Growth Potential of Nguni, Bonsmara and Bonsmara Crosses Cattle to Meet Free Range Branded Beef Specifications

Retailers in South Africa brand beef based on breeds or production systems.
 Recently, a retailer branded free range beef (FR) that is mainly grass fed. The product is very
 popular among wealthy South Africans. The success and growth of a branded product
 depends on many animals meeting the specification. Abattoirs penalise farmers for carcasses
 that dress to under 180kg and pay very high premium for those that dress at 240kg. The
 challenge for the farmers interested in supplying this market is to predict the possibilities of
 reaching these weights on pasture only. The specifications do not fit current animal
 performance schemes thus there are no readily available records that maps growth in males
 and females in relation to these specifications