Photo: FW Archive
This was according to Francois Strydom, chairperson of Agbiz, who told Farmer’s Weekly that personal reflection was very important at this time of the year because it would give farmers the opportunity to step away from their problems and enable them to find the best way to deal with challenges.
“Our sector remains very exposed to natural disasters and it’s very seldom that things work out according to plan. Currently, many producers could, for instance, be dismayed about the vast volume of rain that they received.
“There will always be new challenges, but our producers need to constantly adapt to the challenges and rise above them,” Strydom said.
Jaco Minnaar, president of Agri SA, agreed with Strydom that achieving the right mindset was the best New Year’s resolution for farmers.
“One’s head can easily become stuck on one’s problems and then its impossible to find solutions,” he told Farmer’s Weekly.
“The best resolution would be to be more adaptable to situational changes in 2023.”
Dr Faffa Malan, a veterinarian and managing director of the Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa (RuVASA), said livestock producers should resolve to aim for zero livestock deaths on their farms in 2023.
Furthermore, farmers should strive to ensure that every female animal was fertile and calved or lambed every year.
“This might seem idealistic, but with the correct management programme and biosecurity it is possible.”
He said these basic management principles should be in place on every farm:
- Ordering vaccines timeously;
- Ensuring that firebreaks are made;
- Controlling access to your land;
- Quarantine every new animal before letting it join the herd;
- Test all bulls for fertility;
- Report all necessary diseases.
