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R310K for Biggs the Nguni bull is worth it, say farmers

Ever since Nico Harris and Barry Cole purchased the 800kg bull that is reputed to be hardy, fertile and carrying lots of meat, the owners have been inundated with calls from other farmers about artificial insemination opportunities.

Both Harris and Cole know good beef when they see it, and after seeing Biggs nearly four years ago, they tracked his development, and weighed in with their hefty offer once he became available.

Around this time of year, the KwaZulu-Natal Elite Nguni organisation usually stages an annual auction of pedigreed beasts, but lockdown regulations prevented it from taking place.

However, Gert Coetzee of Net Auctions thought up the idea of a livestock sale, which he conducted via WhatsApp, on May 9.

About 168 buyers registered for the auction and 134 lots were on sale, including 10 bulls, and their pictures were circulated two weeks before the sale for buyers to inspect the stock on offer.

Harris said farmers were happy to participate in the online sale especially after an auction in November was cancelled because of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease at the time.

The opening bid for Biggs was R50 000 and seven other bidders showed interest in the 8-year-old bull. The most spent on a bull at an auction previously was R197 000 during a sale in 2005.

Cattle farmer Nico Harries and Biggs, the Nguni bull. Picture: Motshwari Mofokeng/African News Agency (ANA) But Harris and Cole were determined to land Biggs and going beyond their budget was what they had to do for a bull they believed would produce quality semen for breeding purposes. “We went over our limit, but he is worth it. He’s got good genetics and is the product of one of the leading Nguni breeders (Clive Biggs) in the country,” said Cole, who farms in the Underberg area.

“Biggs was named after his breeder and we’ve had our eyes on this bull since 2016 when Nico (Harris) and I jointly bought another bull named ‘Black’.”

Cole said as part of their arrangement Harris would keep Biggs for the first year and they would continue to alternate possession annually.

Harris, who farms in Melmoth (northern KwaZulu-Natal), said Biggs was a strong bull and by the time he turned 15, they would have more than recovered their investment. He said they have already received numerous enquiries about Biggs from other farmers for breeding reasons. For Harris, the decision to buy an Nguni bull was not his alone, but one taken by his entire family.

Harris said he represented the fourth generation in his family involved with livestock and crop farming. He manages their family farm containing more than 800 Nguni cattle that are kept for commercial and breeding purposes.

“Nguni cattle farming is in my family’s bloodline. They are a breed of cattle that can withstand any weather condition and are not expensive to look after.”

Clive Biggs said his namesake was special because its bloodline was a combination of two of the best and oldest Nguni breeds in the country. “Its mother bred 13 calves in a row for us by age 15,” said Biggs.

Sunday Tribune