Jewish farmers’ Boran bull sold for Jumbo price

Simeon Hurwitz, the co-owner of Hurwitz Farming, didn’t expect his farm’s eight-year-old Boran bull, named Jumbo, to be sold for a record-breaking price of R2.3 million during the Mpumalanga mixed-use agricultural business’s Boran auction on 6 August.

However, once the hammer came down, the winning bid set a new South African record for a Boran bull.

Jumbo was acquired by Mutanda Farms, a Zambian-headquartered agricultural operation managed by the Cuturi family, meaning that he’s now emigrating to Zambia, where he’ll be making an impact on the Zambian national herd.

“To spend this type of money on an animal that’s eight years old is a phenomenal achievement in itself,” says Hurwitz, who owns Mpumalanga-based Hurwitz Farming with his brother, Jarren. “An amount of R2.3 million is a lot of money in anybody’s language. Whether it’s value for money is debatable, but still, it’s an amazing achievement.”

An indigenous African breed of cattle, Jumbo has suddenly jumped to legendary status, says Hurwitz. “He’s an incredible animal. His genetics are highly sought after. I think that’s why people were keen to spend a bit of money on him and fought to bid on him. His sisters were record-priced heifers when they were sold in their time. One of his sisters previously held the South African record for the highest price ever.”

Aside from Jumbo, four other animals sold for more than R1 million during the auction, and four other South African records were made. Kelly and Kubota became the new record-priced Boran cow and calf; Freckles became the new record-priced Boran pregnant cow; Winnie became the new record-priced Boran pregnant heifer; and Jasmine became the new record-priced Boran open heifer.

Hurwitz says Jumbo’s progeny and breeding stood out for the bidders. “That, together with the marketing and previous success of the animal. Before Jumbo even entered the ring, his pre-bidding was already on R600 000.”

The auction was competitive, with a real vibrancy in the room, says Hurwitz. “People wanted him. Syndicates and coalitions were made to try and own the bull afterwards, but ultimately, he was bought by a good friend of ours in Zambia – Zambian farmers with a very diverse business. They’re serious about what they’re doing. Clearly, Jumbo was part of their plan for the future.”

Another reason why Jumbo received such a high price include the fact that phenotypically, his structure is outstanding, says Hurwitz. “He’s in perfect balance. His weight is about 860kg, so not too big, not too small. His masculinity ticks 10 out of 10. Then, we talk about his genetics, which definitely has to tick a box because it’s related to reproduction and where you’re going to pair that animal in the future. Another reason is his ability to produce superior progeny.”

On top of that, auction-type thinking along with the increasing gravitas of the agriculture business came into play, says Hurwitz. “There’s always the ego side of it – somebody wants this, and somebody doesn’t want to lose it. Other animals and cattle have sold for similar prices over the past couple of months, so agriculture is definitely becoming serious business.”

Hurwitz Farming has a farm of 5 000ha in Davel, midway between Bethal and Ermelo in Mpumalanga. “We have an integrated beef business in which we have stud cattle, which is the Boran herd which Jumbo comes out of,” says Hurwitz. “It’s the largest registered Boran herd in the world, with about 3 000 cattle.”

In the 1980s, Hurwitz’s late grandfather, Dr Barney Hurwitz, established Hurwitz Farming under the guise of B Hurwitz Farming. “He took over the farming village from relatives of ours in order to prevent them from going under,” says Simeon Hurwitz. “He was a pharmacist back in the day, made a name for himself in medical enterprises, and is the founder of Clinic Holdings, a group of hospitals, which later became Netcare.”

When their grandfather was ageing, Hurwitz and Jarren decided to drive out to the farm with him and become involved in the operation.

In those days, much less activity took place on the farm, says Hurwitz. “The herds of cattle were much smaller, agricultural cropping was much smaller, and so on. My brother and I elevated the farming operation to a different level by integrating, expanding, getting more modern with technology, investing in animals, crops, and land. We built it up over a space of maybe 12 years. It’s been a quick learning curve and a quick growth curve.”

Hurwitz points out that he’s one of quite a lot of Jewish farmers in South Africa today – a couple of others being the Karan family in Johannesburg and the Neuman brothers in the Free State. “Wherever we go, we find a few Jewish families popping up,” says Hurwitz. “When you do find Jewish people in farming, they definitely make an impact and a contribution and are leaders in their own sectors similar to other industries.”