Farming in Botswana

[Ouachita]

How is the wire fastened to the post? What method is used to dig the post holes? I notice the post are dark in color. Is that a natural color, or do you fire treat them?
My kids are homeschooled and this is really interesting for them. Me too . Thank you for posting, and welcome :tiphat:

 

[inyati13]

Still wouldn't do it even if I did have that many of anybody. Just the material cost would be prohibitive.

(I have seen fences of that sort out in extreme SW Texas and Northern Mexico tho.)

I am not going to say this happens here but when I was going to Zimbabwe in the 80s and 90s, I saw operations like this where the natives work for a place to live. They give them a job and they will do it with their labor and go out an get much of the material. I was watching a bunch of native africans putting floors down in rondavels. They were using cow manure and it was unbelieveable the surface they got on it. They are highly skilled with natural materials and they work for nearly nothing. Mugabe's government made it a law that all work had to be settled for a set amount in Zimbabwe currency to be legal. I cannot remember but it was a monthly stipend.

 

[ANAZAZI]

Irony that Zim dollars have virtually no value anymore...

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Still wouldn't do it even if I did have that many of anybody. Just the material cost would be prohibitive.

(I have seen fences of that sort out in extreme SW Texas and Northern Mexico tho.)

I am not going to say this happens here but when I was going to Zimbabwe in the 80s and 90s, I saw operations like this where the natives work for a place to live. They give them a job and they will do it with their labor and go out an get much of the material. I was watching a bunch of native africans putting floors down in rondavels. They were using cow manure and it was unbelieveable the surface they got on it. They are highly skilled with natural materials and they work for nearly nothing. Mugabe's government made it a law that all work had to be settled for a set amount in Zimbabwe currency to be legal. I cannot remember but it was a monthly stipend.

Sounds a bit like indentured servitude. Some might even lean towards calling it slavery. Well, at least they aren't being paid to do nothing like other places in this world.

 

[inyati13]

Still wouldn't do it even if I did have that many of anybody. Just the material cost would be prohibitive.

(I have seen fences of that sort out in extreme SW Texas and Northern Mexico tho.)

I am not going to say this happens here but when I was going to Zimbabwe in the 80s and 90s, I saw operations like this where the natives work for a place to live. They give them a job and they will do it with their labor and go out an get much of the material. I was watching a bunch of native africans putting floors down in rondavels. They were using cow manure and it was unbelieveable the surface they got on it. They are highly skilled with natural materials and they work for nearly nothing. Mugabe's government made it a law that all work had to be settled for a set amount in Zimbabwe currency to be legal. I cannot remember but it was a monthly stipend.

Sounds a bit like indentured servitude. Some might even lean towards calling it slavery. Well, at least they aren't being paid to do nothing like other places in this world.

I would not say it fit either one of those classes: Indentured servitude or slavery. In Zimbabwe, at the time I visited, there was no form of ownership like there was in America. I think it was more like this: The natives became part of the family of the farms and businesses. It had some mutual benefits. The owners took care of education, health care, etc. The natives provided cheap labor. It is amazing how close the bond often becomes. No one is held against their will to my knowledge. On a large operation (Humani) I visited in the Lowveld, Roger Whittall, provided schooling at his own expense for the natives he employed in his Safari/Farming operation. He is a remarkable man. He was the father of the Save Nature Conservancy:

Located at the junction of the Turgwe and Save rivers in Zimbabwe´s south-east Lowveld, Humani is the very epicentre of the renowned Save Conservancy, encompassing over 150 000 acresof premier big game/plainsgame country. Striking in its vegetative diversity, Humani comprises dense riverine dominated by towering hardwood trees, vast mopani and fever tree forests, open plains (maparis) and broken hill country. These habitats are populated by abundant and equally diverse game populations − the big five and an impressive array of plainsgame species. Historically famed for its monster leopards and spiral-horned antelope, over the past 20 years Humani has also earned a reputation for producing large-maned lions, heavy ivory and big - bossed buffalo bulls.

Founded in 1933 by James (Jimmy) Whittall, Humani was primarily a cattle ranch for the first 35 years of its existence. That status changed in the late 60s, when Jimmy´s son, Roger, began advocating a transition to wildlife. That man´s dream for the Save Valley was finally realized in 1991, when neighbouring cattle ranchers followed his example and tore down their cattle fences, focusing all their energies on wildlife and forming the Save Conservancy. Since then, game populations throughout the Save Valley have boomed, and the area´s successes − in black rhino and lion conservation particularly − are un-rivalled. Today, The Save Conservancy is part of the colossal Limpopo Transfrontier Peace Park, which includes Zimbabwe´s Gonarezhou National Park, the Kruger Park in South Africa, and the Banhine/Zinave parks in Mozambique. It cannot be disputed that the Save Conservancy´s current standing as one of Africa´s foremost wildlife destinations came about as a result of the work that Roger Whittall initiated on Humani, half a century ago.

As well as being a celebrated rifle hunting destination, Humani is also a bowhunter´s wildest fantasy, with 30 000 acres dedicated exclusively to that pursuit since 1994. Hunting from pit and/or tree blinds, or stalking the enthralling riverine, Humani provides the ultimate African bowhunting experience. Unlike the typical "game farm" bowhunt, Humani retains the "old Africa" ambience that puts the silent hunter in touch with his primal roots.

 

[botsfarmer]

The posts are treated with creosote prior to our buying them from South Africa. The horizontal wires are fastened with 2mm wire. My wife home schooled our daughter on the farm for two years and then they moved to the capital Gaborone two years so she could attend school.
My boss is going to build a house in the new game section so that is the primary reason. Once the numbers reach capacity we will have to remove the excess. That is either by capturing and selling or hunting. I will start with low numbers so that it will take 5 years to reach capacity.

 

[Ouachita]

Very interesting botsfarmer. Thanks for posting

 

[Nesikep]

Visiting the African continent has got to be on my bucket list... I think the scenery is absolutely wonderful in pictures, I can imagine it's far better in person... If I were down there I think I'd become like Joy Adamson... For me, if it's not cows, cats are the next best thing...

 

[branguscowgirl]

Thank you for sharing! Wonderful photos and very interesting discussion! I love to hear and see how things are done around the world! Please keep sharing.

 

[brandonm_13]

Nice looking cattle.

 

[alisonb]

One must never make the mistake of comparing Zimbabwe to Botswana...

Great pics botsfarmer, keep them coming

 

[ALACOWMAN]

One must never make the mistake of comparing Zimbabwe to Botswana...

Great pics botsfarmer, keep them coming

what's the difference, Couple degrees ?

 

[millstreaminn]

Visiting the African continent has got to be on my bucket list... I think the scenery is absolutely wonderful in pictures, I can imagine it's far better in person... If I were down there I think I'd become like Joy Adamson... For me, if it's not cows, cats are the next best thing...

Do it Nesikep. I was in Tanzania last winter. Absolutely stunning, and I have over 3000 pictures to prove it. I would go back in a heartbeat even with the 22 hour plane ride. :nod:

 

[andybob]

Your veld is in good condition botsfarmer, I am ex Zim used to run Tuli and exported the first herd to Namibia and several groups to SA.

Tennessee Tuxedo:
As far as labour is concerned, there were minimum wages, compulsory pension scheme through the RNFU and housing/food "rations" for ag workers, when Mugabe took over he wanted all the "extras" to be paid in cash as ag workers were now eligible to pay tax, and the govt wanted to maximise tax revenue. Abuses of the system have been rampant under the new, corrupt govt.

 

[botsfarmer]

Hi Andybob, the veld here is awesome. Providing you provide phosphate and trace minerals, and protein in the winter and have enough grass the cattle do really well. I have some introduced Tuli via AI. I have got a Tuli cross Charolais bull which gained 247 kgs over 100 days on feed. My AI this year was hampered by the rain. I was planning to do around 250-300 but with the rain hardly any cows came to the kraal so only managed to do 35. Twenty of those I used Friesian as we milk a few cows for the workers. The idea is to have a cross dairy cow that gives a bit more milk. I should soon be buying feed from National Foods in Bulawayo for the feedlot. I am currently buying maize bran from Zambia.
There are labour laws that we are governed by and we are inspected on an annual basis.

 

[andybob]

Hi Andybob, the veld here is awesome. Providing you provide phosphate and trace minerals, and protein in the winter and have enough grass the cattle do really well. I have some introduced Tuli via AI. I have got a Tuli cross Charolais bull which gained 247 kgs over 100 days on feed. My AI this year was hampered by the rain. I was planning to do around 250-300 but with the rain hardly any cows came to the kraal so only managed to do 35. Twenty of those I used Friesian as we milk a few cows for the workers. The idea is to have a cross dairy cow that gives a bit more milk. I should soon be buying feed from National Foods in Bulawayo for the feedlot. I am currently buying maize bran from Zambia.
There are labour laws that we are governed by and we are inspected on an annual basis.

You seem to be planning well for your breeding program, have you had any contact with or read Johan Zietsman's work on including African genetics for tropical and sub tropical beef production? We crossed Tuli over Jersey for our low maintenance milkers, being high in fat content the milk was popular locally for maas production. When we were AI-ing large numbers, we converted what had been a maize field into cenchrus cilliaris pasture where we could heat spot in the open, and by using an electic wire, move the cows/heifers after each heat check.
I think overseas press has given a false representation of our respective labour laws, and never mention extras we supplied such as the schools and clinics we built as a community for our staff and local tribesmen, admittedly no longer the case in Zim these days, but it was a far different picture before the land seizures.

 

[botsfarmer]

I have read Johan's work. The Tuli has a lot to offer but there are none in our area that I know of. I have split a 125ha paddock into five 25ha portions. I want to chemically kill the bush so there will be lots of grass. That will be ideal for AI. I hope one day to try and plant 50ha of cenchrus using the manure from the feedlot as fertiliser. I would need to be lucky with the rain for it to work.

This is a photo of a nearby farm. he has cleared most of the bush and runs top quality simmentaler and Brahman cattle.

If you look behind the cattle you can see how thick the bush is in comparison.
You are correct about the impression that is out there regarding the labour. Most of my labour cannot read and can only write their name and a few cannot even do that.

 

[Post Oak]

Welcome. Those photos could be here in Central Texas, when it rains.

Ha ha...what planet are you on? I once thought I was in Afrika then I woke up in Rock Springs....

The only time I feel like im in Africa is at Krystal's at 10 pm....

LOL!
I grew up in a county in South Carolina that is 65% African