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March 2024
Paul Motlokoa (50) who farms in the Sasolburg district in the Free State believes in keeping busy and not waiting around for others to make the difference he wants to see. ‘If you want to see progress, make sure you are involved in the process.’
Paul grew up on a farm where his father was a farm worker and later worked for the same commercial producer before ‘finding a way’ to become a farmer. In 2007 he started farming on Welverdent, a 98 ha piece of land, in the Heilbron region.
In 2015 he moved to a bigger farm, Sachen Weimar, a 514 ha farm in the Sasolburg area with a 30 year leasehold, which he obtained from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. Although he always dreamed about being a cattle farmer, he is now proving to be a good all-round farmer.
Paul became part of the Farmer Development Programme in 2019 and has showed great strides since being mentored by Jacques Roux. He currently plants maize and soybeans on 234 ha of arable land on Sachen Weimar. He rents a further 200 ha from neighbouring farmers where he also produces soybeans.
Jacques Roux, regional development manager in the eastern Free State, says Paul is determined to increase his yield every year. ‘In the first year he planted 234 ha, then rented 200 ha more to increase production and has now added another 150 ha of land to grow his total soybean hectares even more.’
Paul says that the input from the Farmer Development team has made a huge difference to his farming success. ‘Since Jacques has been involved I have really developed into a successful farmer.
WHAT IS THE BEST AND WORST THING ABOUT BEING A FARMER?
I think farming is the only job where you can really see the progress you are making. Where there was soil, there will be crops. You can always see growth on a farm. Unfortunately the weather makes farming challenging. A huge problem we have to face is the theft, especially livestock theft.
WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED OVER THE YEARS?
Farm management is very important and I have learned to make notes every season so that I know where I can improve in future. I also learned that waiting for contractors that arrive late can have a huge impact on my harvest. I therefore invested in my farming operation by buying equipment. It is important to plough the profit from the harvest back into the farm.
WHAT IS YOUR AVERAGE YIELD?
My average yield on soybeans is 1,8 t/ha to 2,4 t/ha but on one of the new pieces of land (60 ha) I managed to realise 2,5 t/ha.Last season I managed 5,2 t/ha with white maize and 5,8 t/ha with yellow maize. Unfortunately the high rainfall this year caused water damage so the maize yield is slightly lower than average, but the soybeans are looking good. ‘Soil analysis and soil preparation are key to a good yield.’
PAUL'S 3 TOP TIPS
Farm: Sachen Weimar
Nearest town: Sasolburg
Region: Free State
Size: 514 ha – plants on 234 ha and 200 ha which he rents from neighbouring farmer
Type of farming operation: Mixed – crops (maize and soybeans) and livestock (Bonsmara cattle)
PGP'S CONTRIBUTION
Has completed several courses including:
A mentor’s view:
Jacques Roux, regional development manager in the eastern Free State, has been mentoring Paul since 2019. ‘Paul follows instructions and the advice we give him meticulously. He is keen to learn and attends courses regularly. He invests the profit back into the farm and is expanding his farming enterprise annually. Paul ensures that he is part of his own success story.’
Publication: March 2024
Section: Pula/Imvula
