FARMING is often a family business. But five brothers, who all farm, together turned up for a recent cattle auction and jointly sold 230 weaner calves, fetching high prices, and winning a top award for having produced the best quality calves in the Brahman/Simmentaler cross-breed category.
The five Tjihura brothers caused quite a stir at the Agra Otjiwarongo weaner auction, when they gained average prices per animal of N$3 116 and a total of 1 287 weaners were sold.The Tjihura brothers won the first prize for their group of Brahman/Simmentaler cross weaners which showed the best growth potential on veld. They also sold the most weaners at the auction and achieved the highest average price per kilogram in the competition, which was N$14.27/kg. ‘Looking into the farming history of the Tjihura brothers and the product they deliver, is encouraging,’ said Agra. ‘They started farming as boys in the Otjinene area in Omaheke, looking after their father’s herds. Three of the brothers later started working in Windhoek while the other two held the fort at the family farm.’ In 1986, they bought a commercial farm near Kalkfeld and started large-scale farming. Since then the five brothers and their families have invested in three commercial farms, working together to build their enterprise. They now farm with more than 300 cows and also have other business enterprises. They obtained good quality Simmentaler, Brahman and Simbra cattle from various commercial farmers. Using the genetic quality of these animals enabled them to build a herd that has excellent growth potential on natural grazing. Weaners from the Tjihura brothers are annually offered at the Agra weaner auctions and because of the good quality and well-prepared weaners, their animals are in demand and fetch good prices.One of the farmers from whom the Tjihura brothers often buy bulls had this to say about them: ‘It is a pleasure to do business with these farmers. Each one of them is a dedicated partner in the business and they are excellent entrepreneurs. They focus on quality and are willing to invest in good genetic material. This is but one of the reasons why they are so successful in their farming.’ The annual Agra weaner auctions are special events involving suppliers and other companies as sponsors. It includes weaner calf competitions to award producers offering good quality weaners for sale, looking at growth potential on the veld and in feed lots, uniformity and price achieved. People selling and buying the most animals are also awarded with prizes. The weaners of Japie Jacobs were second in veld potential, with Wilson Mberirua winning the third prize. Krings Farming won all the prizes in the category of feed lot potential.
