Farming with a love for the gentle Nguni

Kragga Kamma farmer owes success to his passion for the breed

HIS surname may be synonymous with dairy products, but Neil Dawson fell in love with an altogether different breed of animal.

The owner of Kragga Kamma Ngunis farms with commercial and stud herds of Nguni.

It was about nine years ago that Dawson and his wife, Monica, went to their first Nguni auction and bought two cattle in Queenstown.

The two animals soon became three when the cow calved at the auction and Monica was delighted to drive back home to Port Elizabeth with the baby calf at her feet.

Coming from a long line of traditional Port Elizabeth dairy farmers, Nguni’s were not conventionally farmed with by the Dawsons.

However, Neil said he identified the Nguni as a hardy, less maintenance breed when looking to diversify the farming business.

“The Ngunis are an indigenous breed and develop a resistance to diseases.

“I chose them because of their adaptability, but also for their fertility and mothering. They can be very gentle animals,” Dawson said.

His Nguni farming business started in all earnest once Dawson discovered his passion for the breed.

-Cindy Preller