Cattle Farming

Cattle farming on Flintbeck for the Schlotfeldt’s began in the 1950’s.  The first cattle bought were transported from Omaruru Deutsch Sud West, now Namibia.  Friedel and Lydia Schlotfeldt bought 10 Pinzgauer cattle from a cousin in Namibia.  They farmed with cattle, peaches and chickens on the farm.  Friedel was at that time still a blacksmith in Johannesburg, so Lydia was living on the farm doing the farming.  With her soft but strong hands she worked every day to build up the farm. 

In 1984 Callie and Heidi got married, that was when they took over the farming from Friedel and Lydia.  They bought the farm and immediately concentrated on breeding cattle.  Callie’s passion is cattle and genetics.  Heide being a qualified nurse had to give up the city life and become part of Flintbeck farming.  Callie and Heidi soon realised that one of them had to be on the farm permanently to manage the daily activities.  Callie was a full time insurance broker and the bread winner, thus Heide gave up her career to manage the farm.  Heide used her medical experience and applied it to cattle farming.  Till today she is still the heart and soul of Flintbeck farm. 

Callie and Heide bought “South Devon (Cattle race)” from Ecki Pape a well known local farmer in the area.  Later on they decided to add Bonsmara cattle to the herd until finally the Pinzgauer and South Devon cattle cross formed the base of a registered Bonsmara cattle stud.  Bonsmara is a South African cattle breed; it balances productivity with reliability in the veldt.  This means the animal is tough enough to survive in the harsh African conditions whilst still being in high demand for its meat quality. 

During the eighties there were severe droughts that nearly cost the Schlotfeldt’s the farm.  Callie has always made a point of it to ensure that the farm is never over stocked. Since 1984 we have been breeding and selecting to ensure that only the best and most productive animals remain on the farm.  We mainly sell our cattle to other breeders. 

In 2014 we reduced the number of cattle to accommodate more game on the farm, this means that extreme selection needed to be implemented to select the best of the best; currently Flintbeck carries anything from 200-280 head of cattle on the farm.  In order to keep the farm as productive as possible we now plant more supplementary grazing on the farm.

Bonsmara cattle on Flintbeck

Petrus en Isaac- They take care of the cattle daily

Cattle on the way to the “Kraal” with their calves

Christian-ploughing