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November 2018
20
Two heads are
better than one
I am going to be a
commercial farmer
T
wo heads are better than one, as you have a better chance
of coming up with a strategy that will help you overcome
a challenge if you learn to source ideas from each other.
This holds true for Free State farmer, Mr Paulus Mosia, the
second winner of the Grain SA/Bayer Potential Commercial Farmer
of the Year award.
Mosia is an active member of the Edenville Study Group. He and
his wife, Nomasonto, have attended many study group meetings,
information days and training courses. Nomasonto is actively in-
volved in the farming operation, a farmer in her own right and her
husband’s right hand.
Neighbour Francois Fivaz also forms an integral part of Mosia’s
farming operation. He constantly gives farming guidance and
helps him with his budget plan for the next season. At the award
ceremony, Mosia thanked all the ‘extra heads’ who have been in-
strumental in his success: Fivaz for providing advice and expertise
with regards to soil and implements, Grain SA for their support
to emerging farmers and all stakeholders who have joined hands
with Grain SA to help make dreams come true. ‘I also want to thank
my beautiful wife and daughters,’ he said at the end of his speech.
Mosia joined a study group in 2007, where he was introduced to
the Grain SA Farmer Development Programme. This gave him new
hope for his farming goal. In 2008 he was given a 200 ha farm,
Sterkwater, by the Department of Rural Development and Land
Reform as part of the PLAS Programme. The next step towards
achieving his goal is to obtain a title deed. This will help him to
obtain financing so that he can grow his herd and expand on
crop production.
I
n a video clip shown at the awards ceremony, Mr Nhlanhla
Sicelo Mngadi from KwaZulu-Natal said that when he joined
Grain SA in 2015 he told himself that he was going to be a
commercial farmer one day. Since then, this year’s Grain SA/
Syngenta Smallholder Farmer of the Year has taken steps to cata-
pult him towards reaching that goal.
Mngadi noticed his neighbour’s healthy maize crop in 2015. He
then discovered the answer to realising his dream – join
Grain SA. His neighbour was already a member at the time and
since he became part of Grain SA’s study groups, Mngadi has never
looked back.
In the video clip he shared that he never realised the importance
of planting time until Grain SA showed him the ropes. ‘I now know
it does not have to be 15 November. If it’s cold, we wait for the right
conditions.’
Initially Mngadi and his brother, Thula, planted only 2 ha of
maize, but this year managed to plant 17 ha, nearly reaching their
three-year goal to plant 18 ha. They work hard in implementing
what they learn and have shown vast improvement – not only in
hectares and yields, but also in agricultural practices and efficien-
cy. This worthy winner has already set his next goal: ‘In five years
he wants a yield of more than 250 tons.’
Mngadi has proven that a dream does not become reality through
magic; it takes determination and hard work.
GRAIN SA
Awards ceremony
LOUISE KUNZ,
SA Graan/Grain
editorial team
and
HELENUS KRUGER
(photo)
LOUISE KUNZ,
SA Graan/Grain
editorial team
and
HELENUS KRUGER
(photo)
Potential Commercial Farmer of
the Year (100 ha, but producing
less than 250 tons)
Smallholder Farmer of the Year
category (10 ha, but producing
less than 250 tons)
Paulus and Nomasonto
Mosia say that the
Grain SA Farmer
Development Pro-
gramme changed
their lives.
Proving that dreams
do come true, Nhlanhla
Mngadi, the 2018
Grain SA/Syngenta
Smallholder Farmer
of the Year, with his
wife, Thembile.
®