The finalists for the Grain SA/Absa New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year 2014, are...

LANDI KRUGER, Grain Farmer Development Programme, Grain SA

Pieter Chabalala
Region:	Free State
Nearest town:	Puthaditjhaba
Provincial co-ordinator:	Jurie Mentz

Pieter Chabalala grew up on a farm in Rosendal and went to school in Ficksburg. He is married to Lucy and has five children.

After school in 1977, he started working for Sasol as a crane operator. In 1980 he was appointed as a truck driver for Shell, which he did for ten years before he was promoted to a supervisor/load controller. One of his tasks was to deliver diesel to different farmers in the Eastern Free State.

Pieter’s journey in agriculture began in 2002 when he rented his first farm, Kroonberg, which he bought two years later. He always had a keen interest in agriculture and used to like talking to the farmers to who he delivered diesel, about their challenges.

Kroonberg is situated in the Eastern Free State, near Puthaditjhaba. He produces maize, soybeans and dry beans on a total of 305 ha of arable land. He has been part of the Grain SA Farmer Development Programme for the past eight years and progressed from a smallholder farmer a few years back.

Pieter maintains good relationships with other role-players in agriculture, is eager to learn and willing to try new ideas. He is very precise in his work and understands all the requirements of being a full-time farmer.

Michael Ramoholi
Region:	Free State
Nearest town:	Theunissen
Provincial co-ordinator:	Johan Kriel

Michael Ramoholi was born on a farm in the Marquard district. Both his parents were farm workers. They were nine children, him being number four and the eldest son.

His parents moved to the Wesselsbron district and worked there on a farm. He attended a farm school until he passed grade 7 after which his mother insisted that he went to a school in Welkom until he passed grade 10.

As Michael grew up on a farm, helping out on the farm and watching what his father did, had become second nature to him. After leaving school, he gained a lot of farming experience by learning to operate a tractor, milking cows and doing everything you can think of on a farm for twelve years.

He then left the farm to join the South African Police Service (SAPS). After his training at the Police College, he served in the SAPS for seven years (1983 to 1989) – he was stationed at the Hofmeyer Police Station in Welkom.

During this time he started speculating with cattle – buying and selling. He also opened a funeral parlour in Hoopstad in 1983 to supplement his income and to finance his livestock speculating business. He appointed a capable manager at the funeral parlour and when not working as a policeman, between shifts, he conducted funerals and putt up tombstones. His remark that “sleep is for sissies” shows his level of commitment and work ethic. He says that “you can always sleep later, one day”. The funeral parlour is still in operation today.

In 1989 he left the SAPS to start farming on land he leased from the Welkom municipality. He had to share grazing rights with other people from the township, which led to a lot of conflict regarding overgrazing and theft. After 1994 he managed to secure a contract with the municipality to construct toilets in the Thabong township, outside Welkom.

In 2004 he managed to purchase the farm Komma, in the Theunissen district. It is a small farm – 214 ha, of which 115 ha is arable and 99 ha natural grazing. He is also the chairperson of the Grain SA Masilonyana Study Group in Theunissen.

Michael is married to Dorah and they have four children, all girls. “I am a ladies man,” he jokes.

Michael is a member of NERPO and AFASA and is also involved with one of the schools in Hoopstad, sponsoring awards for academic excellence.

The challenges a new farmer faces, includes small farms, lack of production capital, outdated and broken down equipment and tractors and lack of support and commitment. Michael was one of the first beneficiaries in the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s recapitalisation project.

Michael says that he feels he is ready to face the future. He has the knowledge, thanks to Grain SA and now he feels that he needs to prove himself as a successful, capacitated and independent, big commercial farmer. Then he can contribute towards food security, create jobs and pay his workers a decent wage. And of course make a decent living. As he says, he can sleep later…

Job Metswamere
Region:	North West Province
Nearest town:	Delareyville
Provincial co-ordinator:	Du Toit van der Westhuizen

Job Metswamere was born in Rooijantjiesfontein, Ga-Maloka (which is 30 km from Lichtenburg). He is married to Deborah Mokotedi, and they live in Klippan with their four daughters.

After he finished his school education he helped his father on the farm where he worked, after which Job enrolled at Taung College of Education to complete his university diploma in Secondary Education in 1988.

In 1996 he enrolled for a diploma for Further Education at the College of Education of South Africa, which he completed in 1997. He got his interest in farming from his father who mentored and taught Job everything he knows about farming.

Job plants maize and sunflower and has a livestock component to utilise all his resources effectively. He farms on 135 ha of his own land along with 415 ha of communal land and he rents another 100 ha to plant his crops.

He wants to continue growing and eventually establish his own abattoir. He aspires to own another farm in order to create more jobs in his community, as unemployment is a major problem they have to deal with.

Job would furthermore like to add extra value to his crops and livestock. He is a remarkable farmer with sound experience and an eye for new opportunities.

Ralph Swart
Region:	Western Cape
Nearest town:	Bredasdorp
Provincial co-ordinator:	Liana Stroebel and Toit Wessels

Ralph Swart is the Western Cape’s first ever finalist and the only one for this year. He produces wheat, barley, oats, triticale and rooibos tea. He is married to Preline and as the eldest of seven children himself, he has six children of his own. The eldest two, Leaan and Jacques, are dedicating their careers to the family farming business, Swart Boerdery.

Ralph attended Elim Primary school and while he was writing this final exam in grade 8, his father was waiting outside because it was harvesting time and he needed help. Until today he doesn’t know if he passed grade 8.

He has been farming on his own for the past 33 years and is the third generation farming on the same land.

Ralph owns 89 ha of which 72 ha are pastures and 17 ha veld while he leases another 1 280 ha of land from the Moravian church of which 1 152 ha are arable. He planted 220 ha of wheat (3,2 tons/ha), 100 ha barley (3,5 tons/ha), 250 ha triticale (2,5 tons/ha) and 40 ha oats (2,2 tons/ha). The livestock consists of 1 500 ewes and 140 Bonsmara cows. Ralph is an exceptional farmer and person. Although he only went to school up to grade 8, he acts as a very good example to others by showing that if you are willing to learn and work hard, you can do anything.

He has a passion for agriculture and is also an extremely humble person. He is eager to learn continuously and improve his practices and rarely misses a study group meeting, training course or conservation agriculture day that is presented.

He is involved, asks questions and tests everything he learns on his own farm; he is a true entrepreneur. Ralph is always willing to assist the smaller farmers in his area with equipment and/or advice.

He makes it his mission to take his two sons to all agricultural events and to give them as much exposure as possible – a true family man!