The Bellary South Devon stud is run on
the farm Bellary, near Tweeling in the
Reitz district, characterized by rolling
hills of the North-Eastern Free State.
The farm is situated 1 600 m above sea
level. Winters are extremely cold with
severe frost and occasional snow falls,
while summers are warm to hot. The
annual rainfall is about 650mm. All
cattle, both commercial and stud, are
run on the veld and no preferential
treatment is given to stud animals. All
animals receive a protein lick during
winter and a salt and phosphate lick
during summer. During late winter all
pregnant cows receive a production lick
up until the first good summer rains
have fallen and enough green vegetation
is available.
South Devon cattle have been a part of
my life as far back as I can remember.
My grandmother started farming with
South Devon cattle as far back as 1975.
Bulls were mostly purchased from the
Sonderrus Herd of Andries Strydom,
Petrus Steyn, renowned for the quality
and milk production of their female
animals. During later years my Mother
took over farming operations and always
bought the best South Devon bull she
could afford, mainly from the Sonderrus
and Kransfontein herds. I started
farming in 1991 and introduced
bloodlines from the Batavier herd of
Wilna van Beek and Khoela herd of Casper
Claasen. Artificial insemination was
also used on a regular basis if and when
quality South Devon semen could be
attained.
During the year 2000
a decision was taken to take the
commercial South Devon herd “to the next
level” in order to improve long term
profitability and efficiency of the
cattle operation. A decision to move
onto stud breeding and performance
testing was taken, in order to achieve
the above mentioned goals. The female
basis of the Bellary herd was taken from
my commercial herd of South Devon cows.
My first “stud bulls” were purchased
from the Andiro herd of Ian Turnbull and
the Winston herd of John Miller,
both situated in harsh, extensive
terrain in the Eastern Cape Province.
During the last decade I carefully
selected bulls from the Andiro, Winston,
Aduvon and Magpela herds I believed
would accelerate genetic progress
towards breeding the “modern South
Devon” that can excel on natural veld
conditions. Today the herd consists of
250 registered cows and replacement
heifers.
Lately, the introduction of Australian
polled semen to the AI program has
brought another dimension to my breeding
goals. Polled bulls are currently
available to commercial breeders. The
aim is to increase the polled genes in
the herd through careful selection,
while not neglecting other important
performance traits.
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Click here to view the stud sires
I believe in absolute honesty and good
after-sale service.
Bellary South Devon Bulls are for sale
off the farm from September every year.
___________________________________
Dan Kriek
P.O. Box 86 ● Tweeling
● 9820
Cell: 082 944 0566
dankriek@internet-sa.co.za
Visitors always welcome!
___________________________________
● Fertility - selection for
fertility is the most important breeding goal
● Breeding right size-right type
animals, mainly determined by the environment
● A weaning weight ratio of above
50 %.
● Sufficient milk production
● Good pre- and post wean growth
● Good temperament
● Ease of calving - an average
birth weight of 34-36kg
● Phase-D test for young bulls to
select for growth on natural veld conditions
___________________________________
● The herd has received numerous
Best Producing Cow Awards over the years
● The herd has received the
Farmer’s Weekly Cow Award for BL03-72 during 2014
● The herd is among the TOP 3
herds for Inter Calving Period on a regular basis
● The herd has received 4 BLUP
Bull of the Year Awards from the Society
Farmers' Weekly Cow |
