Windhoek
The Agra weaner auction season and the weaner competition have almost come to an end and Agra livestock looks back at this season with satisfaction. There is one more weaner auction and competition and then it is up to the judges to select this year’s regional and national winners.
With the late winter veld conditions and looming drought, a very high number of animals was marketed at Agra’s weaner auctions as well as commercial auctions. The auctions reached a peak volume with a total of 7 300 animals sold in the first week of August. Weaner auctions that stood out was the Mariental auction that sold 1 397 cattle on their weaner auction on 6 August, a record number of cattle for this auction point. The Otjiwarongo weaner auction sold the most weaners for the season with a total of 2 454 cattle sold, followed by Grootfontein, where 2019 heads of cattle were sold. Auction points in the south sell increasing numbers of large stock and at the weaner auction in Keetmanshoop on 18 August, 798 cattle was sold while Samehaling sold 611 cattle on their weaner auction on 13 August.
A great number of weaner calves were entered for the weaner calf competition that was hosted at all the weaner auctions and where producers had to enter lots of 15 calves to participate. Calves were judged according to a set of criteria in the categories of feedlot potential, veld potential and heifers.
In the weaner competition at the fifteen weaner auctions that have been hosted, twelve winners were awarded first place in the feedlot potential category, 14 winners in the veld category and 14 in the heifer category. With one weaner auction left, at Helmeringhausen on 9 September, all the winners will be in the run for the awards of regional champions and a national champion who will be announced and awarded at a function on the 10th October.
The weaner competition was made possible by the involvement of sponsors, who contributed to the prizes for the winners at the auctions as well as for the hosting of the championship award ceremony. The main sponsors are Feedmaster, who provided the expertise for the judging of the weaners, FNB and Sanlam and Santam, with co-sponsors Nictus, MSD, AMH, Marsh, Bayer, Virbac, Indongo Toyota and Henco Engineering.