2021 ARC NATIONAL BEST ELITE COW AWARDS
This award category only considers actual performance data of participating cows. Participating cows should exhibit exceptional reproduction figures and other economically important traits such as maternal ability and pre-weaning growth rate (weaning weight). This award category is also contested, as in the past, among cows across all breeds and only one cow per breed will be crowned as the top female of each participating breed. Our valued partner, Farmers Weekly, have been the sole sponsor of this award category for 43 years in a row, which in itself is indeed praiseworthy.
Both registered and commercial cows are eligible to participate and specific qualification criteria include age at first calving; the average inter-calving period; days since the last calving; the completeness of records for weaning weights; performance records (Breeding Values) regarding wean direct and wean maternal; birth maternal (where available) and the number of calves with reliable weaning weights.
For commercial cows where no BLUP breeding values are available, the criteria evaluated include, in addition to criteria already mentioned, the weaning index of the cow’s calves individually as well as for all calves weaned. Additional criteria used to identify the best performing cow per breed include breeding values for birth and weaning; average efficiency index (if available); approval ratio (percentage of her progeny approved for registration by the relevant breeders’ society); reproduction index and the percentage of performance tested calves.
Table 1 lists the 16 ARC National Best Elite Cows with their respective performance figures, while Table 2 lists the owners of these cows.
Congratulations to all the recipients of awards in this class!
Table 1: 2021 ARC National Best Elite Cow Awards sponsored by Farmer’s Weekly
Breed |
Cow Id |
Age (years) |
Number calves |
Age 1st calving
(months) |
Avg
ICP1 (days) |
Avg weaning index2 | Birth weight EBV
(kg) 3 |
Weaning weight EBV
(kg) 4 |
|
Dir5 | Dir6 | Mat7 | |||||||
Santa Gertrudis | DT 08 0236 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 383 | – | 1,20 | 24,0 | 3,0 |
1 Avg ICP – Average Inter-calving period
2 Avg weaning index – Average Weaning Weight Index on calves
3 Birth weight EBV – Estimated Breeding Value for Birth Weight
4 Weaning weight EBV – Estimated Breeding Value for Weaning Weight
5 Dir – Estimated Breeding Value for Birth Weight Direct
6 Dir – Estimated Breeding Value for Weaning Weight Direct
7 Mat – Estimated Breeding Value for Weaning Weight Maternal
Table 2: The owners of the 2021 ARC National Best Elite Cow Awards
Breed | Cow Id | Owner | Town | Cell no | |
Santa Gertrudis | DT 08 0236 | Dail van Rensburg | Delareyville | dail@cluesnet.co.za | 082 809 8841 |


2021 ARC NATIONAL PLATINUM BULL AWARDS
sponsored by GMPBasic
Besides having exceptional performance figures themselves, bulls can only qualify for this award if they were bred from an Elite cow, therefore the saying that it is the “best from the best” award category. More than one bull per breed can be eligible for this award, although as a rule very few bulls qualify due to the stringent adjudication criteria. Eligible bulls must have received a Gold Merit certificate when they completed a Phase C test of the ARC and its dam had to receive her Elite cow status during the year in which the bull received his Gold Merit award. Eligible bulls also had to complete their Phase C tests between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020. GMPBasic, one of the ARC’s valued partners, has been sponsoring this award category for seven years in a row now, a category that has been contested for 26 years already.
The 11 Platinum Award bulls are listed in Table 3 and the owners in Table 4.
Congratulations to all the recipients of awards in this class!
Table 3: 2021 ARC National Platinum Bull Awards sponsored by GMPBasic
BULL | DAM | |||||||||||
Breed |
Bull Id |
ADG index |
FCR index |
Adjusted Scrotum circum. |
Dam Id |
Age (years) |
Calvings |
AFC (months) |
Avg ICP (days) |
Birth weight EBV
(kg) |
Weaning weight EBV
(kg) |
|
Dir | Dir | Mat | ||||||||||
Santa Gertrudis | M 19 0048 | 124 | 116 | 324 | M 09 0062 | 12 | 9 | 38 | 354 | 2,60 | 18,0 | 8,0 |
HH 19 0029 | 123 | 115 | 346 | VV 02 0128 | 19 | 15 | 27 | 388 | 1,00 | 12,0 | 4,0 |
Table 4: The owners of the 2021 ARC National Platinum Bull Awards
Breed | Bull Id | Owner | Town | Cell no | |
Santa Gertrudis | M 19 0048 | Johan & Helene van der Merwe | Ottosdal | vasvat@lantic.net | 071 380 3492 |
HH 19 0029 | Howard Hobson | Ladybrand | pinekloof@gmail.com | 082 410 2401 |




2021 ARC NATIONAL SPECIAL PERFORMANCE TEST CLASS
Running for over four decades, this award category aims to recognise bulls with exceptional performance traits. Bulls which were awarded Gold or Silver merit certificates when they completed a standardised growth test (Phase C) of the National Beef Recording and Improvement Scheme during 2020 are eligible to compete in this award category. Residual Feed Intake or RFI, a trait that describes a bull’s ability to utilise feed efficiently, is also considered. Only one bull per breed is eventually identified to represent the entire breed and adjudication criteria includes both performance traits and functional efficiency. Every bull that participates on behalf of its breed is thus crowned as the overall national winner within the participating breed.
Table 6 lists the 17 bulls with their respective performance figures. Table 7 lists the owners of the bulls and their contact details.
Congratulations to all the recipients of awards in this class!
Table 6: 2021 ARC National Special Performance Test Class Awards
Breed |
Bull Id |
Birth date |
Centre Tested |
ADG |
FCR |
RFI |
Adjusted Shoulder- / *Hip Height (mm) |
Adjusted Body Length (mm) |
Adjusted Scrotum Circum. (mm) |
||
(g) | Ind | Kg/kg | Ind | ||||||||
Santa Gertrudis | FF 19 0056 | 27/11/2019 | Vryburg | 2527 | 151 | 4,76 | 122 | -0,319 | *1301 | 1476 | 359 |
Table 7: The owners of the 2021 ARC National Special Performance Test Class Awards
Breed | Bull Id | Owner | Town | Cell no | |
Santa Gertrudis | FF 19 0056 | Juan Freeman | Delareyville | marius@ramref.co.za | 084 549 4432 |

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