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Calitz crowned Agra national Weaner Champion for 2019

Calitz crowned Agra national Weaner Champion for 2019

The title of Agra National Weaner Champion for 2019 went to Bertus Calitz. The 2015, 2017 champion was crowned 2019 champion at an event held last week.

The Agra Weaner competition grants opportunities for meat producers to feature their best weaners, emphasizing fertility, growth ability, capacity to produce meat and farming practices.

Ultimately the competition creates a platform whereby producers can share best practices, thus assisting in identifying and filling knowledge gaps.

The 2019 competition consisted of three categories, which were feedlot potential, veld potential, and heifer breeding potential, and the criteria of the judges was based on ideal weight for maximum points 220 kg to 260 kg, assessment of farming practices, uniformity of type and weight, condition, growth potential and breeding potential of heifers, amongst others.

Apart from Calitz winning the main title, the central, southern and northern regional winners were also awarded prizes on this exciting evening.

The regional winners for the central category were; Calitz for Feedlot, Jaco Labuschagne for Veld and Frans Lottering for Heifers with breeding potential.

The regional winners for the southern category were as follows, Andre Carlile for Feedlot and Veld, Theo Nghilundua and Pieter van Schalkwyk for Heifers with breeding potential.

The regional winners for the northern category were as follows, Winnie Ritzdorf for Feedlot, Japie Jacobs for Veld and Frans Menne for Heifers with breeding potential.

The CEO of Agra Limited Arnold Klein said although the country is experiencing one of the worst
droughts in recent years, the farmers expressed resilience by coming up with solutions to withstand the dire climatic conditions, adding that he hopes that this year’s rain will bring relief to farmers and replenish the country’s resources.

The main sponsors of the competition were, Bank Windhoek, Feedmaster, Sanlam and Santam and the associate sponsors were AgriBank, Bayer, Hino Indongo/ Indongo Toyota, MSD and Paratus Africa, bringing up a collective sponsorship amount of approximately N$420,000 in cash and in-kind.


Caption: National Champion Bertus Calitz receiving his award from Agra CEO, Arnold Klein.


 

About The Author

Donald Matthys

Donald Matthys has been part of the media fraternity since 2015. He has been working at the Namibia Economist for the past three years mainly covering business, tourism and agriculture. Donald occasionally refers to himself as a theatre maker and has staged two theatre plays so far. Follow him on twitter at @zuleitmatthys