditions. For further information please visit www.vb-sa.co.za

e:mail: tibra1@942.co.za          Mobile: +27 82 773 9391