Nkadimeng, MarbleVan Marle-Koster, EsteNengovhela, Nkhanedzeni BaldwinRamukhithi, Fhulufhelo VincentMphaphathi, Masindi LotusRust, Johannes MatthiasMakgahlela, Mahlako Linah2023-04-052023-04-052022-11-01Nkadimeng, M.; Van Marle-Köster, E.; Nengovhela, N.B.; Ramukhithi, F.V.; Mphaphathi, M.L.; Rust, J.M.; Makgahlela, M.L. Assessing Reproductive Performance to Establish Benchmarks for Small- Holder Beef Cattle Herds in South Africa. Animals 2022, 12, 3003. https://DOI.org/10.3390/ani12213003.2076-2615 (online)10.3390/ani12213003http://hdl.handle.net/2263/90382SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: TABLE S1: Summary of the likelihood and variation of reproductive performance in smallholder beef cattle herds between provinces (Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West). TABLE S2: Cow characteristics (breed, age, parity).Smallholder beef cattle farms in South Africa have had low reproductive performance, which has been associated with management practices. Considering current farm management practices, a multi-stage selection study was conducted to assess reproductive performance as defined by pregnancy rate, fetal and calf losses, calving interval and days open to benchmark reproductive performance. Data were collected twice, in autumn (March–May) for pregnancy diagnosis and in spring (September–November) for monitoring of confirmed pregnancies. Overall, 3694 cow records from 40 smallholder herds were collected during 2018 and 2019 breeding seasons from five provinces. The preferred 25th quartile described target performance and GLIMMIX procedure determined associations between management practices and performance. Smallholder farms on average recorded 50% pregnancy rate and 12% fetal and calf losses with 304 and 608 days open and calving interval, respectively. The derived target benchmarks for pregnancy rate, fetal and calf losses, days open and calving intervals in smallholder farms were 54%, 1.4%, 152 and 425 days, respectively. Reproductive performance was associated with no knowledge of body condition scoring before breeding, culling of old and non-productive cows, record keeping and low bull to cow ratio (p < 0.05). The performance benchmarks implied that industry averages may be improved if sustainable management services are provided through extension and advisory services.en© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.Cow fertilityManagement factorsPerformance benchmarksPregnancy rateArticle