Grootzuurfontein Stud Springfontein

Red Poll cattle is an integral component of Grootzuurfontein Farming, an environment friendly sheep and cattle farm enterprise situated between Bethulie and Springfontein route R715 (25 Km from Bethulie and 14 Km from Springfontein). From the Bloemfontein/Springfontein direction it is situated 9.4 km off the N1. The farm has been owned more than sixty years by the Griesel family.

The farming operation could be characterised as extensive farming. The average rainfall is 422mm per annum. The vegetation resemblance is both grassland and Karoo, typical of the False-Karoo veld. Here the Karoo bossie under normal conditions carry livestock through the winter with only salt as supplementary feeding support.

The Red Poll stud presently comprise a breeding herd of on average about 50 to 60 breeding cows comprising about 15% of farming operations. Breeding performance testing is maintained through participation in the SA Stud Book performance testing scheme for beef cattle.

A research project, Sustainable Stock Farming Together with Varying Climatic Conditions has been introduced on the farm during 2004. Farming management systems have been designed to cater for the research project whereby stock loads on natural pastures are varied on Grootzuurfontein in accordance with rainfall and range land conditions. Results of the research project is made available annually during an information and range land training day at the farm.

In 2014 the stud has received an Elite-Gold award from Stud Book which implies that the stud is categorised amongst the top 10% of the Stud Book registered studs in South Africa in accordance with the selection criteria used by Stud Book to make these awards. Grootzuurfontein Red Poll Stud regularly reinforce the gene pool.

The stud has maintained a weaner percentage of about 90% on the veld over the past 5 years.