A prerequisite for profit in the cattle farming business is effective, practical, no-nonsense stock handling equipment.

As all farmers know, efforts to handle animals without proper equipment often end in chaos, subjecting animals and workers to stress, non-completion of essential procedures and sometimes even injuries.

Stress in animals is one of the farmer’s worst foes as it impedes feed intake, growth, and the immune system, says the owner of Sizalo Bonsmaras near Rust de Winter in the Pienaars River area, Lucas Msiza.

Therefore he rules out all inefficiency and stress by using only the best cattle handling equipment supplied by South Africa’s leading livestock equipment manufacturer, Taltec.

With Taltec’s practical and well-designed equipment, Lucas and his workers are able to execute all procedures on his 405 head of Bonsmara cattle in a brisk, but calm manner. In this way, the animals (and workers) remain calm, the work flows smoothly, all procedures are performed properly and cattle farming becomes an enjoyable and profitable experience.

Lucas has been using Taltec equipment for the past six years. “Their products are excellent and their advice and support make life a lot easier,” he says, pointing to his sturdy crush section and neck-and-body clamp, both from Taltec.

The neck clamp is ideally used for quick tasks such as dehorning, ear-tagging, dosing and injections, while the body clamp is used for branding, castrating and small operations.

The neck-and-body clamp is adjustable, making it suitable for restraining animals of all sizes from four months and older.

The rear gate allows enough room for artificial insemination.

In emergencies, the side gate can be removed to roll a collapsed animal out of the clamp.

Taltec supplies clamps for mature cattle as well as for calves, clamps designed for embryo flushing, embryo transplanting, artificial insemination and semen collection, cow lifting clamps, cattle tilting clamps, calf squeezes and calf tilt clamps.

Ticks thrive in the area and Lucas has to dip his Bonsmaras every fortnight in summer and every month in winter, using his Taltec Spray Race, alternated once in a while with a pour-on tickacide.

Because of the small volume of dip required to operate a spray race, you can prepare a fresh dip for every dipping session. In a spray race, the dip concentration is always correct, the tank can be cleaned regularly, and the type of dip can be changed at will from one dipping to the next.

After having suffered a few losses some years ago due to lumpy skin disease, Lukas now follows a strict vaccination programme under the guidance of his vet, Dr Herman de Bruyn from Bronkhorstspruit. With his Taltec equipment, vaccination is as easy as eating pie.

Proper handling equipment will become even more important for Sizalo Bonsmaras, as Lucas is working actively towards increasing his herd to 600 head of cattle. “I also want to take my stud to the highest level, genetically and management wise, and hold my first bull sale by 2014,” he says.

To achieve this, Lucas keeps good records and regularly attends courses to improve his knowledge and skills. He is presently looking for an experienced farm manager who shares his own passion and commitment to become part of Sizalo Bonsmaras. Call him at 083-375-2596 if you are the right candidate.

With 35 years of experience in the development and manufacturing of stock handling equipment, Taltec offers a comprehensive product range, including clamps, crushes, gates, loading ramps, feeders and water troughs, scales and scale platforms, spray races, branding equipment, dehorning equipment, and immobilisers to make the stock farmer’s life easier.

All products are made from A-grade steel and protected by a base coat of zinc-chromate and an enamel top coat in olive green.

Taltec’s people listen to the farmer and continually implement improvements and enhancements based on real experience in the field. Call 012-250-2188 or visit www.taltec.co.za for more information on South Africa’s leading stock handling equipment.