WINDHOEK - Woman power ruled again this year when Loraine van Heerden, owner of Lorden Brahman, was crowned National Weaner Champion for 2018 at a gala dinner attended by sponsors, participants of the competition, invited guests and the Agra management team, at the River Crossing Lodge.
This is the third time since the inception of the competition that a woman is honoured with this title, emphasising the growth of woman in the agricultural industry in Namibia.
The central, southern and northern regional winners were also awarded prizes on this exciting evening.
The competition consisted of three categories, which were feedlot potential, veld potential and heifer breeding potential, and the criteria of the judges were based on ideal weight for maximum points 220 kg to 260 kg, assessment of farming practices, uniformity of type and weight, condition, growth potential and muscling and breeding potential of heifers, amongst others.
The main sponsors of the competition were Bank Windhoek, Feedmaster, Sanlam and Santam and the associate sponsors were AgriBank, Bayer, Hino Indongo/Indongo Toyota, MSD, Paratus Africa and Power Bat. A collective sponsorship amount of approximately N$450 000 in cash and in kind was collected from the abovementioned sponsors. The sponsors confirmed the value of being associated with this national competition, and hence without this financial and other support rendered, the competition would not have been possible.
The CEO of Agra Limited, Arnold Klein, said the competition further reiterates Agra’s commitment to the development of the agricultural sector in Namibia. “We at Agra are steadfast in our commitment to the development of agriculture in Namibia. We are proud that this competition attracted the diverse broad farming community, ranging from small-scale resettled farmers to established commercial farmers, from both the communal and the commercial farming area,” says Klein.
The Agra weaner competition not only creates winners and success stories. It builds networks and the opportunity for the producers to socialise. The weaner competition also grants opportunity for producers to feature their best weaners, putting emphasis on fertility, growth ability, capacity to produce meat and farming practices. Ultimately the competition creates a platform whereby producers can share best practices, thus assisting in identifying and filling knowledge gaps.
N$180 000 for Brahman cow
Agra Auctions this year achieved the highest prices for a Braham cow and bull calf, belonging to Van Heerden.
The record sales achieved N$180 000 for a Brahman cow and N$95 000 for a 16-month-old bull calf.
During the auction, the average price for heifers was N$30 855, while the average price for a cow and a calf was N$45 688, the average price for a cow was N$57 425 and for a bull the average price was N$31 408.
Sidney Martin, the buyer of the two record sales expressed satisfaction on the quality of animals sold by Lorden Brahman. “I have been buying from Van Heerden for years now and since I plan on venturing into the Brahman stud, I will make use of the best quality animals,” he notes.