LIVESTOCK
Small cattle ideal for smallholders
The Purebred Dexter Club will hold its 9th annual auction at 1100am on March 11 at the Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum , R101 Old Pta road , near Rayton , when topquality animals will come under the hammer of auctioneer Kobus Ehlers of
BKB van Wyk . Because of the limitations on grazing land on smallholdings , smaller breeds of cattle make more sense on plots than the larger breeds , and the smallest of the lot , the Dexter , makes the most sense of all . Proponents of the breed say that kilo for kilo , no bovine can match the diversity of Dexter cattle . Standing just 105cm to 115cm at the shoulder , the Dexter is the only breed that is small by genetics and not through human manipulation . Gentle , versatile and economical , Dexters efficiently turn pasture into rich milk and lean meat . According to the Agricultural Research Council ( ARC ), “ Its inherent hardiness , together with its foraging ability , lets the Dexter adapt to varied climatic conditions and survive and even produce during severe droughts .”
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Dexters come in two colours ~ black or “ red ” ( actually , brown )
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