A WORD FROM… André Brink
March 2023
It is a great compliment for any farmer to get recognition from the industry, so it is truly an honour to have been chosen as the 2022 Grain SA/Syngenta Grain producer of the year. It has given me a lot of exposure in the agricultural industry.
Many people called to congratulate me and some have even contacted me to ask for advice. This has given me a great opportunity to give back to the industry. Therefore, I would also like to share some advice with the readers of Pula Imvula – things that have contributed to my success as a farmer.
- Plan ahead – failing to plan, is planning to fail!
- Know what is going on with your farming operation’s finances. Your books have to be accurate to keep your farm profitable.
- Value the people who form part of your team. They are important, so take good care of them. The ‘foot soldiers’ contribute to your success.
- Check your soil’s health. If your soil’s immunity is good, it will handle any situation better – whether it is too much rain or too little, and even erosion.
- Get into a crop rotation system. It is beneficial to your soil and to your farming operation.
- Chemical soil analyses are important and corrections are expensive, so try to spread the cost over a few years.
- If you want to change something on the farm, try to find the solution where you can make the biggest impact with the smallest change.
- Leave things better than you found them: Make sure that when you are no longer around, your farming operation is in a better state than when you started it.
– André Brink is the 2002 Grain SA/Syngenta Grain Producer of the Year.
Publication: March 2023
Section: Pula/Imvula
