AGRICULTURE
AGRICULTURE
feed in the morning and when they’ ve eaten enough, they walk away. If they are still bleating, it’ s a sign they’ re still hungry and they get more creep feed. I assess them every seven days, visually, to see whether they are developing properly. The old man can do it too and knows how big the portions should be. Sometimes they also get lucerne if they ask for it,” he explains.
Carrying capacity and selection as guiding principles
Ivin’ s principle of working with nature is applied with a trained eye, and they can see whether the ewes are under strain and whether the lambs are developing correctly. He now breeds his goats and sheep for hardiness, partly to combat disease and also to reduce feed requirements.
“ Even after we wean them and they go out to pasture, we can see which lambs are thriving and which won’ t make it. Then we remove them,” Ivin says.
“ The goats are something I really enjoy – and when you have a passion for what you do, farming becomes worthwhile.”
In this way they have become stricter about what they buy and now maintain a smaller but higher-quality flock. He believes he has reached a sufficient herd size and has decided on specific numbers. Every second year officials from the Department of Agriculture inspect the livestock and determine the veld’ s carrying capacity.
“ They come twice a year, in mid-February when the veld is green and at its best, and again in August when it deteriorates. They can then see how far we’ ve gone with grazing and give us an indication of numbers. At present it stands at one livestock unit per 13 ha for sheep and goats. One cow equals seven small-stock units, and that’ s how we calculate how many
30 MARKtoe! Februarie 2026