Pens
Clients' cattle are kept in pens of up to 120 animals of uniform type, so that the ration and the finishing period suit the whole pen.
Delmas, Mpumalanga
Agronomy
Crops, land and the custom-feeding service of Morgan Beef Farm.
01The farm
The farm
Feed crops for the feedlot.
Morgan Beef Farm farms 3,000 ha at Delmas, Mpumalanga. Crops: Maize for silage, maize for grain and soya beans.
Maize silage and maize grain form the bulk of the feedlot ration. Soya beans supply protein. Buying less feed from outside the farm keeps the cost and the quality of the ration under the company's own control.
The lands receive compost made from the feedlot's manure, which returns organic matter to the soil.
02By the numbers
By the numbers
The farm in figures.
3,000 hahectares of agricultural land
45,000head feedlot capacity
120cattle per pen, of one type
28days minimum in the receiving section
03Custom feeding
Custom feeding
Custom feeding, step by step.
Morgan Beef feeds cattle for clients at a fixed daily rate. Feed and treatment are for the client's account. The service runs as follows.
-
01
Intake
On arrival each animal is weighed, ear-tagged, treated for internal and external parasites, given vitamins and vaccinated. New cattle stay in the receiving section for at least 28 days before they join the main feedlot.
-
02
Ration
Cattle are fed twice daily with a ration formulated by nutritionists and milled on site; a bunk reader adjusts each pen's feed daily.
-
03
Animal health
Cattle are inspected daily. A sick animal is moved to the hospital pen and treated, and every treatment is recorded. The client receives a mortality report for any loss.
-
04
Procurement
Morgan Beef can buy cattle for the client's account from farmers and auctions, to the type and weight the client specifies.
-
05
Transport
Morgan Beef can arrange transport of the client's cattle to the feedlot, and from the feedlot to the abattoir or the buyer.
-
06
Marketing
When the cattle reach the agreed weight or finish, Morgan Beef markets them for the client, to its own abattoir or to another buyer, at the client's choice.
-
07
Charges and reporting
The client pays a fixed daily rate per animal. Feed and treatments are charged to the client's account. The client receives a monthly invoice and a progress report.
04Terms of the service
Terms of the service
Pens, cattle and reporting.
Cattle accepted
Most beef breeds and crosses are accepted. Dairy breeds are not recommended for feedlot finishing.
Reporting
The monthly invoice and progress report show the days on feed, the feed and treatment charges, the weights where recorded and any mortalities.