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Farmers who show together, GROW TOGETHER
by WCDOA pubs
by Frederick Mpona
DDuring March 2018, the department together with the Beaufort West Show committee and industry stakeholders hosted the ninth annual Young Ewe and Slaughter Lamb Competition in Beaufort West. The first showcasing of breeding ewes was done in 2010, as a joint initiative between the department’s Farmer Support and Development programme and Veterinary Services, with BKB and Land Bank as local sponsors.
This extension initiative aimed to focus on individual progress of small stock breeding management methods as well as the importance of selection to settled land reform beneficiaries and other smallholder farmers in the Central Karoo District.
Growing from strength to strength
The Young Ewe Development Show has grown into a provincial event, with participation from the Garden Route, Little Karoo, West Coast, Cape Winelands and Overberg Districts.
In 2010, 29 ewe groups (five ewes per group) were entered representing 22 different farms/projects from the Central Karoo District.
In 2018, entrants grew with nearly 100% to 58 ewe groups (five ewes per group)! More than 300 animals in total entered from Central Karoo, Eden, Little Karoo, Overberg and Cape Winelands, representing 33 projects.
The event showed steady growth over the nine-year period, despite factors such as the Rift Valley Fever outbreak of 2010 –2011 and the current prevailing drought in the Western Cape.
The Young Ewe and Slaughter Lamb competition does not only serve as a tool to measure project progress and herd improvement, but also creates a platform for farmer networking and industry participation.
More than a competition
The 2018 event was combined with the department’s ConnectAgri programme. An agricultural career exhibition was held over three days, attended by a number of schools in the Central Karoo District. In addition the department also hosted a technology and services exhibition, sharing the latest innovation tools and information on the department’s services. AP
For more information, contact Frederick Mpona: frederickm@elsenburg.com