Research the Nguni Breed for yourself
Following is a couple of useful Web LINKS:
Article “Ngunis marry profitability and Sustainability”
- taken from the Queensland Country Life 28 October 2010
NORTHERN Australian beef producers are no strangers to the challenges of achieving the twin goals of running enterprises that are both profitable and sustainable.
This very issue formed the basis of Meat & Livestock Australia's recent Meat Profit Day in Charters Towers, where about 400 producers gathered for insights on how to restore sliding profitability in the face of Australia's soaring dollar, coupled with ever-increasing costs of production and Indonesia's recently introduced 350kg limit on live export cattle.
Other speakers at the forum were concerned about the poor fertility of females in the dry tropics due to an increase in cow body weight among other contributing factors.
Terry McCosker, director of Resource Consulting Services, advocated the need for 400kg cows to optimise reproductive capacity. He advised against the existing 500kg females, which require more energy to maintain their weight, thereby sacrificing breeding condition.
The forum was also dominated by debate on climate change, the inevitability of a future cap on carbon, the need to be more productive while remaining sustainable and being environmentally friendly.
Against this backdrop, the time might be right for beef producers in Australia's north to consider the Nguni breed to establish either a pure herd or to develop a new crossbreed option for hybrid vigour and desirable traits for meeting the demands of a rapidly changing landscape, climate and market.
First of all, fertility. The Nguni is probably the world's most fertile beef breed in harsh tropical conditions. They are also very precocious, regularly producing two calves at three years and calving annually thereafter.
To compare this productivity with the existing cows in the dry tropics, which provide six calving opportunities and take less than 60 percent on average, the Nguni cow provides about 14 calving opportunities and takes more than 95% on average.
Furthermore, the high milk production and mothering ability of the Nguni cow combined with the protection of young calves provided by the herd ensures that a very high percentage of calves survive to weaning.
Longevity
Low dental attrition ensures excellent longevity ranging from 12 years in the very harshest of conditions to 18 years in soft conditions. Although not seen as critical by many, longevity, combined with low mortality, allows for the sale of up to twice as many young females (these not being required for replacements) compared with herds where females need culling at 8-9 years.
Productivity
The two benefits mentioned above are the main drivers of productivity, in turn leading to increased profitability, which is further enhanced by the following:
Foraging ability
Ngunis are excellent foragers. They are able to thrive on poor, dry season pasture without the use of feed supplements, which represents a significant cost saving.
Disease resistance
The Nguni has excellent resistance to ticks and tick born diseases as well as most internal and external parasites. In Africa most Nguni breeders do not use any medication, a further cost saving.
Hybrid vigour
The Nguni, Bos taurus africanus, provides a very pure gene which is unique to Australia and therefore provides the highest level of hybrid vigour in both Bos taurus and Bos indicus. This benefit allows the 400kg Nguni cow to produce progeny suitable for all markets with the possible exception of Jap Ox.
Climate change/Carbon cap
The high productivity of the Nguni cow overcomes the problem of having 500kg cows emitting CH4 while being unproductive. This, combined with the current need to have high numbers of replacements available, and the longer time needed for sale stock to reach market weight, results in reducing CH4 emissions by more than 50%.