Dreams, dedication and hard work the recipe for success

November 2017

LOUISE KUNZ, SA Graan/Grain contributor

An American poet, Henry David Thoreau said, ‘Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.’ The success of busy South African developing farmers was recently celebrated at Grain SA’s Day of Celebration.
 
More than 300 guests, which included government representatives, agricultural stakeholders and approximately 150 developing grain producers, many sporting colourful traditional outfits, attended the event on 5 October this year. Guests each received a seed depth measure as gesture of the Grain SA Farmer Develop­ment Programme and the personnel and executive who support the farmers. 

This year the farmers’ progress and hard work were acknowledged at the Sandstone Sleeper Estate on the outskirts of Bloemfontein. With 17 new farmers joining the 250 Ton Club and 21 becoming members of the 500 Ton Club, it was clear that the valued advice Grain SA’s team and mentors share with the developing farmers is making an impact on developing agriculture.

The main sponsors of this glorious occasion were represented by Dr Langelihle Simela (business development manager: Absa AgriBusiness), Mr Ferdie Marx (area alliance manager, John Deere Financial sub-Saharan Africa), Ms Linda van der Merwe (head: Customer Marketing, Syngenta SA) and Ms Dudu Mashile (sales manager: Emerging Markets, Monsanto).

2017 winners who achieved their goals 
The 2017 Grain SA/Absa/John Deere Financial Subsistence Farmer of the Year, Ms Mavis Hlatshwayo (55) joined Grain SA in 2005 and is men­to­red by Mr Jerry Mthombothi (development co-ordinator). She dreams of owning more land to create job opportunities for the unemployed in her community. Hlatshwayo is always willing to share the know­ledge she gains at the study group meetings, workshops and courses arranged and organised by Grain SA, with less ex­perien­c­ed farmers in the area.

Mr Thembalihle Tobo, the winner of the Grain SA/Syngenta Smallholder Farmer of the Year, hails from Ndunge near Bizana in the Eastern Cape. He started farming in 1996, became a member of Grain SA in 2006 and is currently the chairperson of the Ndunge Study Group. According to Mr Luke Collier (development co-ordinator) who has been mentoring Tobo, this dedicated farmer is a role-model to many in his community. 

Agriculture is in his blood, says Mr Paul Malindi, the Grain SA/Monsanto Potential Commercial Farmer of the Year. He obtained a 441 ha farm through PLAS in Edenville in the northern Free State in 2012 and joined Grain SA’s Farmer Development Programme in the same year. Malindi is one of the founding members of the Edenville Study Group. Mr Johan Kriel (development co-ordinator) says Malindi implemented all the advice he has received over the years and it paid off this year. 

The 2017 finalists in the Grain SA/Absa/John Deere Financial New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year were: Messrs Edwin Mahlatsi (Bothaville, Free State), Vuyani Lolwane (Gelukspan, North West Province) and Remember Mthethwa (Dannhauser, KwaZulu-Natal). The winner was announced at the Grain SA Awards Ceremony on 13 October and received a John Deere tractor sponsored by John Deere Financial in partnership with Absa.

A word of gratitude 
Ms Jane McPherson (programme manager: Farmer Development, Grain SA) thanked the friends of the programme – those individuals who support the programme to ensure its continued existence. These include the Maize Trust, Winter Cereal Trust, OPOT, Monsanto, Afgri, Pioneer, Pannar and Sasol Base Chemicals. Grain SA’s CEO, Mr Jannie de Villiers, expressed his gratitude to every developing grain farmer who is willing to be mentored and taught, thereby ensuring a growing harvest of grain farmers each year.

In 1976, after becoming the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10, the 14-year old Romanian Olympic gold medallist, Nadia Comaneci, was asked what the secret to her success was. She answered, ‘Hard work made it easy – that’s my secret.’ Congratulations to each nominee, finalist and winner who knows the difference hard work makes in their own farming operation.

Publication: November 2017

Section: Grain SA