AGRA PUTS FIRST SWAKARA AUCTPION CATALOGUE ON WEBSITE
Published: 06 Oct 2014 

The first ever complete Swakara catalogue was put on the internet by Agra Stud Services as part of their dedication to deliver good services to the stud industry in Namibia for both large and small stock. This catalogue on the Agra website contains the pictures of the animals that will be on offer at the Swakara auction of Hendrik Duvenhage on 8 October at the Anandi Guest House in Mariental. 

By putting stud auction catalogues on the Agra website, information on the animals on offer at the specific auction is available long before the auction, giving prospective buyers the opportunity to have a look at the animals and take decisions on the types of animals they would like to bid on. It also saves on printing and the use of paper. 

It is of economic importance for the Swakara producer to continuously improve the general quality of his herd (pelts) through selection, correction and the use of better breeding material. Since the pelt is the product that is sold, properties of the pelts, the pattern forming properties and the hair quality, are what producers look for to make their choices with regards to selection and breeding. It is thus of utmost importance that a good quality picture of the Swakara animal as a lamb is available. Anke Erasmus, who is responsible for uploading the catalogue on the website, confirmed how important it is to have good quality pictures of the animals and told that it took several attempts to put the best quality pictures on the website. 

Information regarding the animals on offer and its parents (dam and sire) accompanies the pictures of the animals in the catalogue and further helps the prospective buyer to make a decision. Judging of the Swakara lambs is a complicated process and requires practice by looking at various characteristics of the pelt and feeling it. 

Points are allocated for hair quality on the body, chest, tail and hind legs and a point of excellence, expressed in percentage, is allocated to the animal. This information as well as breeding information of the parents and siblings of the animal is included in the description in the catalogue. The catalogue can be viewed by going to www.agra.com.na and then to ‘Auctions and Livestock’ and ‘Swakara’.