A WORD from the CHAIRMAN:

Life is a journey and the experience gained along the way, is the process that gives colour to one’s life. We are constantly learning something new, no matter what we do. The Aldam Stockman’s School is also in a process of educating farmers. Last year’s school focused on the production of meat and cow efficiency (fertility and nutrition) and how the science of genomics will affect the future. After several fully booked, thriving schools it was decided that the theme for 2016 should be: Meeting consumer expectations - Vision for the red meat industry, 2020 and beyond. The school will be hosted by the Livestock Registering Federation from 12th to 14th October at the Aldam holiday resort near Ventersburg in the Free State.

Chicken tastes like chicken and pork tastes like pork. Due to different production environments, we cannot compete with the prices of these meats. Beef should not only be a source of protein, but rather an exciting dining experience, an experience one would like to have over and over again and be willing to pay for.

SUPPLY & DEMANDWe should be taking a fresh look at consumer needs. If the portion of meat on a plate is not tender, juicy and flavourful, how can the supplier claim a higher selling price? This leads to the question of how do we produce such a product? Selection based on scientific knowledge is the only way forward.

We are proud of the fact that the Livestock

Registering Federation (LRF) took the initiative to engage in a relationship with government agencies, an action that led to the funding of the Genomics project which involves many breeds. I would like to thank all the producers participating in the long process of measuring the more difficult genetic traits. The red meat industry will definitely benefit from this initiative in the long run. Genomic measurement is focused on knowledge that will later trickle down to the commercial breeders. This will benefit not only the different breeds but also the consumer product. The organisers of the Aldam Stockman’s School invite delegates from all sectors of the value chain to attend the school – from emerging farmers to stud breeders. Approximately 50% of the farmers who attend the school each year, come from the commercial farming sector. There is no other event of its kind in South Africa, where so many expert international- as well as local speakers are gathered at one place at the same time. We are proud of the fact that we are supported by strong, loyal sponsors without whom we would not be able to host the school.

We invite you to attend the school, as in doing so, you will make your contribution and be part of the process. Remember, knowledge is power.

Mr. Christopher SparksChairman of the Livestock Registering Federation (LRF).

(Article courtesy of Landbouweekblad)

ATTENDEES OF THESTOCKMAN’S SCHOOL HAD TO SAY:

What“Indeed the school was a wonderful opportunity for our local farmer to learn and benchmark against best practices. In my discussion with the farmers , they could not hide their satisfaction and how they learned what could have taken them a lifetime to accumulate. As for me the school offered us a rare learning opportunity, and the quality of the facilitator. It was a complete success and all the farmers who attended have vowed to attend the next year event.”Petrus Sabina (CEDA, Botswana

“I attended the 2010 Stockman’s School as a presenter. I enjoyed the opportunity very much and it reminded me of the annual Beef Improvement Federation meeting held in the U.S. and a recent meeting where I presented in Melbourne, Australia. At these meetings, the participants consist of scientists, industry representatives, and producers, with the program structure allowing all groups to interact formally during the meeting and informally between scheduled activities. Opportunities for this type of interaction are vital for scientists, to help insure relevancy in their research and, I believe, just as vital for leaders in production sectors, who are usually early adopters of new technology. The scope of last year’s Stockman’s School program was quite broad and the demonstrations vivid. I gained an excellent appreciation for the cattle industry in South Africa.”E. John Pollak, PhD, Center Director, USDA/ARS-U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE USA

“The Aldam Stockmans school was excellent and very applicable to our Namibian commercial and emerging producers. Of particular importance was the quality of the International speakers. Good information allows you to make the right decisions and the organizers should be commended for arranging a school with such outstanding speakers. I especially enjoyed the practical sessions and particularly the session on financial planning.”Alex Endunde (Namibian Meat Board Executive member)

“This is the first school that I have attended and it is a fountain of knowledge for every beef producer. I particularly enjoyed the talks by Dr Roger Hunsley and especially on his view on capacity. I really learned a lot from him especially regarding the muscling and fat deposition. The practical’s in the afternoon were all good and the school was very well organized. I really recommend it to all producers.”Lawrence Moorcroft (Angus & Hereford Stud and commercial producer)

“The Stockmans School is a must for every commercial and stud breeder - practical and theoretical.”Ferdie Naude (Limousin/Brangus)

“We want to congratulate the management for a successful presentation at Aldam. Your speakers were outstanding and the event was well organised.“ Llewellyn Labuschagne (Brahman)

MAIN SPONSOR

PLATINUM

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AFFILIATES

S AGrainfed Beef

07:00 -08:00 Breakfast (Aldam Restaurant) 08:00 - 08:10 Opening (Main hall), Mr Christopher Sparks, LRF Chairman08:10 - 08:45 Creating a vision for the Red Meat Industry in South Africa: International prospects, Prof Johan Willemse, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, UFS08:45 - 09:20 How does the USA meat grading system meet consumer expectations, Dr Dale Woerner, Associate Professor of Meat Safety & Quality, Colorado State University09:20 - 09:55 Factors affecting meat quality that should be included in a meat grading system as per Meat Standard Australia (MSA), Ms Sarah Strachan, Meat Standards Australia Operations Manager09:55 - 10:25 TEA 10:25 - 11:00 What do successful mega farmers do differently from the average farmer, Dr Piet Croucamp, former presenter of Megaboere11:00 - 11:20 How to address the challanges of decreasing livestock farming profitability, Mr Mecki Schneider. Beef producer, Namibia11:20 - 11:40 Selection for profit - a success story, Mr Johan Styger, Seed stock producer

07:00 -08:00 Breakfast (Aldam Restaurant)08:00 - 08:05 Proceedings for the day (Main Hall), Mr Peet Nienaber, LRF Vice-Chairman08:05 - 08:45 How does the UK meat industry meet consumer expectations, Mr Kim Matthews Head of Animal Breeding and Product Quality at the AHDB, UK08:45 - 09:05 How does the Australian meat grading system meet consumer expectations, Ms Sarah Strachan, Meat Standards Australia Operations Manager09:05 - 09:25 South Africa's Beef Genomics Project - How this effects the commercial producer, Mr Thys Meyer, SA Genomic's Program09:25 - 09:45 Research results on fatty acids in meat, Prof Arno Hugo, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural science, UFS09:45 -10:15 TEA

11:40 - 12:00 All delegates to meet on parking lot, board buses 12:00 - 13:30 Travel to Woodview Farm & Wisp Will (Arlington district) 13:30 - 16:30 Groups alternate between 2 lectures & 1 field practical Using planted & natural grass pastures - field practical (Wisp Will), Mr Llewellyn Angus, Simmental/ Simbra Breeder Cultivated Pasture Management (Wisp Will), Prof Chris Dannhauser, Pasture Consultant Moving to better eating quality - different experiences from a South African producer (Woodview), Mr Brian Angus, Wagyu/Angus Stud Breeder How the Meat Standards Australia grading system assesses eating quality, factors influencing it, and the crucial role of marbling to improve it, Mr Carel Tesseling, Technical Services Manager, Australian Wagyu Association 16:30 - 18:00 Travel back to Aldam 19:00 Dinner (Aldam Restaurant)

12 OCTOBER 2016

13 OCTOBER 2016

SESSION 1

THEME: MEETING CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS: VISION FOR THE RED MEAT INDUSTRY, 2020 AND BEYOND

ALDAM STOCKMAN’S SCHOOL PROGRAMME

SESSION 2 (Lunch to be served on the bus)

SESSION 3

10:15 - 10:35 Overview of the South African meat classification system and prospects, Dr Phillip Strydom, ARC Animal Production Institute10:35 - 10:55 Expectations of the different consumer market segments in South Africa, Prof Hettie Schönfeldt, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Department of Animal and Wildlife Sciences, UP10:55 - 11:15 Can we satisfy the consumers expectation for high quality meat given the Southern African environment, Prof Louw Hoffman, Head of the Animal Sciences Department at Stellenbosch University11:15 - 12:00 Panel Discussion, Chaired by Mr Christopher Sparks, LRF Chairman12:00 - 13:00 View Cattle on display, Different Breed Societies13:00 - 14:00 Lunch (Aldam Restaurant) Session 4: Location of each session as indicated on sign boards (Choose 3 out of the 10 options)

1 Bull and cow selection, Mr. Martin Seyfferdt/ Mr. L Angus, Interbreed beef Judges 2 How to use AI & Embrio's in your breeding program, Dr Neil van Zyl, In Vitro Africa 4 Feeding of breeding bulls, Dr. Vlok Ferreira, National Technical Manager Ruminants, RCL FOODS 5 Whats on the menu for Finishing? Grass, Chop, Grinded maize or whole maize?, Mr Johan Mouton, Technical Manager RCL Foods 6 Kraal Setup & Handling & Autodraft, Weigh & ID, Greg Talbot & Lisa Williams, Taltec & Rudd Product 7 Reproductive health and synchronisation- know the effects that disease has on reproductive efficiency, Dr Barry van Houten, Zoetis 8 The need for DNA testing for paternity & genetic defects, Dr. Munro Marx, CEO Unistel Laboratories 9 The basics of Genetics and Breeding, Prof. Azwihangwisi Maiwashe, General Manager, ARC Animal Production Institute & Dr. Baldwin Nengovhela, Senior Researcher: Recording and Improvement, ARC Animal Production Institute 10 Managing and growing your beef business efficiently understanding the value chain, the market and consumer, Mr. John Devonport, Financial Consultant and Beef Breeder, Sponsored by Landbank19:00 Evening Function: Prize-giving (Main Hall), Dimakatso (Nono) Sekhoto - Director GrowthShoot

07:00 - 08:00 Breakfast (Aldam Restaurant) 08:00 - 08:05 Proceedings for the day (Main Hall), Mr Christopher Sparks, LRF Chairman 08:05 - 08:35 The Rands & Cents of an intensive Small Stock Management system, Dr Karen Wessels, Winner: Most innovate livestock farmer 201408:35 - 09:05 Managing a beef cattle enterprise in challenging times, Mr Gerrit van Zyl, Beef producer South Africa09:05 - 09:35 Genetic contribution to productivity and meeting future consumer demands, Prof. Azwihangwisi (Norman) Maiwashe, General Manager, ARC Animal Production Institute09:35 - 10:05 The role of the producer in the South African meat industry and a vision for 2020, Dr Pieter Prinloo, Vice Chairman RPO10:05 - 10:15 Summary and conclusion, Mr Christopher Sparks, LRF Chairman10:15 - 10:30 Tea and lucky draw to conclude school

14 OCTOBER 2016SESSION 6

SESSION 4 Location of each session as indicated on sign boards (Choose 3 out of the 10 options)

SESSION 5

Information regarding speakers

Prof Johan WillemseJohan matriculated in Aliwal North. He completed his B.Com. degree in Economics and Agricultural Economics in 1976 at the University of the Free State, his B.Com. Hons. in 1977 and M.Com. in 1978. He did his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at the University of Pretoria in 1994. His career includes various awards, for instance Economist of the Year, ABSA/Sake in 2004, Agriculturalist of the Year, Agricultural Writers Association in 2004 and Personality of the Year, Animal Feed Manufacturers Association (AFMA) also in 2004.

Dr Piet CroucampPiet teaches politics at the University of Johannesburg. He specializes in research methods and political risk analysis and the democratization of political systems. He has an academic infatuation with violence. He studied at the University of Stellenbosch and the RAU, and has a Doctorate from the University of the Free State. His research has been published in various national- as well as internationally accredited journals and publications.

Dr Dale R WoernerDale is an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University. His research experience and expertise is in fresh meat quality, fresh meat shelf-life, meat flavor chemistry, pre-harvest management for quality meat production, meat cookery, instrument assessment of meat products, and innovative carcass fabrication. Dr. Woerner serves as a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Beef Innovations Group. He has been recognized as a top 10 industry leader by Cattle Business Weekly, a Hall of Fame Young Alumni inductee at Texas Tech University, as a one of “40 under the age of 40” recognized by Vance Publishing in their inaugural for their contributions to food security, and, in 2015, received the American Meat Science Association’s Achievement Award.

Mr Johan StygerJohan has been involved in stud breeding since 1986. In 2004 he relocated his farming operations to the farm Schoemansfontein, District – Hartbeesfontein, where he farms with a 180 cow herd extensively, with shortened mating periods. Johan’s herd has further received 5 consecutive Reproduction awards. The herd holds a BREEDPLAN 4-Star Completeness of Information status. In 2014 and 2015 Johan was placed 3rd and 2nd respectively in the BREEDPLAN Stud Breeder of the Year competition. He lectures widely on the practical aspects of Fertility and Genetic Progress. He is also a member of the South African Simmental Technical Committee, specifically tasked with selection indexes. He holds the degrees BEng (Civil) and BEng (Civil)(Hons) from the University of Pretoria and is a registered Professional Engineer and Project Manager.

Mr Mecki SchneiderMecki is one of Africa’s leading beef producers. He was awarded the Landbouweekblad BREEDPLAN Seedstock Producer of the year title in 2007 and the Master Farmer (Meesterboer) title by the Namibian Agricultural Union in the year 2000. Mecki runs one of Africa’s largest Brahman & Commercial herds. He has also been on the forefront of implementing new technologies into the industry. He was the first farmer in Africa to implement the “Growsafe Feed Intake System” for the selection of Feed Efficiency.

Sarah StrachanSarah is the Meat Standards Australia Operations Manager. She oversees the business development of the MSA program in each state of Australia with a team that works with producers, processors, brandowners and end users to optimise the value of MSA to the supply chain. This involves working with 54 processors responsible for MSA grading over 3 million cattle and 5 million lambs annually that enter 146 MSA brands and supplied by over 45,000 sheep and cattle producers. Sarah has a Rural Science qualification from the University of New England and Graduate Certificate in Agribusiness through the University of Queensland. She has been employed with Meat & Livestock Australia and specifically the MSA program for almost 15 years. During this time Sarah has been involved in providing grading services, delivering and development of MSA training programs and more recently the creation and communication of MSA tools including the myMSA feedback system and e-learning resources.Sarah is also from a commercial beef cattle producing family in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales and has been extensively involved in the coordination of the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Association including past Australian team coach.

Prof Chris DannhauserChris is an emeritus professor, University of Limpopo. He has 45 years’ experience in planted pastures. He has attended numerous agricultural conferences on planted pastures. Currently he works as a consultant in the whole of Southern Africa and is a consultant for Selected Seeds.

Mr Kim MatthewsKim graduated in Agriculture/Animal Science from the University of Reading. Kim has worked in meat science since 1992 in the Meat and Livestock Commission and then the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). His expertise is primarily in the area of carcase and meat quality, and general animal science. Currently Head of Animal Breeding and Product Quality at the AHDB, Kim has responsibility for management of the Board’s R&D programme on meat quality and breeding. He has overall responsibility for the delivery of Signet Breeding Services, delivering breed evaluations for sheep and beef cattle.

Mnr Brian AngusThe Angus family runs a mixed farming enterprise near Arlington in the Free State. They plant corn and forage, runs a feedlot and produce their own feed. They have a 52 years old Red and Black Angus stud. A Wagyu herd was started in 1999. On the farm they have their own deboning facility. Their meat is marketed under their “Woodview” brand. The meat is sold in various hotels and restaurants in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Wagyu and Angus beef can be bought on line for door to door delivery (www.wagyu.co.za).

Mr Llewellyn AngusLlewellyn holds Degrees in Agriculture (UFS -with distinction in animal science), and Humanities (UNISA). He is a Senior Interbreed judge and has acted several times internationally as well as nationally. He is a Simmental and Simbra Breed examiner. He held the position as President of the Simmental / Simbra Association for five years. He was appointed Southern African Stud Breeder of the Year in 2004 and as Free State Farmer of the Year in 2005. For 9 years he serves as either Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Livestock Registering Federation and is currently a Honorary Chairman. Llewellyn has been farming in the Arlington district for the past 36 years.

Prof Arno HugoArno obtained the B.Sc. Agric. degree with Animal Science and Meat Science as majors in 1988, the B.Sc. Agric. Hons. in Food Science in 1989, the M.Sc. Agric. in Food Science with distinction in 1992 and the PhD degree in Food Science in 2001 at the University of the Orange Free State. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Food Science Division of the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State. He authored or co-authored more than 100 publications in accredited per-reviewed scientific journals, presented more than 150 papers at national and international congresses and authored more than 40 popular articles. He supervised or co supervised 40 MSc and PhD students. The focus of his current research is the chemical stability of food, with a special interest in the lipid component of meat and meat products

Dr Phillip StrydomPhillip is Research Team Manager for the Meat Science Program of the Animal Production Institute of the ARC at Irene. He is a meat scientist and focusses his research on pre-slaughter and slaughter technologies and conditions in relation to meat quality as experienced by the end user. His Ph.D. entitled “The characterisation of Indigenous Cattle in relation to Production and Product characteristics” was obtained from the University of the Orange Free State in 1998. He spent a sabbatical year in 2004 at INRA in France where he investigated non-invasive methods to predict meat quality in beef. He supervises postgraduate students in general meat science with emphasis on factors involving production and harvesting of meat in relation to meat quality, an important research theme within the SARChI chair.

Mr Gerrit van ZylGerrit matriculated at Grey College in Bloemfontein. After his military training he occupied the post as technical officer at the Afrikaner Cattle association for 4 years where after he spent 20 years in the corporate world. At the time of his resignation he was Senior National Sales Manager. He currently has his own Glass and aluminium company and spends his weekends on his farm where he keeps a Bonsmara stud. His farm has received the following recognitions:2009 and 2011 National winner of ARC stud of the year; 2011 National Voermol cattleman of the year (commercial herd); 2011 Agricultural Writers’ Free State farmer of the year (across all farming branches). Gerrit served for four years on the Bonsmara board as Vice President. He currently writes a monthly column in the Landbouweekblad on cattle farming.

Prof Hettie Schönfeldt R Nutri (UK) (SA) PriSciNat (Fd Sci),Hettie is a rated scientist and professor extraordinaire and associate of the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Well-being at the University of Pretoria and a principal investigator in the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security. Under her guidance the nutrient content of South African beef, lamb, mutton, chicken, milk and milk products has been assessed. She is manager: administration of the Red Meat Research and Development programme of South Africa (RMRD SA). Hettie is a team member of the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) which provides a yearly Agricultural Outlook (currently 2014 - 2023) on African Food Systems, with her focus particularly at the nutrition and consumer interface. She is a reviewer of nutrition programmes for the South African Department: Performance Monitoring and Evaluation of the Presidency.

Prof Louw HoffmannLouw holds the SARChI Chair in Meat Science in the Animal Sciences Department at Stellenbosch University. He obtained his undergraduate, Honours and Masters Degrees in Agricultural Science from Stellenbosch University before completing his PhD in Aquaculture at the University of the North (now known as the University of Limpopo). He has published over 250 scientific papers and graduate more than 70 MSc and PhD students. He is a self-confessed meat lover - “if it bleeds, I eat it”- who last ate vegetables when he was 13 years old. His spare time is devoted to hunting, diving and spending time with his wife and two sons.”

Mr Christopher SparksChristopher is an Architect and Project Manager by profession and a stud breeder by passion. A graduate of the University of Port Elizabeth; he is Managing Director of a 50-year-old architectural practice and has been involved in stud breeding since 2000. He served on the management committee of the Freestate Institute of Architects, served for 4 years as president of the Brangus Breed Societyand is currently chairman of the LRF. Mount Olive Genetics has a “4 Star Breedplan Completeness of Performance” status; was awarded “Brangus Cow Herd of the Year” in 2010 and “Brangus Breeder of the Year” in 2011. Placed 3rd in 2015 as “Landbouweekblad/Breedplan Seedstock Producer of the Year” and was the ARC “Free State Provincial Winner in the National Beef Cattle Improvement Herd of the Year Competition”.

Mr Thys MeyerThys is a cattle farmer with a sound knowledge of the practical implication of modern breeding technology in a breeding enterprise. His area of specialty is the composition of selection indexes. Thys is responsible for writing an application to obtain a Million Dollar research program for the implementation of Genomics and well-structured data for the South African beef industry. He received the LRF BREEDPLAN award for his services to the livestock industry.

Dr Neil van ZylAfter qualifying as a veterinarian at Onderstepoort, Neil started specializing in dairy and farm animal herd health programs. His interests in the reproduction of farm animals lead him to focus on embryo transfer work. He exported embryos and live animals to various countries. In 1996 he started a nucleus breeding program for dairy cattle (a first for Africa) for which he was awarded the South African Holstein Association’s “Personality of the Year” award in 1996 for contribution made in the field of genetic development of the South African Holstein breed. The idea of combining the genetic improvement of farm animals and rural agricultural development culminated in a MBA degree in 2007. Dr Van Zyl founded In Vitro Africa in 2012 and obtained a franchise from In Vitro Brasil to implement the in vitro production (IVEP) of livestock embryos in sub-Saharan Africa and is now leading a project to multiply superior genetic material for commercial and developing farmers in South Africa.

Mr Carel TeselingCarel obtained a B.Sc. Agric degree majoring in Animal Science and Genetics in 1988, a B.Sc.Agric. Hons. in Breeding and Genetics in 1989 and a M.Sc. Agric. in Breeding and Genetics in 1994 at the University of the Orange Free State. His M.Sc. Agric thesis investigated the different factors influencing cow efficiency as recorded in the South African beef performance recording scheme.From 1991 to 2000 he was the Eastern Cape regional manager of the beef improvement scheme and genetics advisor on the boards of the Hereford and South Devon breeds.In 2000 he and his family migrated to Australia and in 2001 offered the position as Breed Development & Information Manager with Angus Australia. During his 14 years with Angus, explaining genetic and breeding concepts to seedstock and commercial producers constituted a large proportion of his work. He was also instrumental in the development of EBVs for structure, docility and Net Feed Intake, the development and implementation of the GeneProb software to manage the impact of genetic conditions and building the DNA parent verification system. He also facilitated the incorporation of genomic information into Angus EBVs.In 2015 he was appointed the Technical Services Manager of the Australian Wagyu Association and is now responsible for the technical development of this rapidly growing breed.

Mr Martin SeyfferdtMartin, one of South Africa’s leading cattle experts, is head of the South African Interbreed Judge Committee and a leading cattle judge in Southern Africa. He has been invited to judge internationally on numerous occasions.

Lisa WilliamsRudd Products is the sole distributor of the New Zealand based Gallagher livestock weighing systems in South Africa and offers a fully functional workshop with excellent sales and after sales service. Gallagher (Rudd Scales) has been involved with the Aldam Stockman’s School and the Breeder of the year competition since its inception. Their management System will be demonstrated at the school.

Mr Greg TalbotGreg studied engineering in Pretoria. He is the owner of Tal-Tec, a manufacturing company in Brits. He is also on the executive committee of the Brits Industrialist Association. Greg is married to Ronell and they have three children Simone, Johan and Dylan. They live on a farm outside Brits where he also has a cattle farming concern. Alongside Tal-Tec, Greg and Ronell ran a retail business in Brits for 9 years. He played club and provincial hockey for 20 years.

Dr Barry van HoutenBarry is currently the Technical Manager for the ruminants division at Zoetis South Africa. He qualified as a veterinarian from Onderstepoort in 2011 after which he spent 2 years working at a predominantly small animal veterinary hospital in Kempton Park. He has been with Zoetis for over 3 years in his current position and deals with all aspects of ruminant animal health including reproduction, vaccination/ herd health programs and the responsible use of antimicrobials.

Mr Johan MoutonJohan studied at the University of the Free State. He started his career as a Junior Animal Scientist at farm level. He continued his career at the Nooitgedacht research unit where he focused on research on production systems. He later transferred to the private sector where he held the position of Livestock & Pasture Specialist for 10 years. Currently he is the Technical Manager of Product Development (Ruminants) at RCL FOODS with a strong research and technical support function.

Dr Vlok FerreiraDr Vlok Ferreira is National Technical Manager at RCL FOODS. He has a strong interest in ruminant nutrition and management systems. He has written numerous articles in the agricultural media and has been responsible for ruminant nutrition in different aspects of the business.

Dr Baldwin NengovhelaBaldwin holds BSc Agric & Hons from University of Limpopo, MSc form Oklahoma State University and PhD from University of Queensland. He worked for the ARC in four different positions. He started as a researcher, working on genetic evaluation of cattle and mutton sheep breeds, as scientific liaison with ARS-USDA, Livestock Research Coordinator, Sustainable Rural Livelihood Division and now back in Research. His current focus is in smallholder poultry and beef value chains, collecting data that help support the emerging livestock sector in South Africa. Currently a Senior Researcher & Projects Manager: Recording & Improvement at the ARC-Animal Production Institute. Baldwin is the editor of Applied Animal Husbandry and Rural Development journal. He published peer reviewed articles, popular articles, conference proceedings and chapters in books. Gave key note addresses, conference presentations, radio and a series of television lectures in his career.

Dr Munro MarxDr Munro Marx is the CEO of Unistel Medical Laboratories and is an expert on the practical application of DNA in the herd. Unistel is South Africa’s premium provider of DNA percentage and genetic marker services in South Africa.

Prof Azwihangwisi Maiwashe Prof Maiwashe is currently employed as a General Manager for the Animal Production Campus of the Agricultural Research Council. He obtained a BSc (Agric) degree from the University of Venda. He graduated his BSc (Agric) Honours and MSc (Agric) with Cum Laude from the University of Free State. He holds a PhD in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Colorado State University. Prof Maiwashe is rated by the National Research Foundation as an established researcher. His research focuses on development of selection tools applicable in breeding of efficient and profitable livestock. Most of the selection tools developed from his research have been adopted by the livestock industry and are widely used by farmers in their breeding programmes. Prof Maiwashe is passionate about training of students at post-graduate level.

Mr John DevonportMr John Devonport is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accounting (CIMA) and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). He has been actively involved in the financial services industry for many years specializing in tax, estate planning as well as creating wealth for his clients. John runs one of the most successful Limousin cattle herds in the country and has won the Southern African BREEDPLAN Stud Breeder of the year in 2006 and the ARC National Cattle Herd of the year in 2015.

Dr Pieter PrinslooPieter, a full time General Dentist, is an extensive Beef, Sheep and Angora goat farmer in the Queenstown district. Pieter serves as a trustee on Prinsloo Family Trust and Prinsloo Property Trust and is a director of Daybreaker Beef off Grass. He plays an active role in organised agriculture. After matric he went on to study B. Ch. D (Dentistry) at Stellenbosch University. Since 1987 he has been practicing as a General Dentist and fulltime commercial farmer. During his career he was involved in the organised agriculture as Chairperson of Klaassmits Farmers Association, Queenstown Commercial Farmers Union, the multi-racial Chris Hani Commercial Farmers Union as well as the Eastern Cape Red Meat Producers Organisation and the Eastern Cape Prevention of Stock Theft Forum. He is currently the Primary red meat producer’s representative on Red Meat Research and Development South Africa (RMRDSA) as well as Second Vice Chairperson of National Red Meat Producers Organisation and Vice Chairperson Agri SA Commodity Chamber.

Dr Karin WesselsKarin has been farming in the Vrede district since 2005. She operates a Dormer Stud with an intensive lambing system in an annual cycle. Stud ewes are divided into eight groups within a monthly lambing cycle. Each ewe is on an 8 months accelerated lamb cycle. The management of the stud is carried out with the aid of a computerised project plan in order to simplify the complexity and to monitor and manage the progress. Karin’s success comes from her belief that nothing is impossible, no task too big and no challenge unattainable.

Dimakatso Sekhoto (Nono)Dimakatso Sekhoto also known as Nono, acquired a Bcom Financial Accounting degree and worked in financial services for 7 years at PSG Konsult and Investec. She further attained a Postgraduate Diploma in Certified Financial Panning. In 2011 Nono joined her father at Makolobane Farmers Enterprises, a mixed farming commercial farm, and is now the managing director. Nono was selected to attend businesswomen development programs through Gibs and Ernest Young, and acquired a certificate in Introduction to Agricultural Enterprise Management from Pretoria University. Nono’s interest in the agriculture sector has focused on youth empowerment as she is on the board of African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA), was selected for Young Agricultural Professional Fellows Program in Oklahoma US, has spoken at conferences such as the Hortgro Science Symposium, GCARD3 and even on TEDxWomen, selected as a member of the Presidential Youth Working Group, and is co-founder of GrowthShoot, a business focused on capacitating youth in agriculture, supported by Agricultural Research Council (ARC), SAB Foundation, AT Kearney and Norton Rose Fulbright. Nono’s work has attached much attention as she has been featured on Power FM several times, profiled in Farmer Weekly a number of times and even hosted a BBC African team from London to include her in a series profiling 3 interesting young African famers. Nono’s motivation is driven by her self believe that her work will contribute significantly is the transformation of the agriculture sectors, where youth will thrive in order to safe guard food security for future generations.