A query this morning was “I’d like to find out about training opportunities on sheep farming, in particular sheep feedlots”. After checking on the caller’s age and whereabouts, we asked for an email address to jot down various possibilities which came to mind. We have previously shared responses to queries here, and because some of you may have wondered about this topic, we will do so again.
Dear ****,
You’ve seen our mutton page, I’m sure: https://agribook.co.za/livestock/mutton-sheep
I’ve just confirmed that Peter Milton is still around. He does a sheep feedlot course, and has trained farmers successfully for many years. A course costs R4,000. It is currently done by WhatsAp. He sends you material, takes you through it at your own pace. You will find his details under the training and research heading. He lives in Gqeberha and his email address is petermilton5252 [at] gmail.com. During the training, you can also send videos of specific animals where you have questions and he comments on them.
Rothmans Livestock Training Services are also established trainers; see http://rltsafrica.com/product-category/sheep-goats/.
Other training happens with agricultural colleges. See https://agribook.co.za/agricultural-training-and-careers/agricultural-education-and-training/#agricolleges. They offer short courses, and Grootfontein is well regarded for its work with small stock. You could also check with Fort Cox to see if they have any short courses. Short courses can also be done by the ARC in Irene.
There are various animal production AgriSETA accredited courses, which means that their accredited trainers [nearly 2000 of them, see www.agriseta.co.za/accredited-training-providers-list/] are training options. I am familiar with only some of these, like Skills for Africa, Agri Skills Transfer and Buhle Farmer’s Academy. I have hyperlinked their names to their websites. Some farmer organisations, like the National Emergent Red Meat Producers Organisation (NERPO) and National Wool Growers Association (NWGA) are accredited as training providers as well.
There are also useful publications like the Red Meat Marketing (Department of Agriculture) listed under the Websites & publications heading on our Mutton web page. In addition to any training you do, I suggest you check these out too.
Good luck. Our best wishes,
Craig
