A large amount of time is spent on performance testing. At Lwimba we have two calving seasons, the summer and winter season. All the calves are weighed with their mothers at birth and then at weaning. This allows us to evaluate the efficiency of each mother when compared to its contemporary group.

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We then weigh the calves at 12 months and 18 months, which allows us to evaluate how the calves are faring on their “own four feet” as it were.  Those ‘poor doers” are then easily identified, and put into the feedlot.

The bull calves have an additional test where they are put on a growth test for 114 days, when they are less then a year of age. This is done under the auspices of SA Studbook, and we have inspectors that come up twice a year. They analyze the data, measure scrotums, shoulder height, and body length, as well as inspect the overall conformation of the bulls, with a view to selecting the best animals.