One of our readers, across in the waters in South Africa, reached out to us in recent days following the birth of a calf with a distinctive “heart-shaped patch”.
The animal was born on Wenzim Simmenteller Stoet’s 30-cow farm, comprising pedigree Simmental breeding females, in Western Cape, Oudshoorn.
Calf with heart-shaped patch
He told That’s Farming: “The calf has a perfect heart-shaped patch on the forehead. His name is Bruintjie, which means little brown one in the Afrikaans language.”
“Unlike any other calf before, this calf was blessed with a crown of love in the shape of a white heart at birth.”
“The calf and dam are both strong and healthy,” the member of the Simmental Breeders Society of South Africa added.
“The pedigree Simmental calf is cute and as tame as a lamb. He was born on August 11th, 2021, is strong and healthy and weighs approximately 50kgs.”
“His father is stud, Skilderkrans LN1814, and his dam is pending registration.”
“I would like to sell this extremely rare calf. I believe it could be worth a lot to someone in the Simmental breeder/genetics circles. Maybe the calf might be a perfect gift for someone’s daughter or wife.”
“We are seeking $ 34 950.00, which is negotiable; we are open for any offer. Shipment from the current location can proceed after purchase.”
“People can contact us at – [email protected] – for further information or if they are interested in buying the calf,” the breeder concluded.
Mayo man’s Simmental bull is a best-seller in China
“There is a huge demand in China for Irish Simmental; it is the best-kept secret and not capitalised on. We are slightly losing the market to the UK and other European countries.”
That is the view of Mayo native, John Hession, who has travelled the world to establish and fine-tune his progressive polled Simmental herd.
The part-time farmer, a lecturer in IT Sligo, bred a bull, which according to the latest AI data, indicates that he is the number 1 best-selling sire across all breeds and the most requested in China.
As exclusively revealed by That’s Farming last year, Portroyal Kratos-P, out of Fedal Juar PP, and Portroyal Friday- P, formed part of a consignment of Irish-bred Simmental bulls that were exported overseas.
“He is an incredibly big, long bull and has reached 1,500kg at three-years-old. His semen is sold in China, the USA and is standing in an AI station in Italy,” John Hession told That’s Farming.
Read his full herd profile.
To share your story, email Catherina Cunnane, editor of That’s Farming – [email protected]
