Thabang builds legacy through meticulous breeding methods

In the cool embrace of the early morning, before the sun peeks over the horizon, Gauteng farmer Thabang Hlabedi begins his day with a purpose: to ensure that his intensive breeding programme is followed to the letter. In this episode of our Farmer Mentor podcast on Farmer’s Inside Track, Hlabedi shares his journey to success.

Since childhood, Thabang Hlabedi has nurtured a deep affection for animals. At their family home in Soweto young Hlabedi owned a few dogs, cats, and even a small flock of pigeons. His family’s backyard also harboured a few apricot and fig trees. Not a lot, just enough fruit for the occasional treat and baking.

Not before long, Hlabedi was helping out his granny in the garden she had erected at home. “I was helping her everyday in the garden. When my mother acquired the farm in 2014, I started taking it more seriously. At first, when I started, I was just experimenting. I’m a very curious person,” he recalls.

Curiosity and his profound love for animals paid off because today he is the farm manager of the family-owned BaKwa-Hlabedi farm in Gauteng. Their farming business, spanning over 500 hectares, has a diverse agricultural portfolio that contributes to both sustenance and commerce.

The farm is a thriving habitat for Bonsmara cattle and sheep, alongside the cultivation of maize, soya, and a variety of cash vegetables.

‘A farmer never sleeps‘

Getting to this point has been no small feat. In fact, Hlabedi owes his success to a great amount of passion, intentional farming methods, and his impressive breeding programme.

He tells Food For Mzansi that he has adopted an intensive breeding strategy, moving beyond merely allowing his bulls to roam freely with the cows during the breeding season.

Beginning as early as 05:00, he is already in the kraal, waking the cows to determine which are in heat. “The ones that are on heat I will leave with bulls the whole day, monitor them, and ensure that the bulls latch on to the cows.”

This meticulous process is repeated daily, with detailed records kept of every interaction. By the end of the breeding season, Hlabedi has a clear understanding of how many cows have mated and should be pregnant.

“This data also helps me establish which cows are not productive, which I will then quickly cull if I have to and replace them.”

Such precision is vital in his pursuit of achieving a 100% conception rate and a 100% birth rate on his farm, he shares. “That’s why I say if you don’t have the passion for this, then you won’t enjoy what you are doing.

“A farmer never sleeps. There is no business that does not have any risks to it. When it comes to agriculture, you go through quite a lot like stock theft, crops being burned or sometimes even stolen. Just because the clock strikes eight pm and I have had my supper, does not mean that I can go to bed and sleep. Thieves they don’t sleep, so how can I really?”