By Quentin de Bruyn When selecting animals to buy or retain in your herd its physical appraisal or how it "looks" will always be important. Stockmanship, or the art of being able to judge how an animal will breed on its “looks” is an art that takes years of experience, working with cattle, attending breeders … Continue reading How to use EBVs for Selection
I am very excited to share the latest weaning results from the Vastrap commercial cross-breeding herd. I have never seen such impressive cow:calf wean ratios as yielded by this group of commercial F1 Boran/Angus cows bred back to Angus bulls. The group yielded an average of 53% for females (with every single […]
It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I report that Jackie MHB 05-08 was stuck and killed by lightening last night. Jackie has had such a huge impact at Vastrap and her story reflects the journey that I have walked with the Boran. It’s probably hard for new Boran breeders to really … Continue reading Jackie MHB 05-08 – Tribute to a Herd Matriarch
Thank you to everyone who supported the 2017 Vastrap Auction on Friday, 18 August. In many ways it was an emotional day for us as we bid farewell to the last remaining Mollshoop Boran cows that were the founding matriarchs of the Vastrap herd. Our Boran journey started with these cows and we have them to thank … Continue reading 2017 Vastrap Auction: Farewell Mollshoop
Hi everyone, it's Quentin here. We are starting to gear up for the 2017 Vastrap Auction, which will be held on Friday, 18 August. This weekend, while taking photos of the new crop of 3 year old bulls that we'll be offering, I noticed something which highlights the great value for money that can be … Continue reading Vastrap Auction Bulls
Vastrap Boran is excited to introduce one of our new stud sires, Samurai SS 11-31 (Dianna SS 06-03 x Kobra SS 08-61). His mother, Dianna SS 06-03 (HVT 97-15 x HVT 95-03) caught Quentin's eye very early in his stud breeding career when he visited Corn van der Watt in January 2012. She is an extraordinary cow – beautiful … Continue reading Introducing our new stud sire, Samurai SS 11-31!
Based on records going back 119 years, 2015 was the driest year ever recorded in our district. At Vastrap we recorded 386mm in 2015 compared with a long term average of 620mm. Our rainfall for the 2015/16 summer has only been 300mm. Two dry summers in a row have really taken their toll causing a succession … Continue reading Boran resilient through extreme drought
Vastrap Boran participated in a feedlot trial of Boran crossbred weaners with Sparta Beef organised by the Free State Boran Club. The initiative was planned and implemented by Rikus Stander of Mount Kenya Boran. The results are great news for the Boran breed. In particular, the feed conversion rates (FCR), both during backgrounding and the feedlot … Continue reading Crossbred Boran Feedlot Trial with Sparta
The two most prominent bloodlines in the Vastrap Boran herd are the Jackie motherline and the Khan sireline. The Jackie's have been prolific breeders because of their enormous flushing capabilities and excellent fertility. The Jackie's are obviously close to our hearts, because the very first investment we made in the Boran was the purchase of Jackie … Continue reading Jackie-Khan: the foundation of the Vastrap herd
We had a fantastic time at the 2015 National Boran Auction last weekend that was held at the Afridome in Parys. It is always a real pleasure to catch up and socialise with our fellow breeders from around the country and to meet new people interested in the breed. The auction itself went very well. The … Continue reading Blessed by the Boran
Vastrap Boran 