Sheep, goats and cattle

Resilience, Focus, and Determination—With a Healthy Dose of Self-Belief

 

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with successful farmers across multiple countries. One thing is clear: whether they manage billion-rand, multi-farm operations or are tenacious smallholders building something from the ground up, they share key traits—resilience, focus, determination, and unwavering self-belief.

 

Beyond these personal qualities, the single most important predictor of success in livestock farming is reproductive efficiency—particularly in cows and ewes. Efficient reproduction hinges on two things: the health and fertility of the males, and the scientific, well-managed breeding of the females. Once the basics are running smoothly, genetic progress through assisted reproduction can unlock further gains.

 

At Bestbred, we’re here to support farmers in achieving those goals through:

 

Herd and flock health optimisation

Guidance on improving general management, fertility, and disease control to boost reproductive performance.

 

Disease outbreak investigation

Systematic, science-based analysis to identify and address the underlying causes of production-limiting illness.

 

Assisted reproduction for genetic advancement

Including artificial insemination in cattle, laparoscopic AI and embryo transfer in small stock, and semen freezing for storage or international trade.

 

Specialist infertility investigation

Comprehensive assessment of breeding males and females—with the option of formal veterinary legal reports where required.

 

Though based in Centurion, we work with farmers throughout South Africa and beyond.

If you'd like to discuss your herd or flock’s reproductive goals—or simply learn more about how we can help—please don’t hesitate to get in touch