‘Diamond Fire Sale’ scheduled for Friday

About six (6) small stock farmers have come together to bring a top-notch auction simply dubbed Diamond Fire Sale which will take place on the evening of 25th March 2022 at Stockman's Choice Auction Pens in Tlokweng. The inaugural Diamond Fire Sale promises to be an epic event. The auction has registered about 65 top quality animals from local top breeders, consisting of 16 males and 49 females. Explaining why they opted for an evening auction, one of the organisers, Faheem Kala of Bushra Stud, which is based in Gakuto, says that they wanted to do something different and classy. They specifically chose Friday evening to make the Diamond Fire Sale a lovely weekend family-oriented event. The evening makes it even more attractive as they get to avoid hot temperatures that can be experienced with day events. Friday evening, they say, also works well in the sense that, unlike Saturday auctions that usually end in the evening, it allows farmers to come to the event, purchase animals, and then take them to their farms on Saturday morning. For those with 9-5 jobs, they are able to return on Sunday to get ready for the coming week. Breeders whose animals will be on auction include Ogaufi Selekisho of OGS Stud from Jwaneng, Oboletse Makhala of Lebonesang Stud all the way from Senete, Naomi Kgotlana of Redboer Stud situated in Lentsweletau and Johannes Makoka of Makoka Stud based in Diphuduhudu. Incidentally these farmers are breeding out of the Bushra Stud genetics & bloodlines. On top of the above mentioned breeders, Hennie Schutte, a champion sheep breeder from Metlojane, will also take part in the Diamond Fire Sale, bringing with him some fine Boer Goats & high quality Dorpers. One of the main reasons why the small stock industry is still lagging behind in Botswana is because majority of livestock is owned by subsistence farmers. It therefore means very few livestock is sold through structured marketing channels. This is why events such as Diamond Fire Sale are very critical for the growth and structure of the entire small stock value chain in the country. Farmers must get involved with organised agriculture, as it is the most effective way to gain value for their produce. Through organised agriculture, farmers will be able to set their own prices as compared to the current situation where they are mostly price takers. The Diamond Fire Sale aims to establish a solid platform for upcoming farmers to sell their quality livestock and make a name for themselves. Bushra Stud is and has always been a strong advocate for the #pushaBW initiative, and as such, bringing together local and upcoming farmers for the Diamond Fire Sale is a testament to that. While there are those that believe auctions are expensive, both Faheem Kala and Sethula Sethula of Bushra Stud believe that well organised auctions present opportunities for farmers to buy quality genetics which will improve their herds, while on the other hand, famers get good prices for their hard work. "The more platforms we have that encourage local breeders to auction quality animals and create opportunities for Batswana to invest in quality locally bred animals, the more we can advance the industry together," emphasises Faheem. Faheem, who has now completed two (2) senior boergoat courses, with the highest average marks in the country one might add, started breeding from scratch with no prior knowledge of the small stock sector over ten years ago. He went through the challenges that any newbie farmer can go through. And as a result, he stresses that one must always acquire the requisite knowledge before committing their time and resources into any venture, especially farming. This is why, he explains, Bushra Stud has committed to improving the local breeding landscape through his team’s readiness to always share their knowledge with local farmers freely, while also selling some of their unrivalled genetics at competitive prices. Faheem believes that local farmers also need to see their ventures as businesses, that they need to understand the basic correlation between animal husbandry, farm management and profitability. He warns that while passion can carry one through lean years, it is only through ‘doing the right things’ that a farming enterprise can become profitable. Bushra always underscores the importance of breeding with world class genetics and has indeed set the standard as the go to farm in the country when it comes to top quality genetics of both the Kalahari Reds & Boer Goats. “It’s been over ten years since we started at Bushra Stud, and our desire to grow our farming business and ultimately the local small stock industry is as strong as ever,” says Faheem. “Botswana is known for her diamonds, from the mines. However, us farmers, we don’t mine, but rather we breed superb, exceptional diamonds. If you want to see what I’m talking about, make sure you don’t miss the Diamond Fire Sale auction,” he concludes. PASSIONATE: Faheem Kala and fellow breeder Jan Blaauw of Namibia at Bushra Stud

TheVoiceBW

Business

‘Diamond Fire Sale’ scheduled for Friday

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