Fortress Commercial Bonsmara Herd

The Commercial Bonsmara herd consisting of approximately 1.200 producing females run on their three farms:

a) Antares bordering Lake Banagher near Chrissiesmeer,
Mpumalanga, a South African Lake district resembling the beauty of the Scottish Highlands. This area is known for numerous trees, mainly oak trees. Panoramic views with plentiful trees, lakes, marshes and vast grasslands being host to an exceptional bird life including three types of South African cranes make any visitor want to come back.

The weather there is influenced by the moisture climbing up the escarpment from the Lowveld area. Droughts are hardly experienced, due to mild rainy summers.

This area is known for cold frosty winters. They produce under these very extensive conditions Bonsmara weaners for their own feedlot. Here bulls bred on Fortress or sourced from other breeders have to prove their worthiness. This is another practical test for Fortress bulls and those from other breeders where specific bloodlines are chosen for certain traits such as ease of calving, optimum weaning weights, average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion for use later in Fortress feedlot where they have to gain maximum growth with intensive feeding.

b) Fortress 14km north east of Frankfort, Free State.

c) Wildedaggakraal 26km north east of Frankfort, Free State.

Very strict first fault culling procedures are practised. Females not pregnant after a breeding season or having aborted, any calving difficulties, premature calving or giving birth to a dead calf are taken to their feedlot, fattened and subsequently slaughtered. Herd replacement heifers are seleted only from good mothers with acceptable cow efficiency as well as promising weaning (cow/calf) ratios.

Any female in their Commercial herd not having taken the bull at around the age of 24 months, or cows not having reconceived will be fattened at their feedlot and slaughtered. Only the best heifer calves in adequate numbers will be selected annually to replace culls.