Livestock at Omaheke Fair thrills patrons

GOBABIS – The Omaheke Trade Fair (OTF) produced an exciting agricultural show here on Saturday, despite experiencing a record low entry of less than 50 livestock in total.

The OTF agricultural show provided a highlight to the event, as prominent farmers in the region went head-to-head in both small stock and large stock division in various categories. Aminuis small stock prolific stud breeder, Isando Kavari, had the highest number of entries in the small stock division, as he competed with Veldmaster sheep in addition to his trademark Dorper sheep. Jay-Jay Otsile, a prominent breeder of the Boergoat at Corridor 13 in the Aminuis Constituency, was another entrant in the small stock division. Also competing in the small stock division was Hikuepi Katjipuka, son of well-known Red Brahman stud breeder, Edison Katjipuka, who was the sole entrant in the Van Rooyen sheep breed.

In the end, it was Kavari who took top honours, bagging various accolades such as ‘Breed Champion’, ‘Inter-breed Champion’ and the main prize of ‘Show Champion’ with both the Dorper and Veldmaster ewes he had entered. Otsile’s Boergoat rams also had a good run, with two of them going all the way and scooping top honours.  An older ram of Otsile, which competed in the senior ram category, was however ruled out of competition as judges felt it failed to satisfy prominent breed requirements.

One of Katjipuka’s Van Rooyen ewes also met the same fate as Otsile’s ram, as the veteran small stock breeder, Nicklas Mbingeneeko, who was the sole small stock judge on the day, felt the ewe fell below the radar in terms of breed standard. Mbingeneeko, well-known for his expertise in the Damara sheep breed as stud breeder, took his time to share with those present on breed requirements and standards for the various livestock that participated. “At times one has to use the opportunity to also inform and educate farmers on what the different stud breeders societies expect in livestock. 

“As such, I felt that it cannot just be about judging, but also about advising farmers how best to prepare their livestock for such events,” he said. In the large stock division, Mbakumua Hengari’s Santa Getrudis showed why it is considered one of the hardiest breeds, by successfully wading off competition from Omaheke farmer Eben Kahiha’s Brahman to scoop the ‘Breed Champion’ and ‘Inter-breed Champion’, amongst a host of other accolades on the day. Hengari had the highest number of entries in large livestock, with a total of nine animals – four cows and five bulls - competing in various categories.

Also competing in the cattle division were Zed Katjiuanjo and Surprise Tjatindi – both entering Brahman cattle. The race for top breeder in the Brahman breed provided for a picture finish, as Kahiha narrowly edged his competitors by walking away with ‘Senior Champion’ and ‘Junior Champion’ accolades. His competitors gave a good account of themselves by each taking top honours in other categories such as ‘Breed Champion’ (Tjatindi) and ‘Calf Champion’ (Katjiuanjo) awards.

The farmers, although pleased with the level of competition on the day, expressed hope that next year’s event will attract more competitors. “We had a good run and it was worth the effort, but we need more competitors for these kinds of events so that one can truly test the calibre of livestock brought to the show,” Kahiha said.