Thesis (MPhil (Agric))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

The main objectives of this study can be divided into three categories. In the first place it refers to the determination of production- and reproduction norms for the different main production areas in the greater Burgersdorp area, to promote production. In the second place it refers to the determination of the different management styles of sheep farmers in the greater Burgersdorp area. In the third place it refers to the calculation of gross margins for sheep farming in the greater Burgersdorp area, to establish the sustainable economic position. The survey area (the greater Burgersdorp area) includes the magisterial districts of Burgersdorp, Molteno, Steynsburg and Venterstad. The four magisterial districts were divided into two main production areas namely Stormberg Highveld and Burgersdorp Lowveld. Stormberg Highveld includes Molteno and the high-lying area (highveld) of Burgersdorp. Burgersdorp Lowveld comprises Steynsburg, Venterstad and the low-lying area (lowveld) of Burgersdorp. The management strategies of sheep farmers in the survey area were determined by means of a questionnaire and statistically analysed. The economic analyses of the sheep industry (wool and meat) were performed with the Geyer computer model. In this study it showed that the Dorper farmers obtained the highest gross margin per sheep. The lowest gross margin per sheep resulted from the Vleismerino farmers. Although the composition of the gross production value and the directly allocatable variable costs compare favourably, each main production area has unique management strategies for the different sheep breeds. The different management strategies can serve as the norm for extensive sheep farming, applicable to the specific main production area.

Thesis (MPhil (Agricultural Economics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The Dorper Sheep species are exclusively bred for the dry arid conditions of some parts of South Africa. This species adapts easily and a prime lamb with great characteristics can be produced. There are two very important controlable factors regarding Dorper sheep farming namely herd management and cultivation. Herd management involves feeding, mating, mating methods and the handling of animals and their products. A few good objectives of herd management are the short breeding interval, low deaths and high performance rating. Genetic improvement can be achieved by using good rams, the selection of ewe-lambs as forthcoming breeding ewes, culling of uneconomic producers and the application of good breeding practices to improve meat production and reproduction. In this study a comparison is made between the management practices (herd management and cultivation) of Dorper farmers in 1990 and the management practices of Dorper farmers in 2004. For this aim the research of J.J. Ackermann (1990) was used. In 2004 questionnaires were send to Dorper farmers throughout South-Africa to get more information about their management practices. The conclusion of the study was that there was an increase in tertiary qualification of Dorper farmers from 1990 to 2004 and that more farmers used modern practices instead of the old traditional methods.

The transformation of the rangelands of the South Island of New Zealand during the pastoral era fits into the wider international context of European expansion into the 'new' world. European settlers displaced native peoples, introduced 'old' world animals and plants, and imposed a capitalist system that converted local resources into international commodities. In New Zealand the orthodox explanation of the pastoral impact on the rangelands claims that pastoralists introduced an unsustainable system of land use to the region. The pastoralists� indiscriminate burning practices and overstocking with sheep opened up the country to invasion by rabbits. Burning and overgrazing by sheep and rabbits stripped the natural fertility of the soils and left the country depleted, eroded, and overwhelmed by pests and weeds. This thesis sets out to test those claims. It explores burning, the stocking of the rangelands with sheep and the impact of rabbits in detail. It also examines other land management practices, as well as sheep breeding, to see what impact they had on the landscape. The timeframe is set between 1841, when formal British settlement was established in the South Island, and 1912, by which time most of the great estates and stations had been broken up into smaller runs and farms. The thesis uses station diaries, memoirs, contemporary newspapers and farming journals to assess what happened on the ground during the pastoral era. In particular, the thesis uses Mt Peel Station as a case study to examine the intensification in land use that took place between 1841 and 1912, in order to explain the transformation of the landscape and to answer the questions: what happened, how did it happened and why did it happened as it did? These sources illustrate that the pastoral era was characterised by innovation. Pastoralists had access to technical and scientific information from around the world. Some conducted their own experiments to improve the productivity of the land and their stock. There was also a learning process involved in adapting their methods to fit the local rangeland environments. They were not simply rapacious capitalists out to strip the wealth from the land for their own personal gain; indeed, many pastoralists set out to establish viable and sustainable enterprises. The thesis argues that the rangelands consisted of a variety of landscapes and climates. Differences in resource endowments had a considerable influence in shaping the environmental outcomes on different stations. Aridity and rabbits were two key factors in the depletion of the vegetation and the degradation of the landscape in the rangelands. Runs in semi-arid districts that were overwhelmed by rabbits suffered long-term damage. In districts where rainfall was more reliable stations that had been overrun by rabbits recovered remarkably quickly. Stations like Mt Peel, that were largely unaffected by the first rabbit plague, were able to maintain and even increase their productivity up to the time they were subdivided. The orthodox analysis of the transformation of the rangelands in the pastoral era does not account for these differences in outcomes.

The transformation of the rangelands of the South Island of New Zealand during the pastoral era fits into the wider international context of European expansion into the 'new' world. European settlers displaced native peoples, introduced 'old' world animals and plants, and imposed a capitalist system that converted local resources into international commodities. In New Zealand the orthodox explanation of the pastoral impact on the rangelands claims that pastoralists introduced an unsustainable system of land use to the region. The pastoralists� indiscriminate burning practices and overstocking with sheep opened up the country to invasion by rabbits. Burning and overgrazing by sheep and rabbits stripped the natural fertility of the soils and left the country depleted, eroded, and overwhelmed by pests and weeds. This thesis sets out to test those claims. It explores burning, the stocking of the rangelands with sheep and the impact of rabbits in detail. It also examines other land management practices, as well as sheep breeding, to see what impact they had on the landscape. The timeframe is set between 1841, when formal British settlement was established in the South Island, and 1912, by which time most of the great estates and stations had been broken up into smaller runs and farms. The thesis uses station diaries, memoirs, contemporary newspapers and farming journals to assess what happened on the ground during the pastoral era. In particular, the thesis uses Mt Peel Station as a case study to examine the intensification in land use that took place between 1841 and 1912, in order to explain the transformation of the landscape and to answer the questions: what happened, how did it happened and why did it happened as it did? These sources illustrate that the pastoral era was characterised by innovation. Pastoralists had access to technical and scientific information from around the world. Some conducted their own experiments to improve the productivity of the land and their stock. There was also a learning process involved in adapting their methods to fit the local rangeland environments. They were not simply rapacious capitalists out to strip the wealth from the land for their own personal gain; indeed, many pastoralists set out to establish viable and sustainable enterprises. The thesis argues that the rangelands consisted of a variety of landscapes and climates. Differences in resource endowments had a considerable influence in shaping the environmental outcomes on different stations. Aridity and rabbits were two key factors in the depletion of the vegetation and the degradation of the landscape in the rangelands. Runs in semi-arid districts that were overwhelmed by rabbits suffered long-term damage. In districts where rainfall was more reliable stations that had been overrun by rabbits recovered remarkably quickly. Stations like Mt Peel, that were largely unaffected by the first rabbit plague, were able to maintain and even increase their productivity up to the time they were subdivided. The orthodox analysis of the transformation of the rangelands in the pastoral era does not account for these differences in outcomes.