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September 2014
Grain SA recently hosted their annual Developing Farmer of the Year competition to acknowledge the successes of deserving developing farmers. The competition consists of three categories in order to create a platform for all types of farmers to compete fairly. The three categories are: Subsistence Farmer of the Year (farming on 0 - 10 hectares), Smallholder farmer of the Year (farming on anything from 10 hectares, but producing less than 250 tons of grain) and New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year (producing more than 250 tons of grain). The winners for all three categories will be announced at the Day of Celebration function in Bloemfontein on 2 October this year.
JANE MCPHERSON, Grain Farmer Development Programme, Grain SA
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Enoch Khumalo |
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| Region: | Mpumalanga |
| Nearest town: | Piet Retief |
| Provincial co-ordinator: | Naas Gouws |
Enoch Khumalo grew up in a rural area where his father had a small piece of land, growing maize on a subsistence basis. Enoch worked as a farm worker for about 30 years, mainly with sheep and cattle.
In 2009, Enoch joined the Donkerhoek Study Group when it was formed and he is still a loyal member of the group whilst also attending various training courses.
This year Enoch has managed to plant 3 ha of maize. He has access to 6 ha, but due to a lack of funds he was not able to plant the entire area. The crop has responded well to his management and he is expecting to harvest more than 6 ton/ha.
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Gladys Phatheleni Zondo |
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| Region: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Nearest town: | Winterton |
| Provincial co-ordinator: | Jurie Mentz |
Gladys Patheleni Zondo was born in Emmaus in 1967 where she grew up and went to Emmaus Primary School until grade 4. Gladys has always been self-employed by mending and making clothes for the community.
She has access to 3 ha of arable land in the communal area in which she resided. In the past she used to plant the entire area in an attempt to get sufficient maize for the family’s staple food for the year. Since using modern production practices, Gladys is able to plant only 0,25 ha of maize to be assured of the 1 ton that her family requires for the year. She has changed her production practice to no-till with chemical weed control and this has made her life much easier as well as providing more food for the family. Now Gladys is able to use the remainder of the land to grow beans and other vegetables.
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Thoko Matha Mofokeng |
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| Region: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Nearest town: | Winterton |
| Provincial co-ordinator: | Jurie Mentz |
Thoko Matha Mofokeng was born in Emmaus where she also grew up. She attended school at the Ngwadi Primary School and left in grade 2. In 2005, Thoko met with a local extension officer who taught her about farming and in 2009 she met with Mshefane (Jurie Mentz) who also taught her many valuable things about agriculture. Since then she hasn’t looked back.
Thoko is a member of the Emmaus Study Group and has attended training courses for maize production. Although Thoko only cultivates 1 ha of maize by hand, she would like to access more land and increase the size of the land that she plants by hand. Planting by hand was a big challenge, but she has now overcome the challenge by buying a hand held planter and knapsack sprayer for herself and by using Roundup Ready seed.
JANE MCPHERSON, Grain Farmer Development Programme, Grain SA
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Lungelwa Kama |
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| Region: | Eastern Cape |
| Nearest town: | Maclear |
| Provincial co-ordinator: | Vusi Ngesi |
Lungelwa Kama was raised by a farm worker in the Eastern Cape. She completed her primary and secondary schooling at the Long Hope Farm School and after completing school, she married Vuyani Kama.
Lungelwa started farming by buying a small herd of cattle and sheep; because she struggled to find grazing for them, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) made a farm available to her and also provided a few implements. This got Lungelwa going on the road to commercial farming.
The farm she received from the DRDLR only has 35 ha of arable land, but the Kama’s have managed to hire an additional 70 ha of good, arable land and also grazing land from the timber company operating in Ugie (PG Bison). The Kama’s have built a lovely home on the farm where they live with their two small children who are also developing a love for farm life.
In order to gain knowledge, Lungelwa joined the Ugie study group and started attending the Grain SA training courses. This year, Lungelwa has planted 100 ha of maize and in some areas the expected yields exceed 8 tons/ha – a magnificent crop!
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Dwaalkraal Co-operative |
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| Region: | North West Province |
| Nearest town: | Sannieshof |
| Provincial co-ordinator: | Du Toit van der Westhuizen |
Dwaalkraal Co-operative has seven members, all of whom were born and grew up on the farm Doornbult, near Bossies in the Sannieshof district. All the members of this co-op worked for Andrew Makkink on this farm which was later bought for them by the DRDLR in 2011.
Growing up on his farm, they worked with everything the farm had to offer and they gained experience from Makkink.
The members of the group have attended various courses which include maize and sunflower production courses as well as various on-farm skills development courses.
The farm has 150 ha of good, arable land and 368 ha of grazing. This year they planted maize and sunflowers (which they do every year in a crop rotation) and they have harvested good yields. The members of this group are proud to now be farming profitably as a result of the knowledge that they gained through the courses they attended, the on-farm support from their mentor as well as funding via the recapitalisation programme of the DRDLR (North West Province).
This group is a wonderful example of what can be achieved if people work together and make use of good advice – they are well on their way to becoming New Era Commercial Farmers.
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Langa Simon Mbele |
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| Region: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Nearest town: | Bergville |
| Provincial co-ordinator: | Jurie Mentz |
Langa Simon Mbele was born in Bergville in 1952 – and he grew up there. He got married in 1979 to Thabile and they are blessed with six children. Langa started his primary education level at Langkloof Primary School and went to Okhahlamba High School where he completed grade 10 in 1973.
His starting point in agriculture was in 1992 when he and his brother (Thulani) were renting two farms in Qwaqwa until 1996. That year the Department of Land Affairs decided to sell both of the farms and Langa bought one of them with help from the Land Bank. He finished paying off his loan in 2010. Langa has been part of the Grain SA Development Programme since 2009.
He is a contactor and a chairperson of Okhahlamba Farmers Association and they are working with more than 80 small scale farmers who are planting yellow maize under the SAB project. They also have farmers who mainly concentrate on livestock and they are getting support from BKB.
Langa dreams of becoming a commercial farmer who plants 500 ha and owns 500 beef cattle. At this stage he has 60 ha of his own arable land and 771 ha of own veld. He also has access to 50 ha of arable land in the communal area near Bergville. This year he planted the entire 110 ha to maize. He has also managed to plant 12 ha of dry beans.
He diversified his farming enterprise into dairy, beef and crops to ensure a constant cash flow and to spread his risks. He makes use of Roundup Ready technology.
Langa is keen to adopt new production methods and his practices are improving yearly.
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Willem Modukanele |
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| Region: | Free State |
| Nearest town: | Welkom |
| Provincial co-ordinator: | Johan Kriel |
Willem Modukanele was born in 1939 on a farm in the Bultfontein district. As the child of a farm worker, he grew up on a farm where his mother was a domestic worker on the farm. Although they were very poor, William recalls that they grew up well, always having enough to eat.
He went to the small farm school and passed grade 7 whereafter he worked on the farm and in 1963 was employed by Senwes. In 1975 he accepted a position at BP as a truck driver delivering diesel and petrol all over the Bultfontein area. While doing this, he dreamed of one day having his own farm. He always asked questions as he went about delivering diesel to the farms, soaking up information.
In 2006 he bought the farm, LA Riviera, in the Theunissen district. It was done with the assistance of the DRDLR and as part of the LRAD system. The farm is 170 ha in size with 70 ha of arable land and 100 ha of natural grazing.
The biggest challenge has been to gain access to production capital. This farmer is a hardworking man and the fields on his farm are neatly cultivated and the fencing on the property is good. Both Willem and his wife are members of the Welkom Study Group. Willem is an engaging man and seems willing to learn as much as he can. He has also attended a number of Grain SA’s courses and was part of the Recap Programme in the Free State.
Another dream of his – to own an irrigation pivot – has also been realised and his first 22 ha of maize are currently growing under irrigation. Willem says that he was able to survive through a lot of challenges with the training and support that he received from Grain SA. “Many thanks to Johan Kriel who encouraged me when times were hard. He is my main source of help and I am what I am today because of his support and advice,” says Willem.
Publication: September 2014
Section: Grain SA
