🐄 Section 1 — Animal Setup
🌾 Section 2 — Feed Ingredients
Locally available South African feeds are pre-checked. Uncheck feeds you cannot source, or add others.
💰 Section 3 — Budget (Optional)
Formulate feed rations for Nguni and Brahman cattle, Dorper sheep, Boer goats using lucerne, eragrostis hay and South African feeds. Africa's most commercialised feed market. Prices in ZAR.
Locally available South African feeds are pre-checked. Uncheck feeds you cannot source, or add others.
South Africa has the most developed and industrialized livestock and feed sector on the African continent. The country's livestock industry encompasses large-scale commercial beef cattle (approximately 14 million head), dairy (over 1.5 million dairy cows producing 3.5 billion liters annually), sheep and wool production (over 20 million sheep), pigs (over 1.5 million), and one of the world's largest broiler chicken industries (producing over 1.8 billion birds annually). The animal feed industry is a major economic sector, with total feed production exceeding 12 million tonnes annually. Major feed companies include Astral Foods (Meadow Feeds), RCL Foods (Epol and Molatek), AFGRI Animal Feeds, De Heus South Africa, and Nutri Feeds. The industry is regulated by the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act (Act 36 of 1947) and overseen by the Department of Agriculture. The Animal Feed Manufacturers Association (AFMA) represents the commercial feed industry.
South Africa produces and uses a wide range of feed ingredients at a scale unmatched elsewhere in Africa. Yellow maize is the primary energy source, with domestic production of 12 to 16 million tonnes annually (depending on rainfall), making South Africa typically a net maize exporter. Soybean meal is the principal protein source for monogastric feeds, with domestic soybean crushing capacity expanding rapidly. Sunflower oilcake from the significant domestic sunflower industry (North West, Free State, Limpopo provinces) provides an alternative protein source. Lucerne (alfalfa) is the premium roughage for dairy cattle, produced commercially under irrigation in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State. Maize silage is the most important conserved forage on commercial dairy farms, with silage production technology well-established. Hominy chop (maize byproduct from de-germing) is a widely used energy source for dairy and beef cattle. Wheat bran from the milling industry supplements dairy rations. Cottonseed oilcake from the Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal cotton industry provides protein for ruminants. Fishmeal from the West Coast pelagic fishery is a premium ingredient for poultry and aquaculture. Molasses from the KwaZulu-Natal sugar industry is used in liquid feed supplements and silage additives. Eragrostis (teff) hay is the most widely traded roughage for horses and cattle across the Highveld.
Feed costs in South Africa are driven primarily by the maize price (SAFEX white and yellow maize prices), soybean meal prices, and roughage costs, which together represent the bulk of livestock feeding expenditure. Maize prices are influenced by domestic rainfall patterns, SAFEX futures market dynamics, and the rand-dollar exchange rate affecting export and import parity pricing. Dairy farmers typically spend R2,000 to R4,500 per cow per month on feed, depending on production level and feeding system. Commercial broiler operations target feed costs of R4,500 to R5,500 per tonne for grower feeds. Strategies for managing feed costs include forward contracting of maize and soybean through the SAFEX market to lock in favorable prices, on-farm grain and silage production to reduce purchased feed dependency, precision feeding using TMR (total mixed ration) systems to minimize waste, and regular feed efficiency monitoring through production records. Roughage costs can be managed by establishing and maintaining productive cultivated pastures (ryegrass, kikuyu, lucerne) appropriate to the region. Feed ingredients are sourced through AFGRI, Senwes, VKB, NWK, and other agribusiness cooperatives, as well as independent feed brokers. Emerging and smallholder farmers can access support through the Department of Agriculture's extension services and farmer development programs. AFMA publishes regular market reports on feed ingredient prices, providing valuable information for purchasing decisions.