HOCHFELDSTREEK BONSMARAS The home of Hochfeldstreek ...

HOCHFELDSTREEK BONSMARAS
The home of Hochfeldstreek Bonsmaras is situated just north of Hochfeld, north east of
Okahandja, on the Farm Omantumba in the Sandveld area. In 1976, after the then young animal
scientist graduate from the University of Pretoria, Harald Metzger, returned home to start farming,
he shared the compassion and understanding of the late professor Jan Bonsma, and invested in his
first Bonsmara cows. From an existing SimmentalerX AfrikanerX PinzgauerX cattle herd he
upgraded and bred his Bonsmaras. Quickly he learned that measuring performance and evaluating
funcional efficient animals, and selecting only the best, was the only way to farm with efficient
animals and increase production. As quickly as he could, he replaced the very efficient Bonsmara
with the crossbred animals. Today the farm Omantumba consists of pure and only registered
Bonsmaras. Genetics that was used in the past came mostly from
Arcadia Bonsmaras (AG de Villiers),
Boesman Bonsmaras (the late Bokkie van der Merwe),
Bristow Bonsmaras, (Gavin Bristow), and locally mainly from
Ombambi Bonsmaras (H Arnold),
Claratal Bonsmaras (E Freyer and sons) and also a lot of the old stud from late
George Thomas (Georita Bonsmaras).
In the best production years, the stud had it’s own production auction for 21 years. It was a
familiy event, where each of the three daughters where involved and played a role. Today
Streicher is married to one one of the dauhters, Hella. Both studied agriculture (animal science
and animal nutrition), and having worked in different areas of Namibia, and also worked with
many cattle breeds, they both share the passion for the Bonsmara. “If you put all cattle facts on
the table, you can not farm with any other breed!“ With the motto “breeding is our passion“,
Streicher and Hella have learnt that by realising your breeding goal, you sometimes have to cross a
bridge that takes you the longer way. Today both are very excited about the phase they have gone
through to adapt to the new developments in the breed. There is a humble admiration when
animals, environment, buyers and co-breeders helped to realise the difference between „bull-
production“ and „stud-breeding“. Buyers are supplied with new, unrelated genetics frequently.
Production and reproduction are the two most important selection criteria the herd is build on. It is

important that every bull and female that leave the farm to be integrated in another production
system, has gone through an intensive selection process to guarantee buyer satisfaction. Although
cattle breeding is a deep passion, it is not being done as a hobby only, but must be financial viable.
“If it does not make financial sense for us, how can it make financial sense for anybody
else?“
Currently the main focus is to breed
a strong functional efficient Bonsmara with
high calving ease,
strong post birth growth with good conformation and capacity,
good weaning performance and
early maturing animals, who can
efficiently produce and reproduce.
A very valued lesson that was inherited and is applied daily, is the saying: „Nature does not
tolerate extremes“. Ask you environment what animals you need to farm with, what production
system to apply, and you will find that you experience the least difficulties. We use every
measurement and advice we can get to improve quality and thereby make available improved
cattle genetics. Bulls as well as females have been integrated mainly in the surrounding Sandveld
area, but also in areas as far as Maltahöhe, Aroab, Kamanjab and Grootfontein, as well as the
Khomas Hochland, and even Botswana.
It is a privilege of being part of the Hartebeestloop auction. By entering quite some females this
year, the breeders of Hochfeldstreek Bonsmaras hope to satisfy a little bit of the hunger for good
quality female Bonsmaras:
The six best pregnant SP heifers where selected by Hartebeestloop quality officials.
More high quality heifers from the same group.
All females have gone through the required weighing phases and inspection.
Pelvic measurements where taken before they where mated at about 18 months.
Heifers where mated with AG03-130, a bull with light calves, good conformation and
remarkable body length and desired shoulder height.
Bulls that are enterd for auction

have gone through phase D testing,
inspection by the society
fertility testing and breeding soundness by teh veterinarian
classification by consultants and
selection by Hartebeestloop quality inspectors.
Keep visiting this website to view a link for a sneak preview of the Hartebeestloop Bonsmara
auction animals with photos and detailed catalogue information as well as breeder’s descriptive
writings.
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