5
October 2014
The turning of the season
o
ctober just remains a very specialmonth in theSouthern
Hemisphere. Itmight not be thebeginningof anew year,
but rather the turning of the season holding so many
promises for thosewho till the soil.
Harvests ripen andharvest time starts for themen in the
south. For the producers in the north it is planting time. For us as
grain producers the turning of a season has a very special effect on
our lives, not onlyphysically, but inotherways too.
There are buds indicating the signs that the season is turning, the
temperature changes and for some the rain comes. Today, however,
I wish to share some of the few buds that I have noticed this past
month. Buds inour agricultural political environment.
The new Minister of Agriculture responded positively within
24 hours of our invitation to officially open the newGrain SA office
inMaclear in the Eastern Cape. Hewas there and hewas therewell
in time before the event started. He did not just arrive, deliver a
speechand takeoff again. Hecame tovisit, chattedwith theproduc-
ers and in total spent three hours with us. This is a new bud! How I
enjoyed it when theminister told us of his experiencewith his own
farmworker and then closed his sentence and (as a producers) said
that he alsodidnot want to sharehis farmwithhis farmworker!
Theparticipationof thewider community in the landdebate is really
also a new bud, introducing a new season. Now there is a grow-
ing realism that has kicked in regarding the feasibilityof the sugges-
tions to share productive agricultural landwithworkers. Fresh ideas
from other participants generated new expectations of possible al-
ternative solutions to theproblem.
Inaddition, thebudsof theeconomic recovery in theNorthernHemi-
sphere will definitely impact positively on the demand for grains.
A growing middle class and urbanisation have a positive effect on
the demand for our products. I believe it is the wish of everybody
that the conflict in the Middle East would come to an end, howev-
er, the events there will have a decided impact on future trading in
theworld.
Definite opportunities for South African grain producers may
sprout from this. Keep in mind that the USA might possibly keep
moreof theirmaize for fuel production to further increase their inde-
pendence. With the Middle East a desert, large importers of maize
aswell asSouthAfrica arewell positioned to serve thesemarkets in
future. These arenewbuds!
All buds carry the promise of fruit, but not all buds bear good fruit.
The headway Grain SA is making to grow as an organisation and
contribute to help agriculture transform and also promote food se-
curity, quiteoften elicit reactions frompeople that we canonly refer
to as jealousy. It is like the egg of a fruit fly laid by people in rela-
tionships to obstruct the speed of progress. Many of these actions
point to the search for self-profit only. Let us rather work together
to nurture the buds and keep relationships healthy so that theymay
bear good fruit.
The last bud I wish to write about is still young, but it is definitely
there. It is the improvement of our grainproducers’ relationshipwith
our workers. There are just so many efforts from our members to
improve the conditions of their workers and their people and to in-
crease their knowledge andproductivity.
The articles about best practices we have published in
SA Graan/
Grain
for the past seven months were intended to exchange ideas
among our readers (as co-producers) as towhich practices already
being implemented, are effective anddeliver good results.
I wish to encourage you to try them yourself; help us then by
sendingusyour best practices to sharewithour other readers.Grain
producers can in thismanner also show theway forward.
DSKOOSKIRSTEN
WOORD
Uit die
d
ieHerewil hêonsmoet bid.DwarsdeurdieWoordkomdie
opdrag duidelik dat onsmoet bid. Johannes dieDoper en
dieHereJesushethulledissipelsgeleerom tebid. Inelkeen
van die apostel Paulus se briewe is van sy eie gebede vir
die gemeentes of persone virwie hy skryf, opgeteken. Dit
is dus duidelik dat ons hele lewe gedra en omspanmoet wordmet
ons gebede. Terwyl dit diewil van God is dat onsmoet bid, is daar
baie dinge wat ons kan verhinder om te bid. Ons sondes en slegte
en verkeerde begeertesmaak dat God nie ons gebede verhoor nie,
maar baie keer verhinder dit ons om enigsins te bid. Ons gebede
verstom as gevolg van ons eie slegte ingesteldheid en gesindheid.
Onsdradanselfdieskuldvirongereeldeensomsgeengebedenie. In
1Pet 4:7 skryf die apostel onder leidingvandieHeiligeGeesdat ons
ingetoëennugtermoetweesom te kanbid. Dit staan lynreg teenoor
die heidene van daardie tyd wat hulle godemet dronkpartytjies en
feestegedienhet.As ‘nmensegterdieperopdiesaak ingaan, hetdie
mense maar net hulle eie wil gedoen. Hulle wou graag ongebonde
en sondig lewe. Dit was vir hulle lekker om aan hierdie feeste en
partytjies deel te neem. Hierdie soort bandeloosheid was deel van
dieheidensegodsdiens. Teenoor hierdieongebondebandeloosheid
moet ons ingetoë lewe. Dit beteken dat ons soos ‘n trekdier in ‘n
tuigmoet wees. Voor die koms vandie trekker, het produsente hulle
perde, donkies en osse ingespan om hul lande te bewerk. Hiervoor
het hulle tuie gebruik. Hulle het die diere as’t ware “ingetuig”. Dit is
waar onswoord ingetoëookvandaan kom. Die tuigwaarinonsmoet
staan is diewil vanGod. Solank ons binnediewil vanGod lewe, kan
ons ook bid. Die apostel sê verder ook dat ons nugter moet wees.
‘n Dronk mens kan nie eers behoorlik sinvol praat nie, laat staan
nog tot die Heilige God bid. Daarby koppel die Bybel dronkenskap
en bandeloosheid aanmekaar en albei word deur God verbied. Die
Here Jesus word in die evangelies geteken as ‘n man van gebed.
Daarbyhet HyHom volledigonderwerp aandiewil vanGod, selfs al
het dit Hom sy lewe gekos. Hy het diewil vanGod volbring om ons
te red en aan ons die ewige lewe te gee. In die tuin vanGetsemane
hetHymet syVadergeworstel ingebedoorditwat virHomvoorgelê
het en selfs daar het Hy nie sy eie wil gesoek nie, maar dié van sy
Vader. As ons danwil bid, moet ons ons laat inbind, in die tuig van
God se wil laat inspan soos wat Jesus Christus dit gedoen het. As
ons ingetoë en nugter lewe sal ons ook kan bid en sal die Here ons
gebede verhoor.
Baie geluk aan Sophie
BandavanMatsuluwat vir
die Augustus-uitgawe van
SA Graan/Grain
die gratis
Bybel gewenhet.
