With Voermol’s SB 100 (V4498) at the heart of his feeding programme, livestock farmer Maungo Mokgoje is building a resilient, high-performing herd for the harsh Northern Cape.
In the semi-arid Kalahari, farming is not for the faint-hearted. Just ask Maungo Mokgoje, a cattle farmer from Sesipi Village near Kuruman in the Northern Cape.
Raised among livestock, Mokgoje’s farming story began at just 16 when his uncle gifted him a calf. Today, he is rebuilding his family’s legacy herd with a sharp eye for genetics, selecting Simbra for their heat tolerance and low maintenance, and Charolais for their fast growth and heavy weaning weights.
Although his breeding vision was clear, nature soon tested his resolve. He says introducing Voermol SB 100 into his livestock management was the best decision he could have made.
“In 2023, we experienced a heavy drought on our side of the Kalahari,” Mokgoje recalls.
“That’s when I saw the massive condition loss in my cows. I couldn’t get them to the required weight for auction sales. By September, it was bad, and in December, a veldfire swept through, leaving nothing for the herd to eat.”
With grass gone and calves weakening, Mokgoje faced the possibility of losing everything. Auction prices were devastating. “I was getting about R3 000 for a four- to five-month-old calf. I had to sell them hungry, just to keep their mothers alive,” he says.
The cleaning business he ran on the side could barely keep up with feed costs.“At one point, I had to sell half my herd just to buy feed for the others,” he admits. “I didn’t think my animals would survive. As an emerging farmer with no income except my side business, the stress was heavy.”
Searching for a solution
Until then, Mokgoje had tried different feed products, often on the advice of neighbours. Nothing seemed to deliver results. “I was all over the place. I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I was just trying to help my animals, but it wasn’t helping.”
His breakthrough did not come from neighbouring farmers, as none in his area were using SB 100 and most continued to follow traditional feeding practices passed down through generations. Instead, Mokgoje relied on his own research to find a solution.
“I came across Voermol’s app, where all their products are listed with proper instructions. That’s where I saw SB 100, classified under the fattening products.
“I liked that it was clearly designed for calves and development. I wanted something I could test properly, record results, and measure progress,” he explains.
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Visible improvements
Before introducing SB 100, Mokgoje weighed his calves with a weight belt to get a baseline. Then, he mixed SB 100 with yellow maize for the calves, while mature cows received Voermol Rumevite 12P (V11994) mixed with salt or Voermol Super 18 (V355) for energy.
“Every time the herd came back from the veld, there was feed waiting. The mature cows had their mix, and the calves had their SB 100 and maize. I wanted to see if it would make a difference.”
The results came quickly. Within a month or two, the improvements were clear. The calves no longer showed prominent ribs; their coats grew softer and smoother, and their eagerness at the trough revealed a healthy appetite.
“The weight gains were real. Every month, I could see the difference compared to before.”
One of the biggest benefits Mokgoje noticed was how SB 100 helped calves grow independent of their mothers.
“SB 100 assists calves in gaining weight and grazing earlier, without being too dependent on their mothers. That, in turn, helps the cows recover their condition faster and re-calve sooner. It changed the whole system for me.”
The effect was not only nutritional but financial. By strengthening the younger animals, Mokgoje could avoid distress sales at poor prices and keep his breeding programme intact.
Mokgoje’s strategy for success
Mokgoje emphasises that SB 100 has become a measurable and essential part of his system, especially for calves and older cows. “I’m not going to continue without it. I’ve invested in it, and consistency is key.”
For cows with calves, he includes Super 18 to reduce body mass loss after calving.
In winter, he relies on Voermol Premix 450 (V4676) to guard against dry gall sickness, boost fertility, and support milk production, while in summer, he switches to Rumevite 12P with salt to meet the herd’s higher phosphorus requirements. Each step forms part of a carefully structured process that guides his feeding strategy.
By following Voermol’s recommended mixes and weighing his calves monthly, Mokgoje has built a system that works even in the face of drought and fire. “Consistency with SB 100 keeps my herd healthy and my business alive,” he says.
Though still growing his operation, Mokgoje dreams of building a herd of hardy, productive crossbreeds that can thrive in the harsh Northern Cape while fetching top prices at auction.
And with Voermol products at the heart of his feeding programme, that dream is within reach.
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