An interaction between Nature and Technology for Sustainable Sheep Farming
In a period of just over 3.5 years, LANDRANI® Meatmasters with the help of our IntelliFarm™ “cloud” software, has expanded to a considerable size of 2400 Studbook registered females. This growth reflects our commitment to sustainable and ethical farming methods, rather than being an achievement we loudly proclaim.
Our studs spend 6 months in the Karoo veld which represents the majority of their 9 month production cycle. This natural habitat not only ensures their well-being, but also helps to preserve their field-adapted DNA, essential to maintaining their “Geld ut die Veld” status.
During this time, the ewes are inseminated, and their fetuses grow in a stress-free, natural environment. A week before lambing time, we bring them to our high-tech facility known as our Lamb Factory™. This move is not about intensive farming; rather, it is a carefully planned step to ensure the health and safety of both the ewes and their lambs during this critical period, while also reducing the risk of predators and theft, to which they are most vulnerable during lambing.
At the facility, each lamb is plated, weighed, and their Pedigree status carefully recorded. This enables us to maintain the integrity of our stud and ensure the highest standards of animal welfare.
Once the lambs are weaned, the ewes return to the field for their next reproductive cycle. We wean singletons at 45 days, twins at 60 days and triplets & quadruplets at 75 days. The lambs stay behind and begin to follow one of three routes, each route designed to maximise the animals’ potential and future roles:
- Rams with Stud Potential: Chosen for their promising traits, these lambs are sent to the Karoo. In this natural field environment, they are rigorously evaluated, with regular inspections to ensure that only the fittest rams remain.
- Ewe lambs with stud potential: These lambs go to our ewe lamb “auto-pilot” system, where precision feeding supports critical udder and rumen development. From 30kg they only get a roughage ration developed from our patented VoerBlok process. This balance of optimal growth and specialised nutrition prepares them for their return to the field at 6 months of age.
- Non-Breeding Rams and Ewe Lambs: These lambs are moved to our automatic feed pen system. Here they are rounded off until they reach an optimal weight of 43 to 45 kg, typically between 3 and 4 months old, after which they are processed for meat.
This structure ensures that, as the ewes continue their cycle in the field, their offspring are guided along paths that best suit their individual potential, and highlights our farm’s commitment to responsible, ethical and sustainable management.
The LANDRANI® Meatmasters approach is a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario: combining the benefits of natural grazing and predator control with the precision of modern technology for record keeping and animal welfare. We believe that this “hybrid” model represents the future of responsible and sustainable sheep farming.
We look forward to introducing IntelliFarm™ more widely to the market, thereby supporting other farmers in their pursuit of success and sustainability.
We still have a few spots open, so if you’d like to stud and don’t know how, we can help.
15-17 March 2024
IntelliFarm™️ Sheep Management Application
- The weekend has a cost of R5000 per couple including accommodation and meals (2 nights)
- Accommodation is in our luxury units at LANDRANI®, Oudtshoorn.
- We can only accommodate 6 couples per weekend.
- Bookings Close: Friday 9 February 2024
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