The subject of breeds intrigues most cattle producers. Cattle Performance and Progeny Testing Scheme". The Afrikaner and Nguni), those of unclear origins (e.g. Watter rol speel die Drakensberger hierin? But for beef cattle production, breeds are only part of a genetic strategy that should include: Matching applicable performance or functional lev-els to environmental, management, and marketing conditions; Choosing a breeding system, either continuous (in The breed fares well in key requirements for successful cattle farming. Angus, Hereford and Holstein), Bos indicus (e.g. By die Drakensberger Beestelersgenootskap streef ons na etiese praktyk. The Afrikaner 1 Afrikaner Cattle Breeders’ Society PO Box 29571, Danhof 9310 051 447 7405 / afcattle@intekom.co.za www.afrikanerbees.com President: dr PM de Kock 082 809 7496 S.Afr.J.Anim.Sci.,1996,26(1) by S J Schoeman) Breed averages for 16 breeds over 14 years. Bonsmara, the most prominent of beef cattle in South Africa, currently have more than 120 000 registered Bonsmara cattle. In South Africa both Zebu and Taurus breeds are present that can be classified into the following groups: Bos taurus (e.g. Nguni cattle are less prone to dystocia, this being ascribed to their sloping rumps, small uterus and low birth mass. Ons telers, natuurlik ook. The Drakensberger is a medium-framed black cattle breed, indigenous to South Africa.

2.1 Beef cattle. Breeds of indigenous and locally developed (Landrace) livestock . weaning records and growth test data of 15000 bulls - Ed. Drakensberger cattle are concentrated in the sourveld regions of South Africa, and are used in extensive and intensive beef production systems. The Drakensberger is classified as a Sanga breed, which are a hybrid between Bos taurus and Bos indicus (Rege and Tawah, 1999). Thanks to Bonsmaras unique method of scale photography, the Bonsmara is the only breed in the world that can boast a pictorial genealogy from the very beginning of the breeding work until the new breed was established. A preliminary study on polledness in Bonsmara cattle indicated association between the polled phenotype and nine microsatellite markers on BTA1 (Schmulian, 2006). The purpose of this report is to rank the most numerous beef cattle breeds which took pert in the National Beef Cattle Brahman), Sanga (e.g. THE DRAKENSBERGER AS COMPETITIVE BREED OF CATTLE IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN BEEF INDUSTRY Christo Bisschoff, Ronnie Lotriet Potchefstroom Business School, North-West University Abstract This paper focuses on the Drakensberger as competitive beef breed of cattle. The Nguni can be fattened on natural grazing and performs well in the feedlot, producing quality carcasses with an even distribution of fat and excellent marbling, finished carcasses dress out at roughly 180-220 kg. The Drakensberger is a medium-framed black cattle breed indigenous to South Africa. Nearly 3/4 mil. All these breeds have participated in animal recording systems since the early 1960s [3] and have been subjected to selection for traits of economic importance The breed is concentrated mainly in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Free State and Kwazulu Natal.