South African Braunvieh set for global beef market success

By Annelie Coleman |10 June 2024 | 8:00 pm

The South African Braunvieh has all it takes to become a serious contender in the international red meat production arena, says Gawie Naudé, owner of the award-winning Eduan Braunvieh Stud near Rhodes in the Eastern Cape.

Research done in 1951 at the Omatjenne Research Station in Namibia shows the exceptional potential of the Braunvieh in Southern Africa. After a walk of 3km, the Braunvieh‘s breathing tempo was the lowest of all the breeds tested, an indication of their adaptability.Photo: Supplied

Many believe that when South Africa regains its foot-and-mouth disease-free status, international demand for South African Braunvieh genetics will shoot up to such an extent that local breeders will not be able to meet the demand.

The South African Braunvieh has all it takes to become a serious contender in the global red meat production arena, according to Gawie Naudé, who farms on Buttermead and Earlstown near Rhodes.

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He says it is becoming increasingly difficult to find pure Braunvieh genetics in the US and Europe, creating an ideal export market for local producers.

Braunvieh breeding in the US can be divided into three categories, namely full blood, purebred (80% to 90% pure) and the so-called beef-builder crossbreeds.

“A significant portion of the beef builder crosses includes Braunvieh genetics as the breed is genetically so far removed from other breeds,” says Gawie.

He adds that crossing Braunvieh with Angus cattle has taken off to such an extent in the US that the Angus/Braunvieh crosses have, for practical reasons, developed into a separate breed. All the crossbreeding means that 100% pure genetics are increasingly difficult to come by.

From left: Gawie Naudé with his granddaughter, Madri, and his son, Willem, at the Eduan Braunvieh Stud on the farm Buttermead near Rhodes in the Eastern Cape.

A century of adapting to South Africa

Over a period of about 100 years, the local Braunvieh has developed into a truly African breed with all the requirements needed for optimum meat production irrespective of the farming conditions they are subjected to.

Not only is the breed an excellent choice for crossbreeding, but it is also able to survive and flourish in the most challenging conditions. The Eduan Braunvieh, for example, thrives on the sourveld of the Eastern Cape Highlands.

“The modern Braunvieh is almost unrecognisable from the cattle that initially arrived on Buttermead. They were large-framed animals bred mainly for milk production,” says Gawie.

“At that time, milk could be produced on farm, mainly through milking by hand, and then sent to one of a myriad cheese factories that dotted the extensive farming areas of the country, such as the Eastern Cape, North West and the Northern Cape. At the time, the Braunvieh was a totally different animal from the modern animals we know today. The breeding policy now is to breed hardy animals that can manage themselves and produce optimal milk and meat. Performance and fertility are central in achieving this.”

From dairy to meat

The first Braunvieh arrived on Buttermead in 1936, when Gawie’s grandfather, also named Gawie, brought the first animals to the farm. The herd was later on taken over by his father, Willem, and in 1975 Gawie took over.

While the breed was initially considered large-framed, it made economic sense to Gawie to bring the average cow weight down from between 700kg and 800kg to about 500kg.

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“What makes our herd so unique is the fact that we took a herd that was essentially a dairy herd in Oupa Gawie’s time and switched it around to a beef herd. Currently our genetic base is geared toward a ratio of 70% beef and 30% milk. Breeding out the milk part more would obviously have been counterproductive,” he says.

“The animals on our farm are exposed to extreme conditions and must maintain themselves on the veld,” says Gawie, who these days farms with his son, Willem. “Snow often falls in winter, and that’s probably why Oupa decided on Braunvieh.’’

Adapted to sourveld

Buttermead is situated in sourveld country. The fact that the Eduan Braunvieh is so well adapted to sourveld underpins the breeds’ adaptability and non-discriminatory grazing habits.

While sweetveld largely retains its palatability and nutritional value after a growth season, sourveld shows a marked loss of dietary value.

Sourveld occurs in areas where there is high water supply and where parent material gives rise to soils with a low base status. The first limiting factor for beef production in the sourveld areas is overwintering.

During winter, the protein content of grasses is low and the lignin content is high, but this is not something the Eduan herd is put off by.

High red blood cells

Gawie extols the Braunvieh’s increased red blood cell (RBC) level, which he says is higher than that of any other beef cattle breed in the world. He points out that the RBC level plays a crucial role in the animals’ overall health and well-being.

“The reason behind the high RBC levels is the fact that this pure breed originated high in the Swiss Alps with relatively low oxygen levels over thousands of years. The primary function of RBCs is to carry oxygen from the lungs to various tissues throughout the body. Hemoglobin, a protein within RBCs, binds to oxygen and facilitates its transport. Research has shown that a high RBC level ensures efficient oxygen delivery, which is essential for healthy cellular metabolism and overall vitality, perceptibly benefitting the Braunvieh breed,” he says.

In healthy animals, the red cell mass and therefore the oxygen-carrying capacity remain relatively constant over time. This stability ensures that cattle can meet their oxygen demands even during physical exertion or stress, as is evident on Buttermead, high in the Drakensberg. Maintaining optimal RBC levels in cattle is vital for their overall health, oxygen transport and resistance to anaemia-related diseases.

Harsh winters accompanied by snow are not uncommon in the Barkley East district of the Eastern Cape, as these photos, taken on Buttermead a few years ago, show. Even under such conditions, the Buttermead and Earlstown Braunvieh flourish on the sourveld.

“This is but one of the qualities that makes the breed suited to virtually all extensive farming conditions in Southern Africa.

“The Eduan cattle, for example, have to deal with highly elevated mountainous terrain and bitter cold and snow in winter, while other Braunvieh herds excel under the semi-arid farming conditions in Namibia, confronted with extreme heat and extraordinarily long walking distances.”

A consummate beef breed

While each breed has its own strengths in relation to factors such as climate, production systems and desired meat quality, the Braunvieh nevertheless provides the consummate package for beef producers in Africa.

The Eduan cattle, for example, are known for high milk production, remarkable fertility, adaptability and stamina, as well as calving ease, among others. The breed’s intrinsic robustness makes it possible for the Eduan Braunvieh to reach the most difficult parts of the farm to graze.

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Coupled with their exceptional walking ability, ascribed to the animals’ strong legs and dark hooves developed over centuries of ion in the Swiss Alps, the Braunvieh is well placed to excel in most farming conditions.

The Eduan bulls are popular among producers for crossbreeding purposes, but the growth of the breed as a whole is pointedly hampered with, as Gawie puts it “the South African beef production value chain’s groundless besottedness with red-coloured cattle and the consequent discrimination against differently coloured breeds”.

According to him, the meat under the skin of all beef animals is exactly the same as a red animal’s meat. Based on that simple principle, the modern South African Braunvieh can efficaciously compete with any other beef cattle breed in the country.

The Braunvieh comes in a variety of colours ranging from dun to greyish brown, and light brown with a creamy white muzzle, dark nose and dark-blue eye pigmentation. The pigmentation actually protects the breed from extreme solar radiation.

Long bodied and well muscled

To ensure the constant supply of highly efficient and proven genetics to the South African market, the Eduan bulls are subjected to Phase C and Phase D evaluation annually. Phase C is a standardised test in which bull calves’ post-weaning growth is tested at central testing centres.

Post-weaning growth rate and individual feed conversion ratios are evaluated under intensive conditions. The Phase D farm growth tests are where bull calves of the same breed are tested for post-weaning growth and efficiency.

The Eduan stud maintains a birthweight of 7% of the dam’s weight, and calving ease is a vital part of its success. While the breed was known for overly big calves in the

olden days, the modern Braunvieh presents no calving problems. This has been achieved through vigilant ion and the dedication of breeders to eliminate calving problems.

“We are dedicated to the breeding of long-bodied, well-muscled animals that have an even temperament,” says Gawie.

“We also concentrate on balance, strong haunches and top conformation for optimal performance, coupled with outstanding growth. These attributes are what make the Braunvieh so highly sought after by feedlotters,” he says.

“We wean at five months, compared with an average weaning age of seven months.” Gawie says that at five months old, the stud’s weaners weigh between 230kg and 240kg.

“I was recently told by one of the most prominent feedlotters in the country that they preferred the Braunvieh weaners because of the breed’s rapid growth, adaptability and calm nature.

“Braunvieh weaners adapt much more easily than other breeds to feedlot conditions, which prevents a loss of condition. The animals’ calm nature also makes them much easier to manage than some other breeds,” he adds.