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AUCTION BULLS 2020 This part is unfortunately not available in English.
LOT 01: HART 17-0026VIDEO PHOTOS HART 17-0026’s father is HART 11-0050 (click on the sire link above) that was extensively used in the Hartebeestloop herd. His motherline is outstanding: BHE 04-201 being a SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW on his father’s side, while his own mother GBS 06-0107 also boasts the title SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW with AFC 25 months, ICP 376 days/9 calves and she weans at 47,9% of her body weight.
HART 17-0026 is a well-muscled, sturdy medium-frame bull. He has good general width, great overall capacity and spring of rib, strong topline and nice depth throughout the forequarter. He is packed with meat. His inner and outer thighs, loins and slope of rump are filled with meat with good thickness across the back. He further reveals ample growth in his pre-wean and post-wean breeding values respectively at 110 and 115. During performance testing he demonstrated an ADG index of 118 and a Veld Feed Conversion index of 115. Both his Dressing-mass Percentage and Carcass Production stands at an impressive 113 which validates his great post-wean growth and muscling traits.
He is very well adapted for difficult farming conditions for which the Bonsmara is exactly bred for. His coat is glossy and thick with broad folds and a nicely developed dewlap. Great rump development, strong legs, clean underline and long tail. HART 17-0026 was one of the best achievers during the Veld Bull Test 114 that was performed under very difficult and dry conditions.
His secondary masculine traits are very well developed: strong head and jawline, broad eyebrow ridges and excellent deepening of colour in the neck and forequarter. His scrotum hangs symmetrical, is beautifully formed and measures 43,5 cm. Breeding score for scrotum circumference is 114.
HART 17-0026 performed well during the official performance testing and his data reflects this. In my opinion, his performance on the veld - that included monthly weigh-ins, temperament evaluation and overall ranking in the group – was more important than his official performance testing. HART 17-0026 is a bull that will deliver heavy weaners and oxen. Furthermore he will add excellent growth ability and adaptability to your herd, while bringing along good muscling - and conformity – traits. He has a white patch in front of the scrotum that may distract stud breeders. This is an excellent opportunity for commercial farmers to acquire a stud bull.
LOT 02: HART 17-0138VIDEO HART 17-0138 is the son of the dependable HART 11-0058 (click on the sire link above) and HART 12-0004. His mother is a SA Stud Book 4-Star Cow with an AFC of 25 months, ICP of 362 days/6 calves; average wean index of 107/6 calves and she weans at 47,3% of her body weight. Her accomplishments reflect her mother’s achievements, HART 07-0177: AFC 26 months, ICP 363 days/8 calves. HART 17-0138’s grandmother on his father’s side is HART 05-0004, a SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW with AFC of 29 months and ICP of 375 days/9 days. When it comes to HART 17-0138, you can write a book about the mother line’s achievements.
HART 17-0138 is a well-muscled, medium-frame bull that can be put to work on mature heifers and cows. He does not however meet all the requirements of a calving ease bull and for that reason we strongly recommend careful consideration when using him on heifers. He is an impressive bull with great conformity, overall width, capacity and nice depth throughout the forequarter. He is packed with meet behind shoulders. You cannot ask for better meat traits! He also shows a strong topline, beautiful tail attachment and slope of rump, sturdy legs with good width across the hocks and strong claws. The underline is great with a satisfactory navel/sheath combination. His overall balance and ease of movement is faultless.
The bull’s adaptability speaks for itself and we invite you to personally come and look at HART 17-0138.
His alert attitude and head-held-high posture reflects his masculinity. He has a strong and masculine head, broad jawline, good width between the eyes and well developed eyebrow ridges. Deepening of colour is beautiful and his scrotum measures 44 cm with a breeding index of (115).
The breeding values are consistently outstanding – birth weight/calving ease (106), pre-wean and post-wean growth index (100) and (103) respectively; ADG (106), feed conversion ratio (102), gras efficiency rate (105), milk index (98), Mature weight (97), Maintenance index (107). The 3 selection indices are: Cow Index (109), Growth Index (110) and Production Index (110). The point I want to emphasis is that continuously delivers but he maintains the Bonsmara standard for Mature Weight.
HART 17-0138 promises to be stud performer. From his family tree, mother lineage, personal performance, breeding indices, conformity, visual appearance and right through to market demands, he is spot on. Pay close attention to this diamond bull!
LOT 03: HT 16-0077 (POENA / POLLED)VIDEO HT 16-0077 is bred from HT 13-0010 (PH) that now resides at Zunica Bonsmaras (Nic van Heerden). His breeding history extends back to the renowned polled bull JPL 06-0105 from the Snyman brothers. His mother JPL 07-0048 (PH) was purchased during the sale auction of the Snyman brothers and she adapted well to the Kalahari. Her AFC is 32 months and ICP of 413 days/8 calves. Her ICP was excellent while she was still in South Africa. During 2015/2016 she was sent to Namibia and she was placed under even more pressure due to the severe drought. She thus did not deliver any calves during 2017.
He is a well-muscled, medium-frame and calving ease bull that can be used on heifers and cows. I want to jump in with the characteristics that are important for polled for animals: he displays a masculine and strong head, well-developed eyebrow ridges, good width between the eyes, neck is beautifully developed with nice deepening of colour.
His underline is nice and clean with a good navel/sheath combination. There's no sign of prolapse. The scrotum circumference measures 42,5 cm, is well-formed and hangs symmetrically. The scrotal breeding index is (112).
His overall muscling is great; there is good structural width throughout as well as sufficient capacity with nice spring of rib and depth through the forequarter. The topline is strong and broad; slope of rump and tail attachment are satisfactory while the legs and claws are nice and strong. His skeletal framework is slightly more refined.
He is very well adapted for veld conditions and excelled within his group with a Veld Bull Index of (113). His Maintenance Index of (104) highlights his performance on the veld. During performance testing he delivers the following results: Wean Index (98), ADG (115) and Grass Feed Efficiency Index of (115). Remember that we test the polled and horned animals together in a group – we are interested in the animals’ performance.
HT 16-0077 is not only an outstanding polled animal but also an outstanding bull overall. He was used within our herd as a young bull and we also used his father, HT 13-0010. The polled genetic pool is still relatively small which can be quite restrictive. Commercial farmers that want to establish the polled gene within their herd should pay attention to HT 16-0077.
LOT 04: HART 16-0266VIDEO He is bred from FCT 11-0285 and HART 12-0169. He comes from outstanding mother lines on both his mother’s - and father’s – side: FCT 06-0069 with AFC of 26 months, ICP 387 days/11 calves and GBS 06-0107 (SA Stud Book ELITE GOLDEN COW) with AFC of 25 months, ICP 376 days/9 calves. His own mother, HART 12-0169 brings the following to the table: AFC of 24 months, ICP 384 days/6 calves and she weans at 45,4% of her body mass. HART 16-0266 comes from diamond mother lineages.
HART 16-0266 is well muscled, medium-frame bull that can be used on mature heifers and cows. His masculinity and strong conformity will catch you eye. His head boasts masculinity, broad between the eyes, well-defined eyebrow ridges and broad jawline – this is not a bull to be messed with! The neck is thick, broad and beautifully darker in colour. The scrotum hangs perfectly and measures 42 cm.
He has great overall build and conformity. Right through he has great capacity, with meaty inner – and outer – thighs and deep forequarter. HART 16-0266 has excellent meat characteristics. Well adapted to the harsh Kalahari and drought hardy – these are the adaptability traits that will make or break a bull. The coat is smooth, short and glossy. The throat skinfolds are loose, thick and full of broad folds. The rump development is beautiful, tail stretches to the ground and his underline is clean and legs are nice and strong.
The bull’s official performance - and “on-the-farm-Hartebeestloop” – testing data is outstanding. His breeding indices for Birth Weight (92), pre- and post-wean growth respectively (109) and (112), ADG (110), feed-conversion ratio (106) and milk (95) are exemplary. If I list every Bonsmara breeding value of HART 16-0266 it will capture your attention.
HART 16-0266 is an outstanding bull in every way. His father, FCT 11-0285 played an important role within our herd and on top of that his grandmothers and mothers are phenomenal cows. HART 16-0266 has achieved TOP visual scores, his breeding indices compliment and support his form, his male authenticity noticeable, he is well adapted for hard veld conditions and his conformity is excellent. He demonstrates a lot of stud potential and stud breeders have a good look at him. He also worked on the farm of Hochfeldstreek Bonsmaras (Streicher Coetzee) and his calves are brilliant.
LOT 05: HART 17-0010VIDEO He is a medium-frame, calving ease bull that can be used on cows and heifers. There are several important traits to consider when looking at a calving ease bull. Remember that the average breeding value is 100. Look at the below breeding values of HART 17-0010 and compare him against the breed average.
- Birth weight index (118) that indicates calving ease. The pre-wean (98) and post-wean growth (101) values are indicative that the calves will wean on breed average followed by sufficient growth afterwards for oxen production.
- The milk breeding index (110) confirms ample milk that will be transmitted to the female offspring to produce heavy weaners.
- His Average Daily Weight Gain (ADG 107), Feed Conversion Ratio (103), Veld Conversion to meat (107) and Veld Bull Index (104) shows that he performs efficiently on the veld.
- He is well muscled, with good conformity, sufficient width throughout, beautiful mid-piece, great general capacity and depth within the forequarter. He has a satisfactory breeding value of (113) for eye muscle surface area which again highlights his outstanding muscling traits. Muscling is supple which places him in the calving-ease category.
- HART 17-0010 condition index has consistently been above group average and his early fat deposition score (119) supports this; always first to reach top condition and maintain it. Adaptability is not based solely on performance breeding scores but is a continuous visual evaluation and good stockmanship process with emphasis on traits to increase profits. These are the type of bulls everyone wants to breed.
- His Maintenance Index (101) and Cow Index (120) shows that he delivers more with less input. These values are a summary of a number of important characteristics: low input costs, calving ease, ample milk and production of heavy weaners.
HART 17-0010 is bred from FCT 11-0285 and HART 12-0041. She is a phenomenal cow with AFC 24 months, ICP 363 days/6 calves, wean index of 101/6 while she still manages to wean at 45,5% of her body mass.
HART 17-0010 will surely improve calving-ease in your herd. He is also a good bull to consider for opening heifers and producing beautiful weaners and oxen. He can also be used successfully on cows when considering his best traits: great growth ability, ADG, feed conversion and adaptability.
LOT 06: HART 17-0007VIDEO We have had great success by pairing late Hansie Steyn’s (HJS) lineage with Namibian genetics, especially with the Woestyn Bonsmara lines. We then successfully paired AG-genetics with the offspring. This type of “crossbreeding” within the Bonsmara breed is well documented within the Hartebeestloop herd and these bulls are working on farms across Namibia. For this reason and from time-to-time artificial insemination is still being done with HJS 03-0016 . This bull also performed well in the Arcadia Bonsmara herd. His son, AG 08-0210 has delivered a number of strong bulls for the 2020 AG auction.
HART 17-0007 is bred from HART 11-0058 (click on the sire link above) that was sold to Sernick Bonsmaras. HART 11-0058 performed well in the Hartebeestloop herd. His mother lines delivered exceptional achievers: grandmother on father’s side SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW HART 05-0004, AFC 29 months, ICP 375 days/9 calves. Grandmother on mother’s side VV 06-0084: AFC 24 months, ICP 398 days/8 calves. The bull’s mother HART 12-0216 has a AFC of 17 months (management fault on our side), ICP of 392 days/5 calves and she weans at 47,9% of her body weight. These cows are the foundation on which cattle herds are built.
HART 17-0007 is ‘n well-muscled, medium-frame bull with lots of width, excellent capacity, good spring of rib and great depth throughout the forequarter. He is a TOP PERFORMER with a wean index (95), ADG (114), veld feed conversion (112) and Veld Bull Index of (113). Grass feed efficiency is sure the best way to describe the Kleiber / Veld feed conversion ratio. With a Kleiber index of 116 during the Veld Bull Test HART 17-0007 demonstrated that he is outstanding achiever.
His breeding values are excellent overall. There is sufficient milk (95), good pre-wean (111) and post-wean growth (115), ADG (111) without his mature weight (107) being too high and good reproduction with a scrotal circumference (108).
The adaptability characteristics of HART 17-0007 is of the best. From his thick and mobile neck folds all the way to his long tail, he is a true example of what is needed for profitable farming on the veld. His masculinity is impressive with a strong head, broad jawline, beautiful deepening of colour and a scrotum that hangs perfectly and measuring 41 cm.
HART 17-0007 shows great stud potential and will be regarded by buyers as one of the best bulls on auction. He is definitely one of my favourites on auction and I highly recommend him to any stud breeder. It remains a difficult choice for any breeder to put a bull of this calibre on auction, but the ensuing drought lead to a reduction of the Hartebeestloop cow herd.
LOT 07: HART 14-0127VIDEO HART 14-0127 is a medium-frame, “easy-fleshing” bull. His father - BHE 03-0126 comes from the old, but very well-known Fortress lineage of Burkhardt Hermann. His mother is HART 11-0102 and her pedigree includes VV 99-0318 and AG 03-0029/TBR 91-0704. HART 14-0127 is loaded with breeding history.
The cow lineage on his mother’s side shows they are exceptional reproducers and achievers. HART 11-0102 (SA Stud Book ELITE SILVER COW) with a AFC of 23 months, ICP of 400 days/ 6 calves with a wean index of 107 and to top it off, she weans at 52,4% of her body mass. Her mother, VV 06-0098 is a SA Stud Book ELITE GOLDEN COW with an ICP of 381 days/ 9 calves. Both the grandmother and mother scored 8,5 on visual inspection. These cows display beautiful femininity with great udders.
HART 14-0127’s outstanding masculinity will surely catch your eye. He has a solid head with robust eyebrow rims, good width between the eyes and a broad neck with beautiful deepening of colour. The scrotum measures 40,5 cm and is well formed. It has been a long time since I have seen a bull that radiates this much masculinity.
He demonstrates great balance throughout his conformation, excellent body width throughout, great overall capacity and spring of rib as well as beautiful depth throughout the forequarter. His height/length ratio of 1:19 puts him in the long-bull category while he still maintains a strong topline, excellent slope of rump and tail attachment. His great muscling trait means he is packed with meat and can be seen in the beautiful outer and inner thighs, loins and meaty topline.
HART 14-0127 is extremely well-adapted for demanding environments. His coat is gleaming, glossy, thick and loose – pay special attention to the skin folds in the neck area as well as around the throat. His coat hairs are short and gleaming. The rump development is very satisfactory. He has strong legs with good width between the hocks and great claws; this all adds up to a Hartebeestloop Veld Bull Index of 116.
HART 14-0127 delivers well-balanced breeding values as is expected of a medium-frame and “easy fleshing” bull as demonstrated by his great pre-wean (111) and post-wean growth ability (111). He is undoubtedly a TOP PERFORMER with a wean index of 117, ADG index of 108 and Kleiber index of 105. I would like to highlight two breeding indices that is indispensable to ensure profitable farming in dry and tough environments – Cow Index 100 and Maintenance Value 109. His birth direct value index stands at 63 but this does not correlate with his performance and visual display as a calving-ease bull. We have mainly used HART 14-0127 on heifers aged 18 to 22 months. Average birth weight of the calves were 35 kg with no calving problems reported. His father BHE 03-0126 was mainly used on heifers as well. His current weight might be a problem for younger heifers.
HART 14-0127 displays high stud ability and will surely contribute greatly to any herd. He embodies the most important traits for any herd: masculinity, quick ability to reach top condition, "easy- fleshing", full of meat and great conformity. The ongoing drought forced us to move all open heifers to South Africa. With the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in South Africa these heifers might not be able to return to Namibia. If this was not the case, I would surely have held onto HART 14-0127 a bit longer. He is one of my favourites on auction.
LOT 08: HART 16-0110VIDEO He is bred from HART 09-0329 (click on the sire link above) - a bull that has left his mark within the Hartebeestloop herd and many other herds throughout Namibia. Mother lineages (matrilineality) remain the corner stone of success within the Hartebeestloop herd. Have a look at the achievements of this bull’s mother line: grandmother on father’s side - HART 06-0096 – AFC of 24 months, ICP 372 days/9 calves; grandmother on mother’s side BHE 02-0199 – AFC of 34 months, ICP 421 days/9 calves while his own mother - HART 08-0192 – has a AFC of 25 months and ICP of 379 days/8 calves. There is magic in the numbers - for the stud breeder it means a bigger selection to choose from and for the commercial farmer it translates into more sales and higher profits. Regardless if your focus is on stud or commercial farming, you need this mother line in your herd.
HART 16-0110 is a medium-frame bull with outstanding conformity, great overall muscling, good width, outer and inner thighs are packed with meat, strong topline, sufficient capacity and excellent length (height/length ratio 1:23). He must surely be the longest bull on auction. We have used him with great success to open heifers and the average birth weight of calves was 36 kg. His slope of rump, tail attachment and underline are all outstanding and includes a perfect sheath / navel flap combination. He is true model of adaptability – beautiful rump, glossy coat and hair, long tail and strong legs with strong claws. Pay special attention to the black pigmentation on his muzzle. His Veldbulindex 109 underlines the fact that he one of the best adapted bulls on auction.
His masculinity traits are one for the books – he proudly carries a strong head, has well-defined eyebrow rims and lower jaw, good width between the eyes and a broad neck with beautiful deepening of coat colour. The scrotum circumference measures 42 cm and hangs perfectly.
You cannot ask for better breeding values – nearly spot on for the breed average for Mature Weight (98) and Shoulder Height (94), Milk index (101), pre- and post-wean growth potential (112) and (118) respectively and ADG of (104).
The ongoing drought has yet again confirmed the following three principles:
- Dry, overly-muscled bulls breed the same type of cows and they do not reproduce
- Flaccid, under-muscled bulls breed the same type of cows and they cannot maintain conformity
- Overall Body Condition and Maintenance Value are the most important driving factors for reproduction and profit under difficult farming conditions.
For the above reasons I am highlighting HART 16-0110’s performance testing data: Eye muscle surface index (104) – an indication of above average musclings; early fat depositioning (102) – the ability to maintain overall condition or to improve quickly on it; and Maintenance Value (100) – a bulls reflection to do more (excel) with less input (expenses). These performance values are further fortified by his Overall Body Condition score on the veld that has remained consistently good.
HART 16-0110 is in all regard an exceptional bull. Stud breeders should intend to breed for the meat industry and ultimately produce animals that will put more money in the pockets of their clients. Use bulls with high stud potential, outstanding performances on the veld, low input costs and above average growth ability.
LOT 09: HART 17-0057 He is bred from HART 11-0050 (click on the sire link above) and HART 07-0177. His mother performs well with an AFC of 26 months, ICP of 363 days/8 calves. She weans her calves at an average of 46% of her body weight. These are outstanding results for a cow that has consistently produced and reproduced over the past 8 years despite very low rainfall. It is definitely worth the effort to apply a strict selection criterion for low input cost, adapted and fertile animals. With the extreme drought in our area, natural selection has taken over and the farmer’s only job is to divide animals between the keep-herd and the elimination-herd.
HART 17-0057 is a medium-frame bull that should be used on cows. His conformity is good with enough muscling and structural width. Furthermore, he offers good structural capacity, nice spring of rib and depth in the forequarter. His adaptability is of the best with a super smooth and glossy coat and hair, lots of extra loose skin folds in the neck - and dewlap - area. A glossy, loose and thick skin coat/skin combination is important for heat regulation and resistance against ticks. His Veld Bull Index (107), Maintenance Index (104), early fat deposition (126) and good pre-wean (102) and post-wean growth ability reflects his excellent adaptability traits.
HART 17-0057 will perform well in a weaner and ox production system. His offspring should grow satisfactory on the veld and reach top condition quickly. Farmer’s that wish to establish a good frame type, good adaptability and above average growth ability in their herd should seriously consider this bull.
LOT 10: HART 16-0375VIDEO When HART 16-0375 stands against the Kalahari dune, then farmers get a “feel good” feeling – you can immediately see that this bull has been bred for tough and extensive conditions. His pedigree includes HART 09-0014 links up with Kruger Bonsmaras; on his mother’s side is HART 13-0028 that goes all the way back to AG 02-0251 (Arcadia Bonsmaras). HART 16-0375 also worked on Streicher Coetzee’s farm, Hochfeldstreek Bonsmaras and his calves are outstanding.
HART 16-0375 is a medium-frame bull with exceptional conformity, great overall muscling, beautiful capacity and general width and lots of depth throughout the forequarter. He is a typical early mature bull with good overall balance and he moves with ease. His topline is strong, slope of rump and tail attachment is very good. Legs, claws and width across the hocks are great. I would however recommend that he is only used on cows – he is a broad bull with strong outer thighs and nice muscling.
His masculinity is impressive – head is strong, good width between the eyes, well developed eyebrow ridges, beautiful deepening of colour and an ideal scrotum measuring 40 cm. His calves inherited the strong, proud head.
He has excellent adaptability traits – great rump development, outstanding quality coat and hair with thick, loose skinfolds. His underline is clean with a good sheath/navel combination. HART 16-0375’s breeding indices is consistently satisfactory with sufficient pre-wean (118) and post-wean (116) growth, milk (97), ADG (99), height/length ration of 1:21, Maintenance Value of (101) and a Veld Bull Index of 106.
I often get to see how the early mature type of bulls perform all over Namibia. The bull’s frame size however needs to be augmented by adaptability, structural conformity and meaningful breeding values as well as a high libido.
HART 16-0375 is surely one of the star bulls on auction. He is a great example of what Bonsmara bulls in Namibia should breed and look like. If you want to improve width, muscling, excellent meat traits and masculine heads with in your herd – without compromising structural conformity, phenotypical efficiency or any other visual characteristic – then look closely at HART 16-0375.
LOT 11: HART 17-0059VIDEO He is bred from HART 11-0050 (click on the sire link above) that was used extensively in our Hartebeestloop herd to reinforce growth ability in the herd. Some words of wisdom on growth: Do not focus too much on the single trait of growth ability. It pushes birth weights upwards and subsequently increases input costs. Growth comes at a price: great growers will usually display heavier Mature Weights and their grazing needs will be a lot higher. They consume vast quantities of grass to reach their heavier weights but should be placed in perspective as we get paid for weight and nothing else.
You must understand the application and use of your bulls. It is important to combine good growth ability with other important economical traits such as conformity, adaptability, ease of movement, overall balance and high fertility.
HART 17-0059 must only be used on cows. He scored 3.5 for conformity and has excellent muscling and overall build. I would like to highlight a couple of breeding values indicative of his ability to produce heavy weaners and great oxen. Remember, the average breeding index of the Bonsmara breed is 100. A breeding value of 135 for example translates into 35% above the breed average.
- Pre-wean (135) and post-wean (130) growth ability
- ADG (118), Feed Conversion Ratio Index (119) and Veld conversion Ratio Index (112)
- Mature Weight (126) and Shoulder Height (110)
- Eye Muscle Surface Area (118) and Marbling (113)
- Dress-mass percentage (118) and Carcass Production (124)
- Calve Growth Index (135)
Despite these excellent scores he is not a late-mature, larger-frame type animal. His Veld Bull Index of 100 shows that he is on breed average and that he is adapted for the veld. His adaptability is great and he is a model of masculinity with a strong head an scrotum that hangs perfectly and measures 41,5 cm. HART 17-0059 comes from excellent mother lines and both his grandmothers – and his mother HART 11-0248 – have excellent production and reproduction scores.
HART 17-0059 is an expert grower. If you want to improve weaner and oxen growth and weight gain on the veld without compromising other important traits (except birth weight) then HART 17-0059 is the bull for you. He must however only be used on cows.
LOT 12: HART 17-0042VIDEO He comes from the highly fertile and best mother lines at Hartebeestloop. His grandmother on father’s side is BHE 04-0201, a SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW with a wean index 103/10 calves; his grandmother on his mother’s side is EI 99-0289 with AFC 30 months, ICP 404 days/8 calves and wean index 106/8 calves. His mother VBB 08-0092 is a SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW with AFC 31 months, ICP 377 days/8 calves and wean index 107/8 calves. There is ample milk in these mother lineages. There a many believes surrounding milk supply in the industry but the fact remains: increased muscling leads to lower milk production and reduced fertility. It is always a good idea to fall back onto a cow herd that delivers ample milk and increased fertility when a herd starts leaning over to too much muscling.
HART 17-0042 is a medium-frame bull with good conformity and lots of width that runs straight through from his thighs, over the topline and rump. He has good overall capacity, depth throughout the forequarter and beautiful muscling. Sufficient muscling correlates with better dress-mass percentage and carcass production and this is exactly what this bull’s breeding values of (104) and (114) show for ox-producing characteristics. Weaner – and ox-farmers should look at the following index values: pre-wean (119) and post-wean (112) growth ability is outstanding; ADG (108), Feed Conversion Index (112) and Calve Growth Value is (119). Here we are dealing with a bull that will bring excellent growth to your herd and you can expect him to deliver heavy weaners and oxen that will excel on the veld.
His Birth Weight (94) and Height (94) breeding indices are all within the breed norm. Further he displays beautiful masculine traits with a strong head, gorgeous deepening of colour, alert attitude and scrotum measuring 45 cm and scrotum breeding value of (126). His adaptability and coat is excellent, and complimented by a long tail and great rump development.
HART 17-0042 is phenotypically efficient, shows structural conformity, bred from top performing mother lines, very masculine and offers great growth ability and feed conversion proficiency. There is surely a place for this bull in every herd!
LOT 13: HART 17-0067 Let’s start with the basics of successful farming. His mother is a SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW BHE 04-0201, with AFC 27 months, ICP of 406 days/10 calves and an average wean index 103/10 calves.
HART 17-0067 is a well-muscled bull of medium-frame type that should be used on mature heifers and cows. He shows excellent conformity, with nice overall capacity and outer thighs packed with meat. He displays beautiful depth throughout the forequarter and has a great height/length ratio of 1:22. This bull is 22% longer than he is high and delivers one of the best ratios on auction. I would have preferred a slightly stronger topline.
His secondary masculine traits are well developed – strong head and broad eye brow rims, thick and broad bull neck with beautiful deepening of pigmentation as well as a scrotum circumference of 40 cm. This bull’s attitude radiates masculinity and pride!
The adaptability traits are well developed with a glossy coat, long and mobile dewlap, great rump development, long tail and full tail switch. He further displays strong legs and claws. He is part of a group of drought-hardy bulls that underwent the Veld Bull Test during very difficult and dry times. He performed above average with a Veld Bull Index of (104).
HART 17-0067 has outstanding breeding values. He is slightly heavier on Birth Weight (86) but exhibits good pre-wean (114) and post-wean (109) growth, good ADG (104) and Feed Conversion ratio (106) together with a positive milk value of (95).
He can be used in any production system; he offers sufficient growth with good ADG and Feed Conversion ratio to produce heavier weaners and good oxen that will adapt – and grow – well on the veld. HART 17-0067 is a good choice for farmers that switch between weaner and ox production depending on prevailing markets.
LOT 14: HART 17-0170VIDEO HART 17-0170 scored 3.5 for frame type and offers great muscling, excellent conformity, strong top line that ends in a long slope of rump. There is beautiful depth throughout the forequarter. HART 17-0170 is filled with meat and his Dress-mass percentage and Carcass Yield are (106) and (128) respectively.
He displays great masculinity with a strong head, good width between the eye and well-developed eyebrow ridges, broad jaw and alert eyes. He is a head-held-high and high libido bull in all regards. The deepening of coat colour along the neck and forquarter is noticeable, while the scrotum – measuring 41,5 cm - is beautiful in form and hangs symmetrical. His Scrotum Index is (120) and it is almost certain that he will breed these quality scrotums as well. The worth of a bull with high libido should not be underestimated.
HART 17-0170 is well adapted for the veld: Veld Bull Index is (113). His admirable growth on the veld during the test period and his above average conditioning scores reflects exactly that which he is bred for – on the veld and for the veld! Despite his great muscling and conformity, his Early Fat Deposition Index is satisfactory (110). This is the type of animal that will maintain conformity and condition on the veld while constantly producing and reproducing.
HART 17-0170 has outstanding pre-wean (127) and post-wean (126) growth ability and a good ADG of (109).The three most important selection indices are impressive: Cow Index (102), Growth Index (130) and Production Index (121). You cannot beat these breeding values!
HART 17-0170 displays good stud potential and will be popular among prospective buyers. His strong points are: sexual authenticity, adaptability, conformity and impressive visual appearance. If you want to improve any of these traits within your herd, then HART 17-0170 should be your first choice.
LOT 15: HART 17-0075 HART 17-0075 is a medium-frame sized, calving ease bull that can be used on heifers and cows. He is a model of good overall muscling, good width throughout, strong topline, beautiful capacity and good depth in the forequarter. His musculature is smooth and supple.
HART 17-0075 was a TOP ACHIEVER during performance testing and delivered the following: Wean Index (111), ADG (105) and Veld Feed Conversion Ratio (101). His breeding values for pre-wean growth (99) and post-wean growth (102) together with his ADG (104) shows that he can be used on cows as well. HART 17-0075 is a typical “ALL ROUNDER” bull that can be used on any herd of heifers or cows.
He demonstrates excellent adaptability and performs well on the veld. His great muscling trait (eye muscle surface area index of 105), complements his early fat deposition index of 118. His weight gain and conditioning score while on the veld during the difficult and dry Veld Bull Test period was consistently above average and he ends with a Veld Bull Index score of 108. Visually he is a strong bull, with studry hump development, smooth and glossy coat, mobile dewlap and strong legs.
HART 17-0075 flaunts outstanding secondary masculinity traits – strong head, head-up attitude with beautiful deepening of coat colour and a well formed scrotum of 40,5 cm. He has a small white patch infront of the scrotum.
He is bred from HART 11-0050 (click on the sire link above) and HART 06-0096. She was one of the top performing cows in the herd with a AFC 24 months and ICP of 372/9 calves. She weans her 9 calves at 48,6% of her weight. We sold an outstanding son of hers, HART 14-0385 to Werner en Anita Schroër.
He is a calving ease bull with enough growth ability that can also be used on cows. He is a so called “safe bull” to use in any herd. Consider him if you want to open your heifers without any problems or if he has to stand-in for any of the other bulls in your cow herd.
LOT 16: HART 17-0189VIDEO HART 17-0189 will immediately catch your eye at the auction.> Outstanding medium-frame size bull that offers calving ease and can be used on heifers and cows. Being a long bull, he offers great conformity, very good muscling, good overall breath and thighs, great capacity and depth in the forequarter. His topline, slope of rump, tail attachments legs and claws are faultless. He has great balance and ease of movement, two crucial traits for these animals growing up between - and walking over- the dunes. I cannot fault him on his structural integrity and build.
HART 17-0189’s excellent adaptability traits are obvious – he offers some of the best coat and hair quality on auction. Have a close look at the loose, thick and substantial dewlap. He definitely demonstrates all the necessary characteristics to perform on the veld – enough muscling to remain in top condition (eye muscle surface area 111), early fat deposit index (154), grass feed efficiency (104), Maintenance Index (121) and is a top performer during the Veld Bull Test (113). Cattle should be able to perform during natural grazing circumstances and farmers want the establish these traits within their herds. You can only achieve this if you have the right bull for the job and implement the correct selection criteria.
His secondary masculinity traits are well developed. Alert bull with a head held high attitude, great eyebrow rims, broad head, beautiful deepening of coat colour and a perfectly formed scrotum that hangs symmetrically. His navel/sheath combination is perfect.
His breeding values are consistently satisfactory – low on birth weight/calving ease (104), great pre-wean (104) and post-wean (112) growth index, above average ADG (106), great meat traits that reflect positively on dress-mass percentage (116) and carcass yield (120). Pay special attention to his 3 selection index values – Cow Index (107), Growth Index (110) and Production Index (108). You should never base your decision solely on breeding values. When the breeding values and visual appearance complement each other as in HART 17-0189’s case then you have covered all of your bases.
HART 17-0189 is filled with stud potential. Serious stud breeders and commercial farmers will not be able to overlook him. After all, has been said and done, he is surely one of my favourites on auction.
LOT 17: HART 17-0182VIDEO He is a strong, medium-frame bull that can be used on cows and heifers. We often use to the term “ALL ROUNDER” that refers to a specific bull that can be used on cows and heifers. The term “MULTI-PURPOSE” refers to the bull’s growth ability to produce good heifers and oxen. In summary, some calving-ease bulls are not only intended to open heifers with and can offer a lot more. HART 17-0182 is this type of bull!
HART 17-0182 has excellent conformity and overall balance. He had good width throughout, nice length and capacity as well as great depth in the forequarter area. He is structurally sound with a strong topline, good slope of rump and nice tail attachment. He is packed with meat and will perform well under difficult circumstances.
His masculinity is impressive – strong head, well-developed and strong eyebrow rdiges, good width between the eyes and darker coat colour in the neck area. The scrotum hangs perfectly and measures 41 cm.
You cannot ask for more when it comes to his adaptability. He displays an excellent coat and hair, long tail, nice hump development, clean underline and strong legs. These traits all combine and allows him to excel on the veld with a Veld Bull Index of (105), Maintenance Cost Breeding Index (121), Feed Conversion Ratio of (118) and Early Fat Deposition of (157). Everything that is needed for increased productivity and reproductivity is well above average.
Birth weight / calving ease (101), pre-wean (93) and post-wean (108) growth index, good ADG of (113), feed conversion ratio of (108), milk index (123), eye muscle surface area of (101), dress-mass percentage (106), carcass yield (114) and the 3 most important selection criteria: Cow Index (107), Growth Index (118) and Production Index (110).
HART 17-0182 ought to go to a stud breeder or serious commercial farmer that is determined to achieve genetic advancement and greater profits in his / her herd. He is prime example of what we expect the modern Namibian Bonsmara to look like.
LOT 18: HART 17-0097 He is bred from FCT 11-0285 and HART 12-0150. She is a SA Stud Book 4-STAR cow with exemplary breeding values: AFC of 24 months, ICP of 361 days/6 calves, with a wean index of 108/5 calves and she weans at 44,9% of her body weight. Her mother, HART 07-0078 was a SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW with AFC of 26 months, ICP of 349 days/10 calves and wean index of 101. Also consider the excellent results of his grandmother on father’s side – top cow FCT 06-0069 from Kit Thompson.
The Bonsmara is a mother lineage breed and that it where is all starts for the bulls. It is thus important to understand the achievements of the mother lines when looking at Bonsmara bulls. It is the value within the achievements of the Bonsmara cows that attracts the farmers to the breed.
HART 17-0097 is a medium-frame bull with outstanding breeding indices:
- Pre-wean (115) and post-wean (120) growth ability for heavier weaners and oxen that will grow well on the veld.
- Milk value index of (109) for sufficient milk supply transmitted to the female offspring which in turn delivers good weaners.
- An excellent Feed Conversion Ratio (111), ADG of (123) and Veld Feed Conversion ratio of (119) – efficiently convert feed and grass into meat and mass.
- Great combination of muscling with eye muscle surface area at (119) and early fat deposition (126). Body Condition Score is the beginning and end of profitable cattle farming. His Veld Bull Index is (111) and his Conditioning Index is (110) during the testing period under very dry and difficult conditions.
- For Meatco and oxen farmers – Dress-mass percentage of (122) and Carcass Production of (125).
- The 3 most important selection criteria for Bonsmaras: Cow Index (115), Growth Index (127) and Production Index (120).
The worth of a bull is however not solely dependant on performance testing and breeding values. HART 17-0097 is a beautifully muscled bull with good conformity, nice width throughout, strong topline as well as nice capacity and spring of rib. He is packed with meat and well-filled in the loins, slope of rump as well as in the outer and inner thighs. His adaptability traits are excellent – very smooth and glossy coat with broad skin folds. Outstanding hump development with strong legs and good claws, mobility ease and good balance all contribute to his easy movement across the dunes.
I would have preferred a slightly more prominent and stronger head but his secondary masculinity traits are well developed. Gradual deepening of coat colour is present and the scrotum is beautifully formed and hangs symmetrically.
HART 17-0097 is an extra-ordinary bull and will perform well under trying veld conditions. I can therefore recommend him with the greatest peace of mind for weaner and ox production systems as well as for well planned crossbreeding systems. If you consider his conformity, width, capacity, high milk index and adaptability then he should also breed good replacement heifers.
LOT 19: HART 17-0087VIDEO Yet again we are dealing with an outstanding son of HART 11-0058 (click on the sire link above) and HART 13-0222. Her performance data is good: AFC of 31 months, ICP of 377 days over 4 calves and wean index of 100/4 calves. She weans her 4 calves at 59,6% of her body weight – true cow efficiency. We expect this type of data from a heifer or a first cow, and not from a cow that has weaned 4 calves already.
HART 17-0087 is a medium-frame bull with excellent adaptability traits. Pay special attention to his thick glossy coat. The coat is thick, loose and ends in a beautiful dewlap. He display good hump development, long tail, strong legs and a clean underline. He does tend a bit more towards the Indicus type Bonsmara and this is exactly what we strive to breed for farmers in extensive veld conditions. He is slightly lighter in colour which is ideal for heat tolerance and reflection of infra-red rays.
He demonstrates good conformity and musculature, strong topline, nice mid-piece and spring of rib and beautiful depth throughout the forequarter. His breeding values are in balance with his pre-wean and post-wean growth (104) and (107) respectively, ADG (106) and milk value of (99). Most of his breeding indices are on breed average or mildly better and that is exactly what we are looking for.
HART 17-0087 offers good masculinity with a strong head, well developed eyebrow ridges, beautiful deepening of colour and a well-formed scrotum that hangs symmetrically and measures 40 cm.
HART 17-0087 is the perfect example of the type of animals we should farm with. After many years of farming, farmers know exactly what type of animals will perform on the Namibian veld. This is very often animals with Bos Indicus traits mixed with the best characteristics of the Bos Taurus . We at Hartebeestloop regard this bull highly and he should go to a serious stud breeder.
LOT 20: HART 17-0110VIDEO He is a well-muscled, calving ease, medium-frame bull that can be used on mature heifers and cows. He is bred from HART 13-0050 and HART 11-0228. Her AFC is 24 months, ICP is 394 days/6 calves and an average wean index 100/6 calves.
His conformity, muscling and width are all good. Topline is nice and strong complemented by a beautiful slope of rump and tail attachment as well as a hind quarter packed with meat. The inner and outer thighs are filled with meat. His mid-piece, spring of rib and depth through the forequarter are excellent. He is structurally correct and in balance. His meat traits catches your eye and he leaves you with the impression that his is full of meat. Have a look at his breeding value indices that reflects his overall meat yield – eye muscle surface area of 121 and dress-mass percentage (119).
Adaptability is the key to success on the veld. HART 17-0110 performs well in this regard and has an outstanding quality coat; gleaming coat and thick, free hanging dewlap. The rump is strong, tail is long, legs and claws are well-developed and he moves easily over the dunes. He is a typical low input cost bull with a Maintenance Index (123) and Veld Bull Index of (100). If you want to breed the correct type of framework, low input cost and well adapted bulls then consider HART 17-0110.
Your profit lies within the number of heifers a bull produces in his lifetime. Masculinity and high libido are important. Look at this bull’s strong head, alert eyes, well-developed eyebrow ridges, good width between the eyes and nice deepening of colour in the neck area. His underline is clean with a good navel/sheath combination and scrotum measuring 48,5 cm.
HART 17-0110 can be used in both weaner and ox production systems. He is a great “ALL ROUNDER & MULTI-PURPOSE” bull to have on the farm. Any farmer that wishes to improve adaptability, frame size, lower input costs, meat traits and fertility must consider this bull carefully.
LOT 21: HART 17-0124 HART 17-0124 has got royal blood flowing through his veins thanks to the mother lines he has been bred from. On his father’s side is BHE 04- 0201 that is a SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW. One his mother’s side is BHE 05-0059 and she is a SA Stud Book ELITE SILVER COW while his own mother, HART 07-0122 was also awarded the title, SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW. Her AFC is 29 months, ICP of 369 days/8 calves and an average wean index of 109/8 calves.
HART 17-0124 is a 3.5 frame-type bull with well-defined overall muscling. He displays beautiful conformity, is structurally wide with good thighs and structural capacity together with nice depth through the forequarter. Despite his length, he has a strong topline, and his slope of rump and tail attachment is faultless. He is loaded with meat and his supports this outstanding trait with dress-mass percentage (113) and carcass yield (125). We have been using Real-Time Ultrasonice scanning for decades to determine meat traits and you can trust our breeding values.
He displays great masculinity with excellent sexual authenticity – strong head and eyebrow ridges, thick and broad bull neck with beautiful deepening of colour and a scrotum circumference of 45,5 cm. His scrotum is well-formed and hangs beautiful. He radiates a macho attitude, proud and alert!
Great adaptability traits are to be found as well – glossy, smooth and short hair and coat; strong hump development with a long tail; strong legs and great claws. HART 17-0124 is a bull that combines early fat deposition (101) with great muscling qualities (112) which is ideal for performance on the veld.
HART 17-0124 has outstanding breeding values. He is heavier on birth weight / calving ease (84). His pre-wean (124) and post-wean (127) growth index together with sufficient milk (94) and good ADG (116) and scrotum index values (129) proves that he is a bull suited for any production system.
HART 17-0124 does not only display excellent growth ability, but manages to combine it with good adaptability, masculinity, high libido, large scrotum circumference for desirable reproduction and productivity. He will surely deliver and meet expectation in any stud or commercial herd.
LOT 22: HART 17-0103 He is a medium-frame, calving-ease bull bred from FCT 11-285 and HART 12-0409. She performed well in our herd with a AFC of 25 months, ICP 376 days/5 calves and average wean index of 101/5 calves.
HART 17-0103 is a early mature, “easy fleshing” bull that can be used on cows and heifers. His adaptability is faultless and his outstanding thick and glossy coat is striking. Have a good look at the long and free-hanging dewlap with the thick folds. The characteristics that positively influence performance on the veld is notably present: Veld Feed Conversion (104), Conditioning Score (101), Early Fat Deposition (106), Maintenance Index (96) and Veld Bull Index (107). It is easy to identify these visual qualities in this bull.
His secondary masculinity traits are well developed – his strong head is notable, with well developed eyebrow ridges, good width between the eyes, beautiful deepening of colour around the neck and a scrotum that hangs symmetrical, is well-formed and measures 37,5 cm.
HART 17-0103 displays great conformity, good width and musculature, excellent length and capacity and spring of rib as well as a depth within the forequarter. He is supple despite being well muscled and he can be used with peace of mind on heifers. Have a look at his legs – slightly of finer build but still has sufficient width over the hocks and structurally correct.
Every one is familiar with the term “Body Condition Score”. All aspects of production and reproduction withing a bulls’ life cycle is determined by his conditioning score. If a heifer or cow’s condition is not optimal then she will not fall pregnant. If an animal is earmarked for slaughtering due to less than ideal conditioning, then it does not reach a good price. You cannot expect to breed the correct genetically conditioned animals from bulls where these traits are not inherently bred into the family lineage.
Have a good look at HART 17-0103 if you want to establish ideal genetically conditioned traits within you herd.
LOT 23: HART 17-0126 HART 17-0126 is a great, medium-frame bull bred from FCT 11-0285 and HART 13-0117. His mother derives from outstanding bloodlines with her own mother GJN 06-0005 being a SA Stud Book ELITE BRONZE COW with AFC of 29 months and ICP of 381 days/8 calves. Her own AFC is 21 months, ICP 381 days/5 calves with an average wean index of 106/4 calves. She weans at 57,3% of her body weight. The saying "ike mother, like daughter" underlines the importance of repetition for continual good reproductivity and fertility.
He displays great conformity and muscling, with good physical capacity and spring of rib as well as depth through the forequarter and is broad right through. Topline is strong and wide, slope of rump if packed with meat and his tail attachment is faultless. His underline is clean and his navel/sheath combination is very satisfactory. His legs are strong with good width across the hocks and great claws. His balance and mobility are good. He shows exactly what he is bred for – to carry loads of meat.
His adaptability is excellent and is the trademark of animals that perform well in the scorching and dry Kalahari. He shows the desired combination of early fat deposition to achieve top condition and ample muscling to maintain conformity.
His genetic breeding indices are consistently satisfactory. Slightly heavier on birth weight/calving ease (92), great pre-wean (116) and post-wean (116) growth ability, ADG (121), feed conversion ratio (112), grass feed efficiency (117), milk index (111) and scrotum circumference index of (114). Have a look at the rest of his breeding values on the catalogue.
HART 17-0126 is an excellent choice for most herd. He can be put to work in any production system and ought to breed great and practical heifers with ample milk and good growth.
LOT 24: HART 17-0031VIDEO He is bred from HART 13-0050 and HART 11-0353. His mother is a highly fertile cow with AFC 26 months, ICP 362 days/6 calves and she weans at 45,5% of her body weight.
HART 17-0031 is a medium-frame bull that can be used on mature heifers and cows. During performance testing he excels within his group with ADG index of (121) and Kleiber Index of (115). The following breeding scores indicate that he can be used with great success on cows: Birth Weight (110), Milk Index (95); pre-wean (101) and post-wean (108) growth ability and ADG (106).
He displays quite a lot of Bos Indicus traits that are crucial for successful farming under extensive and difficult veld farming conditions. His coat is glossy, smooth, short and gleaming. His rump development, long tail, strong legs and claws are all exemplary. HART 17-0031 consistently delivers good breeding values. His temperament, monthly condition score, weight gain on the veld, ease of movement, overall balance and performance in the group were all outstanding. His most important traits – Veld Bull Index (107), Maintenance Index (106) and Early Fat Deposition (110) – confirmed that he will produce animals requiring low input costs on the veld. In short, if he produces animals that perform like he does, then you will reap the benefits in your herd.
HART 17-0031 displays good conformity, enough muscling, great overall width and capacity, a strong topline and nice depth throughout the forequarter. His skeletal build is slightly refined that will contribute to calving ease.
He is a beautiful masculine bull, with an alert head-held-high attitude and a good scrotum measuring 46,5 cm.
HART 17-0031 is the ideal bull for your herd if you want to add adaptability and better performance on the veld . It has been proven time and again that cattle with more Bos Taurus characteristics, perform poorly under Namibian veld conditions. Crossbreeding in Namibia can however be quite successful when the Bos Indicus influence is two-thirds or more in the cross-bred offspring. Except for all the desirable Bos Indicus traits that HART 17-0031 brings to the auction, he also brings along all the great characteristics inherent of the Bonsmara breed.
LOT 25: HART 17-0144VIDEO He is bred from HART 11-0050 (click on the sire link above) and VV 06-0098. She is a SA Stud Book ELITE GOLD COW with a AFC of 29 months, ICP of 381 days/9 calves and she weans her 9 calves at 46,7% of her body weight.
He is a well-muscled bull and scored 3.5 for his frame and outstanding conformity. There is structurally good width, nicely filled outer and inner thighs, sufficient body capacity and a deep forequarter. HART 17-0144 is a long bull with a strong topline, good slope of rump and beautiful tail attachment. His strong legs and good width over the hocks complements his faultless build. His meat traits are outstanding, and he is packed with meat. He should preferralble only be used on cows.
Secondary sex traits traits are well-developed with a strong and masculine head, beautifully defined eyebrow ridges, good width between the eyes and a good bull neck with deepening of colour. His underline is clean with a satisfactory navel/sheath combination. The scrotum measures 39,5 cm and hangs perfectly.
His adaptability traits speak for themselves and is a perfect example of a hardy Bonsmara bull that will perform during difficult times.
Yet again we are dealing with a bull that combines excellent growth with good feed conversion - and grass efficiency – values. I want to again emphasise the importance of early fat deposition together with good muscling for cattle on the veld. Farmers are already familiar with the importance of a bull’s condition throughout the production chain. This includes heifers that reach top condition quickly, cows that are in top condition at time of calving and remain in condition till she mates again; right through to bull calves being marketed as oxen directly from the veld. HART 17-0144 combines the 2 most important economical traits seamlessly.
His breeding values have been consistently good and have a look at his other breeding values within the catalogue.
HART 17-0144 has great conformity, is bred from outstanding mother lines and performs exactly as expected. Have a close look at this bull if you are looking for a “Multi-Purpose”, structurally correct bull that will do well in any production system.
LOT 26: HART 17-0145VIDEO He comes from the most efficient mother lines within our herd. His mother, HART 12-0365 has an AFC of 22 months, ICP 402 days/5 calves and average wean index of 99/5 calves. She weans her 5 calves at 58,1% of her body weight. There is a clear cut difference between fertile and highly productive animals that weans highly efficiently versus those that do not wean as efficiently. A medium-frame size cow that weans at 45% or more of her body weight is ideal.
HART 17-0145 scored 3.5 on frame-type with good conformity but should only be used on cows. He is well muscled, shows good overall width throughout, beautiful capacity and spring of rib, nice depth throughout the forequarter and a strong topline. His meat traits are exemplary – loins, slope of rump, inner and outer thighs are packed with meat. His visual impressions are complemented by his performance data – Eye muscle surface are (111), Dress-mass percentage (109), Carcass Yield (119), Calve Growth Index (111), Growth Index (125) and Production Index ((112). Weaner and ox producers are encouraged to back-up their visual impressions of animals with the latest genetic data regarding a bull’s offspring and expected performance. Farmers should make use of all available tools to buy a bull that meet their farming requirements.
HART 17-0145 is exceptionally well adapted for veld conditions - broad jaw, large eyebrow ridges, great hump development, large and mobile dewlap, great quality coat and hair, long tail as well as strong legs and claws. He is one of the top performers during the Veld Bull Test (114), Grass Feed Efficiency (110), Conditioning Score (110), Maintenance Index (100) and Mature Weight (98).
Growth potential on the veld and the ability to convert grass into meat/weight – pre-wean (111) and post-wean (119) growth index, Average Daily Weight Gain (114) and Feed Conversion Ratio (105) are some of his best qualities.
HART 17-0145 embodies all the traits that we are constantly looking for. He is surely one of our favourites on auction.
LOT 27: JMP 13-0069 (POENA / POLLED)VIDEO He is a tried-and-tested heterozygotic polled bull that we used in our own herd. He is faultless and shows none of the problems that polled animals often struggle with. We have registered more than 50 of his calves and there are still a lot of calves on the way! He was also used extensively in our polled breeding project where we used a combination of Simmentaler, Braunvieh, Tuli and Senepol genetics.
He is a well muscled, medium-frame sized bull that should be used solely on cows. The average birth weight of his calves are 36 kg. His structural width and muscling means that he is not suited for breeding with heifers. His calves are all well-muscled and has good conformity. His calves will be on display during the auction to demonstrate his breeding abilities.
He adapted very well to the harsh climate of the Kalahari. In our opinion JMP 13-0069 is currently the best polled animal available. He has all the traits that polled animals need – great adaptability and masculinity, great conformity and muscling and genetically clean when it comes to the double muscling gene. His underline is clean and the navel/sheath combination is very satisfactory – there are no signs of prolapse. His scrotum circumference measure 41,5 cm and is perfectly formed and hangs symmetrically.
His breeding index values are consistently good and remains stable. Good pre-wean (101) and post-wean (101) growth ability, good ADG of (107), feed conversion ratio (100), grass efficiency rate (105) and good milk index (108).
JMP 13-0069’s coat is slightly yellower in colour. There is however ample scientific data that confirms that the more yellow and light red shades reflect infra-red rays of the sun much more efficiently and contributes to better heat tolerance. I recommend that he goes to a stud herd – he is polled animal without the polled problems.
LOT 28: HOT 11-0168 (POENA / POLLED)VIDEO It is tradition at Hartebeestloop to offer at least one tried-and-tested sire on auction, and it is our pleasure to offer polled HOT 11-0168 (PcH) this year. He has been DNA verified as a heterozygous polled animal. He constantly delivers polled heifers – both in our polled Bonsmara herd and polled-breeding project where other breeds are involved. HOT 11-0168 is a registered AI-bull and was jointly purchased by Sernick – and Hartebeestloop – Bonsmaras. Badeveen Bonsmaras bred this bull and we have used in in all 3 herds. At Hartebeestloop the average birth weight if his calves were 36 kg. Our recommendation is to solely use him on cows.
He offers great conformity with strong overall muscling and lots of structural width. He successfully addresses several familiar problems among the polled animals. I will list a couple of the more important traits:
- No prolapse is present
- Functionally correct navel/sheath combination
- Great masculinity
- Strong and broad bull neck
- Great overall muscling
- Above average milk index
There will be calves of HOT 16-0168 available at the auction as well. Come and have a look at his calves and form your own opinion about the quality of his offspring.
This is a great opportunity to acquire a tested polled animal. Despite that fact that he is already 9 years old, he still looks very good. He has an alert demeanour with high libido. He delivered more calves than we anticipated. We some extra attention and care on the veld, he should still deliver calves for 2-3 years. If you are ready farming with polled animals – or planning to introduce polled genetics in your herd – then you should consider HOT 11-0168.
LOT 29: HART 17-0060VIDEO He is bred from LAR 07-0234 and HART 14-0206. His mother comes from a highly fertile mother line that goes all the way back to Vaalbos Bonsmaras (VBB 07-0147 with AFC 25 months, ICP 397 days/9 calves and wean index of 103/9 calves). HART 14-0206 has a AFC of 30 months, ICP 376 days/3 calves and she weans at 49,3% of her body weight. There is thus exceptional and fertile mother’s in HART 17-0060’s history. LAR 07-0234’s milk value is high and has remained high throughout the years of performance testing. For us it is important to maintain the trait of sufficient milk within the herd.
HART 17-0060 is a medium-frame, calving ease bull that can be used on heifers as well as on cows. He has great overall conformity, muscling, width and a beautiful mid-piece. The topline is well defined, while the slope of rump and tail attachment is good. The legs are strong and broad across the hocks. He is filled with meat across the loins and slope of rump and there is nice depth throughout the forequarter. Every farmer understands the worth of a deep and heavy forequarter on the bull’s weight and how it translates into profit.
His adaptability is highly satisfactory with a Veld Bull Index of (100) – spot on for the breed average. He does display slightly more Taurus characteristics, but his coat is glossy and smooth and together with a long tail and strong legs he performs well on the veld. His secondary masculinity traits are well developed. Masculine head, nice width between the eyes complemented by beautiful deepening of colour in the neck region as well as a large, symmetrical scrotum measuring 40 cm.
HART 17-0060’s breeding values are balanced against birth weight / calving ease and in line with the breeding average (100). Pre-wean growth (94) is slightly lower but he shows above average post-wean growth (105). ADG (112), Feed Conversion (106) and scrotum breeding index of (119) are all outstanding. The 3 selection breeding indices namely Cow Value (105), Growth Value (110) and Production Value (107) are above breed average.
HART 17-0060 is relatively unrelated to the current Namibia Bonsmara genetics on his father’s side. He can be used in any production system with great success. His strong points are: high milk value, great conformity and strong legs. If you want to improve on any of these characteristics within your herd, pay close attention to this bull.
LOT 30: HART 17-0131VIDEO He is bred from HART 13-0379 and HART 09-0137. She is a highly efficient cow and weans her 7 calves at 49,2% of her body mass. Her AFC is 23 months, ICP is 417 days/7 calves with an average wean index of 101/7 calves. Cow efficiency cannot be compared between different herds, but it still remains a good indicator of a cow’s ability to raise a calve efficiently.
HART 17-0131 is a medium-frame, “easy fleshing” and calving ease bull that can be used on heifers and cows. His conformity, musculing, overall width, capacity and length are all good. He is ultimately packed with meat over the loins, slope of rump and thighs. Have a look at his performance data: Eye muscle surface are (121), Dress-mass percentage (112), Carcass Yield (118), Calve Growth Index (113), Growth Index (129) and Production Index (104). HART 17-0131’s strong points are his ability to grow on the veld and to convert grass into meat/weight: pre-wean (113) and post-wean (122) growth index, Average Daily Weight Gain (113) and Feed Conversion Ratio (109).
The aforementioned achievements run parallel to outstanding adaptability. Pay attention to his gleaming and smooth coat, loose hanging dewlap and thick skin folds in the neck area. He also has a long tail with a beautiful tail switch, good hump development and black pigmentation of the muzzle.
HART 17-0131 visually scored high and his excellent performance supports his outstanding appearance. He is structurally correct with good conformity, shows above average growth ability and comes from a highly efficient mother line. Furthermore, he is very well adapted with strong masculinity traits and a large scrotum measuring 42 cm. He can be used on cows and heifers and this is as close you can get to “ALL- in- ONE” packet.
LOT 31: HART 17-0068 HART 17-0068 is an expert grower! His frame type scored a 3.5 and he should only be used on cows. He has great conformity and muscling, beautiful structural width and capacity, nice depth through the forequarter and strong, broad topline.
He is loaded with meat and I invite you to look at his breeding values: eye muscle surface index (113), dress-mass percentage (112), carcass yield (120), Calve Growth Index (118) and Production Index (118).
The next set of breeding values supports the fact that he is an outstanding grower: Pre-wean index (118) and Post-wean index (120), ADG (121), feed conversion ratio (109) and grass efficiency conversion ratio of (114).
The 3 selection breeding index values are as follows: Cow Index (113), Growth Index (128) and Production Index (118).
His adaptability traits are excellent – smooth and glossy coat and hair. He has a nice, loose dewlap with lots of broad folds that is an indication of thick skin. The black pigmentation around the eyes and muzzle is quite noticeable and desirable. Hump is well developed, and he has a nice long tail, strong legs and claws and the underline is beautifully clean. His adaptability is faultless and his Veld Bull Index of (104) supports his excellent performance on the veld.
His mother lineage offers many outstanding qualities to select from for the breeding of replacement heifers. For this reason I highly recommend using him for weaner and ox production systems. For farmers that need better growth, efficient conversion of feed/grass into weight and meat as well as higher carcass yields and dress-mass percentage, HART 17-0068 is the right bull for you.
LOT 32: HART 17-0185VIDEO He is a medium-frame, calving ease and easy-fleshing son of AG 03-0359 (click on the sire link above) and HART 14-0429.
I often refer to bulls that can be considered for the breeding of replacement heifers. Annually there is a huge demand for good commercial heifers and the market cannot deliver enough. This includes all breeds. I list a couple of important characteristics that cow herds require to produce and reproduce profitably on the veld. It includes visual as well as scientific (performance testing data) traits. Remember that 100 represents breed average and higher values are preferred. Always try to maintain a balance between the traits.
- Good overall capacity and spring of rib – exactly the type of qualities this bull presents.
- Sufficient structural width and wide pelvis – he is broad throughout. Have a look at the width between the eyes which correlates with his structural width throughout. His pelvis index is 117.
- Good fleshing / meatiness and no excessive muscling – adequate and supple muscling that translates into enough meat on this bull.
- Structural form should be correct with weight towards the back – he shows exactly the opposite with a lot of depth through the forequarter.
- Even distribution of fat and the ability to deposit adipose tissue quickly – his early fat deposition as determined by ultrasonic scanning is 147.
- Low input costs on the veld – Maintenance Index is 115
- Adequate ability to convert grass into condition and weight – Grass Efficiency Conversion index of 109.
- Sufficient muscling to maintain conformity – general muscling with ultrasconic scanning is 107. Visually muscling appears satisfactory and supple.
- Sufficient pre-wean growth ability to genetically transfer to calve – pre-wean growth index of 97.
- Sufficient milk to raise a healthy calve – milk index is 115.
- Outstanding adaptability – all the way from the thick, loose skin folds, smooth and coat, terrific dewlap, long tail, clean underline, strong legs and claws, right up to the broad jaw he demonstrated everything needed for adaptability.
I have not nearly mentioned and discussed everything in detail. Come and have a look at this outstanding bull for yourself. HART 17-0185 will perform well in any production system.
LOT 33: HART 17-0194VIDEO He is bred from HART 08-0062 and HART 15-0048. Her AFC is 30 months, ICP is 358 days/3 calves with an average wean index of 104/2 calves. Her mother VBB 08-0040 is a SA Stud Book ELITE SILVER COW with AFC 37 months, ICP of 405 day/7 calves and wean index of 106/7 calves. On both the mother - and father’s side there are good milk index values.
HART 17-0194 is a medium-frame, calving-ease bull with excellent conformity, capacity, overall width, nice length and very good muscling. His topline, slope of rump and tail attachment are good. His prominent masculinity is reflected by his strong head, width between the eyes, well developed eyebrow rims and thick neck with beautiful deepening of coat colour in this area. His scrotum measures 40 cm and hangs perfectly. His navel / sheath combination is satisfactory.
HART 17-0194 is extremely well adapted. His hump is beautifully developed, and he has a glossy coat. His coat has a typical bronze colour that you will only find in highly adapted animals. He presents with strong legs and there is good width between the hocks. The claws are outstanding, and his tail almost touches the ground! Have a look at his performance values on the veld – Maintenance Index (120), Veld Bull Index (104), Conditioning Score (110) and Early Fat Deposition (96). He excels in all fields necessary for profitable cattle farming.
His breeding values are consistently good: Birth Weight/Calving Ease (109), pre-wean (99) and post-wean (107) growth index, milk index (106), ADG (115), Feed Conversion ratio (111), Veld Conversion Ratio (119), Dress-mass percentage (111) and Carcass Yield (108). Have a look at his selection indices as well: Cow Index (106), Growth Index (119) and Production Index (109). The science behind this bull complements his visual appearance and achievements.
HART 17-0194 will surely be a great investment in many herds and will leave his mark within the Bonsmara breed. I know this bull and highly recommend him.
LOT 34: HART 17-0175 A typical Hartebeestloop medium-frame and easy-fleshing bull that can be used on heifers and cows. He is bred from AG 03-0359 (click on the sire link above) that has consistently bred good conformity, ample milk, beautiful colour and early mature offspring. HART 17-0175 comes from well-adapted drought hardy cows. His grandmother on mother’s side HART 12-0004 has an AFC of 25 months, ICP of 362 days/6 calves and average wean index of 107/6 calves. She is a SA Stud Book 4-Star Cow and still doing duty within the herd. His mother is HART 14-0366 with AFC of 30 months, ICP of 384 days/3 calves and she weans at 52,7% of her weight. She is also a SA Stud Book 4-Star Cow.
What does all this mean? We see the economical impact of:
(i) repetition of fertility and high reproductivity over generations;
(ii) the impact of sufficient milk and pre-wean growth ability on increased production and;
(iii) the important contribution of cow effectivity towards increased efficiency and profit;
(iv) the importance of cow lines when deciding on bull purchasing.
HART 17-0175 shows great overall conformity, great length with a strong topline, adequate muscling and capacity as well as nice depth throughout the forquarter. He has good structural width and the inner and outer thighs are filled with meat – his condition is always great on the veld. His Maintenance Index is (129) that confirms that he is low input cost animal. He is structurally correct, has good balance and moves easily across the Kalahari.
HART 17-0175’s adaptability is top class. Smooth and glossy coat, great hump development together with a long tail and strong legs. He shows good masculinity with a strong head, strong eyebrow ridges, beautiful deepening of colour and a large scrotum that hangs perfectly and measures 42 cm.
All of HART 17-0175’s breeding values are in balance with each other. Breed average for birth weight/calving ease (99), pre-wean (97) and post-wean (105) growth ability, ADG (105), ample milk (104) and high reproductivity with scrotum circumference (111). His breeding values for the 3 most important Selection Indices for the Bonsmara breed are: Cow Index (108), Growth Index (111) and Production Index (110). These values reflect HART 17-0175’s expected performance – above average.
HART 17-0175 is the product of strict selection over many years with profitable breeding in mind – adapted, hardy, low input cost, easy-fleshing, maintains top condition and conformity, masculine, fertile, phenotypically efficient and structurally faultless.
LOT 35: HART 17-0187 HART 17-0187 is an “easy fleshing”, medium-frame and calving-ease bull that can be used on cows and heifers.
His veld adaptability is excellent. He quickly reaches top condition (easily gains meat and fat), maintains his condition (has the necessary fat reserves) and has a low Maintenance Cost Index of (117). His Veld Bull Index is (101). The aforementioned selection criteria should be applicable to all our animals but we place more emphasis on it for our female animals. The female animals become pregnant when they are in top condition and that is where the money lies. The visual characteristics of good adaptability is noticeable within this bull but don’t neglect to look at his smooth, supple and thick coat. Bonsmara cattle should have loose and free hanging dewlaps to better tolerate the sub-tropical warm climate of Namibia.
He is bred from AG 03-0359 (click on the sire link above) and HART 15-0089. She is a 8-score cow with a AFC of 29 months, ICP of 372 days over 3 calves and she weans at 52.2% of her body mass. Her lineage goes all the way back to Germar Bonsmaras that was purchased during the SA National Bonsmara Auction many years ago.
HART 17-0187 performs well within his group during performance testing with an ADG index of (108) and Veld Conversion Ratio of (109). His breeding indices are mostly between 90 and 100.
HART 17-0187 is structurally correct, has a strong topline, good muscling and overall width as well as good depth in the forequarter. He has strong legs, nice claws and good balance.
Definitely consider him if you are looking for a calving-ease and safe bull without any unwanted traits. He will perform well in any crossbreeding system where you want to improve on calving-ease, more milk, frame-type and adaptablility.
LOT 36: HT 17-0031 (POENA / POLLED)VIDEO He is bred from HDT 13-0007 (PP) that comes from the Boshoff-family that owns Boshoff-Bonsmaras. His mother HT 14-0176 is a A-generation cow with excellent reproduction ability and fertility – her AFC is 32 months, ICP is 392 days/3 calves and she weans at 54,5% of her body weight. Her last ICP was 330 days. HT 17-0031 is a B-generation bull and heterozygotic polled animal (PH).
He is a well-muscled, medium-frame bull that should be used on cows. His structural width and muscle definition is not suited for heifers. He has good conformity, strong topline with a beautiful slope of rump, tail attachment and sufficient overall capacity. His secondary sexual traits are evident – strong, masculine head with defined eyebrow ridges and good width between the yes. I would have preferred a slightly broader neck, but the underline is clean and the navel/sheath combination satisfactory. The scrotum hangs perfectly and measures 39,5 cm.
His adaptability is faultless, and he offers a beautiful, smooth and glossy coat. The dewlap is nice and loose. Hump development and the long tail are pleasing. He excelled during the Veld Bull Test with an index of (116).
His breeding index values are consistently acceptable – slightly heavier on birth weight (96), pre-wean (97) and post-wean (98) growth ability and ADG of (94).
HT 17-0031 will do well in a weaner and ox production system. He is suited for any production system where growth and performance on the veld are elemental. The polled genes are a bonus and he should perform just as well as any other Bonsmara bull.
LOT 37: LMR 13-0028VIDEO Every year we try to offer one of the tried-and-tested older bulls on auction. These bulls come with impressive breeding records and have several weaned calves. We can thus give a good report about the offspring.
This bull was bought from Paul Mare of Limerick Bonsmaras and is genetically unrelated to the animals in Namibia. LMR 13-0028 is a well-muscled bull that should only be used on cows. He is structurally correct, adapted very well to the challenging Namibian conditions and is a hard worker.
His calves perform outstanding. They show good conformity and muscling with smooth coat and hair without any structural or functional problems. The calves have light birth weights (35 kg) and grow well. The calves weaned at an average weight of 202 kg which is above average for weaners considering the drought.
I highly recommend him for weaner calve production.
He will be 7 years old when going on auction and prospective buyers should be able to still get 3 years of good breeding from him. This bull offers an opportunity for weaner producers to acquire a very good bull at a reasonable price.
LOT 38: HART 17-0147VIDEO He is a darker in colour, medium-frame, easy-fleshing bull that offers calving ease and can be used on heifers and cows. He has good conformity, sufficient muscling, capacity and depth throughout the forequarter. He shows good overall width from his back and running right up to the hump. Topline, slope of rump and tail attachment are all good. Have a good look at how meaty this bull is. He is filled with meat from the hindquarter, thighs, loins, slope of rump right up to the shoulders. He demonstrates great balance and moves easily.
HART 17-0147’s veld adaptability is excellent! He quickly reaches top condition (accumulates meat and fat) and maintains his condition well (has enough fat stores to use). I would like to highlight some of his traits that we use at Hartebeestloop as selection criteria for low input cost animals. The group/breed average is 100 and scores above 100 is preferred. Breeding index is indicated in brackets.
- Maintenance Index (127)
- Grass Feed Conversion to meat/weight (116)
- Weight gain on the veld (111)
- Calving ease in the veld without supervision (120)
- Conditioning score throughout the year within its group (100)
- Adequate muscling to maintain conformity (106)
- Challening Veld Bull Test at Hartebeestloop (101)
He radiates masculinity with a strong head, very well developed eyebrow ridges and good width between the eyes. The jaw is broad, nice deepening of colour in the neck area and good navel/sheath combination along the underline. The scrotum measures 40 cm and hangs perfectly.
His adaptability is top class – look closely at the thick and broad skin folds at the neck and the mobile dewlap.
HART 17-0147 is a calving ease bull and includes all the traits that the Bonsmara breed is renowned for. He is a safe bull to use within your herd especially if you want to reduce frame size or add more width in the Sanga-type crossbreds.
LOT 39: HART 17-0168VIDEO There is a lot of history in the bloodlines that this bull is bred from. AG 03-0359 (click on the sire link above) was used extensively and for specific reasons within the Hartebeestloop herd. His trademark traits are: strong head, good milk, beautiful conformity and easy-fleshing. The “359” sons on auction all derive from artificial insemination. Experts are often against bringing back old genetics and rightfully so but if you’ve seen how the offspring of this bull excels then you cannot do otherwise but to use him again.
The mother’s side of HART 17-0168 goes all the way back to HART 09-0326, HART 09-0002, HJS 03-0016 and the NGO – Woestyn Bonsmara bloodlines. His mother HART 15-0060 has an AFC of 29 months, ICP of 387 days/3 calves and wean index 105/2 calves. She weans the calves at 57.1% of her own weight.
HART 17-0168 is a medium-frame, calving ease and easy-fleshing bull that can be used on heifers and cows. He offers great conformity, is structurally broad with well-filled thighs, good muscling and capacity as well as great depth throughout the forequarter.
He is a masculine bull in all regards with excellent secondary sex traits – strong head and eyebrow ridges, thick and broad bull neck with beautiful deepening of colour and a scrotum circumference of 37,5 cm. He boasts a proud and macho attitude.
His adaptability is impressive – super smooth, glossy hair and coat, thick skin folds in the neck and a loose, mobile dewlap. His hump development is great, his tail switch almost touches the ground and he has strong legs and claws with good width between the hocks. The black pigmentation around the eyes and muscle draws your eye to these areas. His early fat deposition (147), low Maintenance requirements (122) together with great muscling (102) ensures that he reaches top condition quickly and can maintain this condition on the veld.
HART 17-0168 breeding values are as follows: low on birth weight (109), sufficient pre-wean (94) and post-wean (100) growth ability, together with ample milk (108) and good ADG (111); Feed Conversion Ratio (114), Grass Efficiency Ratio (116) and Scrotum Index (100). These results confirm that he is a suitable bull to use in any production system.
My personal preference would be to use him to breed replacement heifers. There is adequate growth, ample supply of milk, great conversion of feed and grass, low maintenance costs, sufficient muscling and excellent adaptability. These are all traits that farmers would like to establish within their herds.
LOT 40: HART 17-0186 HART 17-0186 is a strong, medium-frame bull that can be used on heifers and cows.
He is bred from outstanding mother lines. The mother lines go all the way back to Arcadia Bonsmaras and Fortress Bonsmaras and both the bloodlines performed wll in our herd. Have a look at his grandmother on mother’s side HART 12-0041 data: AFC of 24 months, ICP 363 days/6 calves. His mother HART 15-0009 has an AFC of 30 months, ICP of 377 days/3 calves. Continuous fertility and good reproduction ability throughout generations. Both of these cows are still active in our herd which in itself says a lot.
HART 17-0186 is a bull with outstanding balance and conformity. He offers good structural width, beautiful length and capacity and good depth in the forequarter. Structurally he is faultless with a strong topline, good slope of rump and nice tail attachment. He makes a good first impression!
HART 17-0186 combines good muscling (eye muscle surface area of 109) with early fat deposition (148) and these are the animals that excel on the veld even when conditions are unfavourable. He has good pre-wean and post-wean growth indices of (108) and (113) respectively. Above average ADG (110) and Feed Conversion Ratio (110), excellent Grass Efficiency Rate (111) and ample milk (114). All the breeding values are nicely in equilibrium. His Shoulder Height Index (95) and Mature Weight Index (87) are spot on for his form and build.
His masculinity is beautiful – strong head and eyebrow ridges, good width between the eye with a thick neck. The scrotum is well-formed and hangs perfect while measuring 40 cm.
You cannot ask for better adaptability. Outstanding coat and hair, long tail, good hump development, clean underline and strong legs. These traits explain his great performance during the Veld Bull Test and his index of (101) and Maintenance Value Index of 115.
HART 17-0186 has impressed me. He will not be three years old when he goes on auction and he will surely continue to improve on his new owner’s farm. I am often surprised when I visit farms and see how these young bulls excel at the new farms.
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