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5
February 2015
Already out of the starting blocks
t
he year has kicked off and is going at full throttle. Our
teams are busy with regional meetings in the different
areas to share information and to test the mood at ground
level before tackling Congress 2015.
It continues to remain a pleasant experience for me to
ake time with producers to ponder the future and what activities
Grain SA should collectively involve itself in. After the meeting the
other evening at Lekkerrus in Limpopo, we were standing around
discussing the gap between those matters producers are busy
with on a daily basis on the farm as opposed to those matters
crossing my table. “Yes, Grain SA is communicating better than in
the past, but the gap remains” was one of the remarks.
Mr Willem Groothof (Grain SA member of the Executive) explained
to the guys what he experienced when he attended the first few
Executive meetings and the gap he had to bridge from farm level
to national issues.
We were also discussing the weather and it was wonderful when
the end of our dinner was interrupted by a lovely rain shower and
we drove back to Pretoria in the rain. The market (and producers)
are getting more and more nervous every day if rain is not fore-
cast for the North. We do remain so utterly dependent on our
Heavenly Father to provide.
The multitude in the country who live a virtually from-the-hand-
to-the-mouth-existence are often so totally unaware of the mini
crises that play out on the farm on a daily basis to provide food
for the nation.
Oil price decreases hold good prospects for some inputs, but can
also bedevil the international market should the supply continue
to rise. This regardless, the demand for grain continues to give us
good faith.
There are various dark clouds gathering regarding the Grain SA
Grain Farmer Development Programme and our leaders will short-
ly have to take some major decisions about the future of this pro-
gramme. The new trustees appointed by the minister to the various
grain trusts, are no longer producers or scientists, but politicians.
They bring new views and priorities and in some instances have
very little experience of the grain industry. Many of the current
projects are visited anew and many questions are being asked.
This in itself is not a problem, but the free market does not have
an appetite for meddling. These are issues we have to treat
circumspectly.
There is also quite some excitement about the hand offered to
organised agriculture by the deputy minister of Agriculture (gener-
al Bheki Cele). By the end of January this year, the various agricul-
tural industries would have had the opportunity to share their joys
and challenges with the ministry and jointly search for solutions.
I am also excited about the new developments and brave deci-
sions being reached by the wheat industry. I am naturally watching
it with particular interest since I had a large hand in the develop-
ment of the current system whilst I was still on the other side of the
fence. Like then, I now have very few friends on the other side of
the fence. However, what encourages me is the fact that the industry
has jointly decided that it is time for drastic changes.
Each year I endeavour to visit different regions so that I, at least
over time, can reach our members all over the country. I hope to see
you at one of the regional meetings or at Congress.
DS KOOS KIRSTEN
WOORD
Uit die
e
n so breek die nuwe jaar aan. Met ‘n groot geskal en
vrolikheid word hy ingewy. Vir sommige is dit die begin
van ‘n nuwe era in hulle lewe, vir ander beteken dit
eenvoudig net dat 2014 verby is. Vir een persoon is dit ‘n
belangrike mylpaal in sy lewe, terwyl dit vir ‘n ander net die
oorgang van een jaar na die ander is. Tog is dit ‘n geleentheid wat
feestelik gevier word. Ons hou van nuwe dinge. Nuwe klere, nuwe
voertuie, nuwe trekkers en implemente. Nuwe goed werk en lyk mos
baie beter as die oues. Die nuwe goed bly egter nie lank nuut nie.
Nuwe goed verslyt ook met tyd en gebruik. Niks in hierdie wêreld
hou vir altyd nie, daarom hou ons daarvan om nuwe dinge te koop
of te kry en vier ons graag Nuwejaar. Hoe lekker sou dit nie wees as
alles altyd nuut kan bly nie.
Dit is ook nie net ons wat van nuwe dinge hou nie. Die Here hou
ook daarvan. Soveel keer in die Ou Testament lees ons dat Here vir
Israel sê dat Hy ‘n nuwe begin met hulle sal maak, dat Hy nuwe
dinge met hulle sal doen en dat Hy ‘n nuwe verbond met hulle
sal sluit. Die ou dinge gaan verby en sal plek maak vir die nuwe.
Hy het selfs sy Seun na die wêreld gestuur om ‘n nuwe era in die
geskiedenis van die mensdom te laat aanbreek. Met die koms van
Christus is die ou verbond afgesluit en het die nuwe aangebreek.
God het oorbegin met ons om ons uit die mag van die sonde en die
dood te red. Christus het gekom om nuwe lewe aan elkeen te gee
wat in Hom glo.
Die Here sê ook dat Hy alles eendag nuut gaan maak (Open 21 en
22). Hy gaan die hemel en die aarde nuut maak. Hy gaan die nuwe
stad Jerusalem op die nuwe aarde bou sodat ons in ‘n nuwe plek
kan bly waar niks weer sal verslyt of vergaan nie. Alles sal hulle
glans en skoonheid behou en alles gaan vir ewig hou. God is egter
so haastig om dit te doen dat Hy nou al daaraan begin werk. Hy
maak elkeen wat in Christus glo nou al nuut. In Christus is ons nuwe
skepsels (2 Kor 5:17). Deur die werking van die Heilige Gees word
ons weer gebore om nuwe mense te wees, nuwe mense in ‘n ou
sondige wêreld. Ons is nuwe mense en moet daarom ook soos
nuwe mense lewe. Ons moet die sonde aflê en die nuwe mens
beklee. Ons is nuut gemaak en daarom moet almal kan sien dat ons
nuut is. Ons nuutheid mag nie verslyt en gedaan raak nie. Ons moet
die glans van nuwe mense in hierdie ou verslete wêreld uitstraal.
Baie geluk aan
Suzan Montewa van
Wesselsbron wat vir die
November-uitgawe van
SA Graan/Grain
die gratis
Bybel gewen het.