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November 2015
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M
r Solomon Masango from Carolina, who received the
2015 award for Grain SA/ABSA/John Deere Financial
New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year, started his
career in the mining industry as a qualified blasting
engineer, where after he ran a transport business. Along the way he
bought himself cattle and ever since then he has not wanted to do
anything else but farm.
“All the other jobs that I have done before becoming a farmer, was
just the start of my career and where I am now is where my passion
lies,” Masango said during the Day of Celebration in Bloemfontein
where the announcement of the three category winners was made.
He started with 15 ha of land and five years later it has grown
to 400 ha that comprises of 140 ha maize (yellow and white),
260 ha soybeans and 20 ha sugar beans. He initially yielded
20 bags per hectare, but he persevered and got up to speed with
the latest techniques. Today he is able to harvest between 6 t/ha
and 9 t/ha. Solomon shares grazing land for his 150 beef cattle
and helps to look after the cattle the community received from
government. He furthermore has a close relationship with his
workers and plants their land free of charge.
His current plan is to buy land within the next five years and to grow
his farming enterprise. “I was born on this land and today I am still
using this soil and I believe that my great-great-grandchildren will
also live off this soil.”
During his appreciation speech, Masango thanked ABSA, Monsan-
to, Syngenta and John Deere. He won a John Deere 5403 MFWD
tractor sponsored by John Deere Financial in partnership with
ABSA. “I will never ever make a mistake with John Deere. I now be-
lieve that the colour of John Deere is the colour of winning,” he said.
He also thanked Grain SA who helped him from the very beginning
and concluded by thanking his wife, Christina, who he says gets up
every morning at 5 am to make him breakfast.
1: Solomon Masango gives farming a thumbs up.
2: This award is made possible by John Deere Financial in partnership
with ABSA. Alwyn Small (manager: Credit Sales and Marketing,
John Deere Financial), Brienne van der Walt (head: Business Banking
Sectors and Segments, Barclays Africa and ABSA), Louw Steytler
(chairman: Grain SA), Solomon Masango, Jacques Taylor (managing
director: John Deere Financial, sub-Saharan Africa and Thailand) and
Jannie de Villiers (CEO: Grain SA).
GRAIN SA
Awards ceremony
New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year category (250+ tons)
RUTH SCHULTZ,
SA Graan/Grain
contributor and photos:
HELENUS KRUGER
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