Today we traveled around Trekpad and the Pronk Stud Farm to learn about Afrikaner Cattle and their irrigated crop production.

We started the day bright and early at 6 AM. We loaded up in trucks and traveled down the road to find a  Nyala breeding bull so we could tranquilize it with a dart and move it to a new camp. Once the bull was loaded into the truck we transported it to the new camp. At that camp we tranquilized a breeding bull from that herd and transported it back the previous camp. Then we ate a delicious breakfast…with pancakes, fresh fruit, eggs and bacon just to name a few.

Following breakfast we loaded up in the vans and traveled to see the onsite Afrikaner cattle. We learned about the longevity of the cattle breed, how they survive in this unique environment, and the weaning age of their calves at roughly 205 days. One of their cows was 19 years old and had a calf. After this we traveled down the road to see the crop production under irrigated pivot. The two crops we saw were sugar beans and soybeans. These were the intermediate crops between their summer and winter crops. This allows them to have three harvests in a season (15 months) every few years. The other crops they grow in this region include cotton, maize, beans, wheat, malt barley, alfalfa and sunflowers.

When we finished touring the crop production we made a quick trip down the road to see the Afrikaner Stud Bulls.

Next it was time to climb the mountain. The Boshoff mountains to be precise. We traveled approximately 70 km to Rooiberg were we dropped off the vans and loaded into 4x4 trucks to travel the dirt roads up to the Pronk Afrikaner Stud farm Sterkfontein. At the top of the mountain we got a taste of how they run Afrikaner cattle in the mountains on an extensive management style. We specifically saw three breeding groups of approximately 35 cows and a bull. While looking at these groups we discussed body condition scores, muscling, typical characteristics of the Afrikaner breed, and breed goals. Then we were able to witness the facilities in action. They ran one group through a tick bath, weighed a couple calves and heifers on the scale, and a number of us palpated a cow.

After lunch we traveled to the top of the mountain to see the Crocodile River Valley. On the journey back down the mountain to the vans we saw a multitude of animals. All the animals we saw today include: Rhinos, Zebras, Wildebeest, Donkeys, a Tortoise, Nyala, Impala, Kudo, Warthogs, Red Hartebeest, Black Sable, and Eland.

Back at Trekpad we enjoyed a Afrikaner Steak Dinner and the beautiful night.