South African cattle breeds vary in size, build, adaptation to various climatic and production situations, resistance to specific pests and diseases, reproduction, parental skills, meat quality, and carcass yields.
In addition, due to production conditions or South African cattle breeds genetic and morphological makeup, there may also be a significant variance between individual cattle within particular breeds.
For best outcomes, farmers should select a specific beef breed, and if they want to farm with more than one, choose breeds that will thrive in their production area and system, and buy the best genetics of these breeds, they can manage.
In South Africa, farmers can choose nearly 40 different cattle breeds. Examples of South African cattle breeds are; Afrikaner, Ankole, Beefmaster, Angus Cattle, Brahman Cattle, Boran, Bonsmara, Hereford Cattle, Shorthorn Cattle, Limousin Cattle, Santa Gertrudis Cattle, Drakensberger Cattle. Wagyu Cattle, Charolais Cattle, Nguni Cattle, Simbra Cattle, Sussex Cattle, Tuli Cattle, Simmentaler Cattle, Braunvieh Cattle.
List of South African cattle breeds
We have curated a list of the best cattle and the characteristics of some South African beef breeds.
1. Afrikaner Cattle
- Originated from wild cattle on the Asian steppes and they are produced throughout South Africa.
- Afrikaner cattle are produced throughout South Africa and in some of our neighboring countries, such as Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique.
- The Afrikaner breed of cattle ranges in size from medium to large and is often deep red.
- They have long, upward-facing horns, though they are polled for commercial purposes.
- Due to their migration from Asia, cattle are now most suited to survive in arid desert environments, inclement weather, tropical diseases, and internal and external parasites.
- The Afrikaner has a strong genetic leaning toward juicy and tender meat.
- The cows are great mothers, having few calving issues and yielding a lot of milk.
- They have a reputation for “no-nonsense” cattle.
2. Beefmaster Cattle
- Beefmaster was developed by Tom Lasater, who ranched in South Texas and Colorado in the USA in 1948 through strategic crossbreeding of Brahman, Hereford, and Shorthorn.
- The Beefmaster was called the “master of all beef breeds” because people considered it the best.
- They are medium-framed in size.
- Though the color isn’t a breeding priority, they are usually red.
- The cows make excellent mothers have produce average milk yield.
- Calves grow and mature fast and achieve the best weaning weights amongst the other breeds.
- The excellent disposition of Beefmaster cattle makes them simple to handle.
- They are highly adaptable and produced throughout South Africa.
- Due to the superior quality of Beefmaster beef, there is a great demand from consumers and abattoirs.
3. Angus Beef
- One of the first cow breeds specifically bred for beef production, Angus Beef is known globally as Aberdeen Angus.
- They originated from Angus in Aberdeenshire, Northeast Scotland.
- A farmer from the Free State named Charles Newberry brought the first 10 black Angus cattle to South Africa in 1895, and Angus cattle have been present there for more than a century.
- They have excellent meat quality.
- They have a high feed conversion rate, allowing them to quickly attain an acceptable marketing weight.
- They are normally born without horns.
- According to some sources, red-colored Angus beef is less susceptible to heat stress, which lowers their risk of developing cancer and scorched udders.
- More than 90% of the listed Angus cattle in the rest of the world are black.
- Angus cattle are crossed throughout the nation, particularly with Brahman and Bonsmara, to improve the meat quality and increase the offspring’s weight.
4. Bonsmara Beef
- Their name stems from Prof. Jan Bonsma’s last name, who led the breeding process, and from Mara, one of the research stations where the breed was created between 1937 and 1963.
- According to the Bonsmara Cattle Breeders Society, the shorthorn breed is renowned for its remarkable adaptability, suitability for large production, and superior meat quality.
- The Bonsmara is a medium-sized red animal with horns at birth, but they must be removed to meet breed standards.
- Average mature cow weights range from 500 to 550 kg, and their calves have weaning weights of about 230 kg on average.
- The cows are good mothers, and due to their Afrikaner origin, they are typically resistant to many of the diseases spread by ticks.
- The Bonsmara breed is the most prevalent in South Africa because they currently produce between 50% and 60% of the country’s commercial beef herd.
- They produce great offspring when crossed with Brahman and are often crossed with Charolais or Limousin for weaner production.
- The meat is juicy and tender, with excellent marbling.
5. Ankole Cattle
- Ankole cattle are part of the larger beef production industry in South Africa.
- They can be traced to ancient Egypt and are best known for their majestic horns.
- The name “Ankole” was given to the Banyankole people of Uganda. They believed the cattle were a gift from God and given to them by their Ankole founders.
- Cyril Ramphosa, the president of South Africa, introduced the first Ankole genetics to the country in 2004.
- Due to their ability to adapt to various environmental situations, the breed can flourish throughout most of South Africa.
- They are known for their lean meat and excellent quality, making them a highly desired dual breed.
- The meat is low in cholesterol and high in Omega 3 and 9.
- Their majestic horns resemble ivory and point upward toward the African skies.
- These cattle can better control their body temperature because of the “honeycombed” horns attached to airways.
- They can adapt to harsh and extreme weather, from cold and rainy weather to hot desert climates.
- They are a hardy and useful breed that can survive on low-quality pasture and are extremely disease- and tick-resistant.
- They have unique coat colors ranging from roan to strawberry, dark to light brown, and red.
6. Wagyu Beef
- Wagyu means “Japanese cow,” as the name suggests, it originated from Japan.
- In the premium meat market, just 0.2% of all breeds are produced internationally.
- In 1999, Brian Angus brought the first Wagyu embryos from the United States into South Africa, laying the groundwork for his purebred herd.
- Two breeds of Wagyu are produced in South Africa, namely red and black.
- The red Wagyu breed Akauishi has exceptional growth, fertility, and marbling.
- Wagyu cattle are highly adaptable and, therefore, produced throughout South Africa.
7. Simmentaler Cattle
- They were developed around the Middle Ages from a cross between German cattle and a smaller indigenous Swiss breed.
- The name was derived from the place of origin, Simmer River Valley in Switzerland.
- They are medium to large frame size with good muscling and little fat.
- Their weight varies between 480 kg for cows and 650 to 950 kg for bulls, and the environment heavily influences it.
- In South Africa, the animals are white and dark red, with well-pigmented areas around the eyes, but Europe and America have different color breeds.
- They are raised primarily for beef production.
- Simmentaler cattle are calm and easy to manage.
- The cows have excellent maternal traits.
- The bulls are known as the “king of crossbreeding” by Simmentaler SA because they speed up other breeds’ growth.
- They also produce weaners that are high in demand in feedlots and fetch premium prices.
8. Sussex Cattle
- They are descendants of horned red cows from southern England.
- A Sussex Herd Book was established in 1878 with pedigrees dating from 1855.
- Alec Holm of the Potchefstroom Agricultural College imported the first Sussex cattle, which included 20 cows, to South Africa in 1903.
- The beef production business in South Africa now includes a significant portion of the Sussex cattle breed, one of the oldest and purest types of English cattle.
- They can be found in nine provinces of South Africa.
- They produce good quality meat.
- They are early maturing, which allows them to be marketed off veld or pastures.
- They have smooth and deep red coats with white tails.
- They are medium-sized animals.
- They are “trouble-free” and easy to handle.
- The cows have great maternal traits and produce ample milk.
- The cows also have high calving rates, making them exceptionally fertile.
- Sussex cattle are naturally horned.
- Sussex animals can survive in harsh African environments, from the cold Drakensberg and Eastern Cape mountains to the Kalahari Desert and the bushveld.
- Sussex bulls are highly recommended for all crossbreeding programs to add additional weaning weight.
9. Tuli Cattle
- They were brought to South Africa by migrating tribes and became abundant in south Zambezi.
- According to DNA studies, the Sanga group, which the Tuli belong to, has existed for over 2000 years.
- They have a medium frame and are mostly polled.
- Their colors are solid and range from white to shades of red, brown, data, and yellow.
- They have a natural resistance to internal and external parasites.
- The cows have high fertility, great maternal traits with good production.
- They are hardy and adaptable with longevity.
- The average weight for mature bulls ranges between 750 to 850 kg, while that of mature cows ranges between 400 to 500 km.
- The bulls grow well and have a good feed conversion ratio and carcass quality.
- The Tuli breed is raised all over South Africa because of its adaptability, hardiness, and capacity to produce high-quality meat from even the worst grazing.
- The Tuli is highly effective in crossbreeding programs due to its distinctive genetic makeup, which produces good hybrid vigor and a high proportion of polled calves.
10. Drakensberger Cattle
- Drakensberg cattle developed out of the black, indigenous cattle of South Africa.
- The Drakensberg is named after the Drakensberg, where most of these cattle were found when the breed was registered.
- Thousands of cattle were lost during the rinderpest outbreak of 1896, almost causing the extinction of the Drakensberg breed, but thirteen years later, things were turned around.
- They are medium-framed animals with cows ranging from 500kg to 550 kg and bulls ranging from 509kg to 1000kg.
- They have smooth black coats with short hairs, which prevent ticks from attaching to the skin and help shield the cattle from the sun and skin cancer.
- The breed is quite heat, cold, and disease resistant due to its adaptation to the severe weather conditions of Southern Africa.
- They have high fee conversion rates, which allow them to thrive under poor veld conditions.
- They are known as the “Queen of all cows” due to their superior maternal traits.
- Their meat is juicy, tender, and easy to cut.
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