Lovu Angus Stud

Lovu Red Angus Stud is situated in the Eston area in the beautiful coastal hinterland of KZN. Nestled in between the beautiful rolling green hills of Rosewood Farm the cattle stand proud in their unique home. Amongst the sugar cane fields and distant hills of timber of Rosewood Farm, the stud flourishes under the care of Friedel Keyser and his wife Jean.

The Lovu Red Angus herd consists of approximately 100 strong breeding cows. A small group of about 30 cows are synchronised annually and bred to AI using imported semen or semen collected from Lovu Red Angus sires. The herd sires are sourced from leading breeders and selected for low birth mass, excellent performance and structural soundness.

Lovu Red Angus is very blessed to be situated in the fertile Eston area and the herd is a grass based breeding operation, maize grain is only fed to animals on growth test and if prepared for the market. Sugar cane tops and hay is fed in winter and supplemented by molasses based licks.

“Producing healthy animals for the KZN areas is a top priority or ours” says Friedel Keyser. Due to the climate in the area the cattle are exposed to numerous disease therefore a strict vaccination programme is followed. The herd is exposed to ticks to help build a strong natural immunity to African and Asiatic water as well as Gall sickness.

Breeding of the herd is done from early December to early February for
Days. Selection for fertility is strict and females that don’t conceive are culled. Heifers are bred at 15 months to calve at the age of 2 years. They are all bred at the same time as the cows. The herb calves down at the end of winter and run on kikuyu and veld pastures. Weaning of the calves then takes place in April and the poor preforming calves are sold to feed lots in the area. Weaner bulls then enter a phase D growth test. Weaner replacement heifers are selected and given a production lick to gain approximately 0.3kg’s per day so that they achieve a minimum breedable mass of 300kg’s at 15 months.

Lovu Red Angus bulls are sold as 2 year olds. Approximately one third are sold at the KZN Angus Club Sale together with surplus heifers. The rest of the bulls are then sold off farm.

Lovu Red Angus continues to grow each and every year with new ideas and knowledge. The herd has featured in the countries top 5 herds with one of the lowest inter calf periods since 1993. Three cows have won the ARC- Farmers Weekly Elite cow award. The herd was also the provincial finalist for the ARC Herd of the year award in 10 out of 10 years and provincial winner in 1997, 1998 and 1999 (please see further awards under awards).

Lovu Red Angus Stud is a family project with Friedel’s son, Stephen Keyser coming back onto Rosewood Farm in 2017. Friedel’s daughters, Zara and Hayley as well as his wife, Jean work together to build all the marketing of the Stud as well as running the administration side and Brett Bisschoff, Friedel’s son-in-law runs a commercial herd on his farm in the KZN Midlands alongside Friedel using Lovu Red Angus Bulls. We hope to keep Lovu Red Angus Stud growing from strength to strength every year with a family team effort.