Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We had a relaxing and informative day at Sizalo Bonsmaras! Mr. Lucas Msiza at this operation was a 2021 finalist for the ARC National Beef Cattle Improvement Herd of the Year!

Switching gears from yesterday’s emerging farm visits, this diversified operation produces commercial Brahman and Bonsmara cattle as well as goats, sheep, and crops! We were able to tour all entities of the farm including Blue Buffalo grass pastures, sunflower fields, a remote Abattoir, and livestock handing facilities.  For lunch, we were served a traditional South African meal! We ate Pap (white corn/maize porridge) with gravy, (bell peppers, onions, & tomatoes) beef stew, and steak! It was delicious!

 After lunch we made a stop at 1 of 3 capital cities in South Africa. Pretoria is home to a 9 meter bronze statue of the late president, Nelson Mandela. Our driver, David, gave us a tour of the capital buildings and history about the South African Government.

We made it back to the hotel in time to watch the Jacks in the NCAA tournament, an unfortunate end to a sensational season! I supposed the beautiful South African weather makes it a little easier pill to swallow. Now, to rest!

Cara Teigum & Sam Thyen







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