Empowerment

In the second-last part of this series, Peter Hittersay looks at fuel conservation, storage and refuelling, as well as safety standards.

Zabion de Wee graduated from the Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute last year and is doing an internship with the National Wool Growers' Association. An ambitious young man, he has plans to one day farm Angoras in the Free State. He spoke to Heather Dugmore.

Due to poor management, many agricultural co-ops across the country are struggling. Zivuseni Agricultural Co-operative outside Nigel in the East Rand is an exception. Thanks to good discipline, the business is thriving - and mixed farming makes the co-op's prospects even brighter. Peter Mashala reports.

André Cloete, an apple, pear and sheep farmer from the Overberg, is this year’s recipient of the fruit industry’s Novice Award. Thanks to hard work and attention to detail, André supplies apples and pears for export through Tru-Cape and Two-a-Day and achieves high yields. But he’s reluctant to invest too much in the farm because government has been slow to grant him a long-term lease, as Denene Erasmus found out.

The Jagpan Vernootskap Boerdery is a mentorship programme that's successfully partnered four emerging farmers in a Dorper sheep enterprise that's won many awards. But Jagpan's farming future isn't secure, because government won't let the group buy the leased land it's been farming on. Heather Dugmore visited them.

Johannes Tshoke has risen above stock theft, the problems of farming on communal land, a lack of money and other challenges to get his own farm. He is now set on becoming a commercial farmer in the hope of leaving a legacy for his children. Peter Mashala visited him.

The pig farmer can ensure maximum survival by understanding and meeting the piglets' needs.

Co-operatives must reward members who work harder on the co-operative's behalf and deal with members who try to get away with the least amount of work.

Niklaas Slinger, the Agricultural Writers Emerging Farmer of the Year, never went to school. He was a farmworker for the Theron family for 20 years, and when Jan Theron died, Niklaas helped his widow run the farm. When Jan’s son JP grew up he helped Niklaas buy his own farm, where he won through to become one of SA’s top 20 rooibos producers.

The Limpopo agriculture department brought in two small-scale chicken farmers to take over a failed land reform project.

Commercial farmer Johannes Fourie and his farmworkers, from Groblershoop in the Northern Cape, have proven that successful BEE farming is possible in South Africa. The Sanddraai Arbeidsgenot BEE farming project came into being in 2002 and has gone from strength to strength, producing grapes, pecan nuts and lucerne. Willem Block, one of the directors, says it’s all due to prayer, cooperation, communication and strict financial discipline.

From restaurant manager to Grain SA's 2010 Developing Grain Producer of the Year - how did William Matasane from Senekal do it? The secret to his success is chasing profits, he told Annelie Coleman, when she visited his farm Verblyden in the Free State.