The three finalists in the beef cattle category were Heinrich Bruwer from Vryburg, Dr Liesel Foster from Zastron and Phillip Labuschagne from Paulpietersburg.
In the category for sheep farmers the finalists were Lodie van Reenen from Clocolan, Julian Southey from Middelburg and Nicholas van der Merwe from Colesburg.
Hendrik van Pletzen, Voermol’s technical manager, described the finalists as focussed on the future, innovative and motivated.
The 2016 Voermol Cattle Farmer of the Year award went to Brahman stud breeder, Heinrich Bruwer from Vryburg.
Bruwer believes that it makes better economic sense to increase individual animals’ productivity, rather than trying to increase the carrying capacity of the land.
He says that the focus of any cattle farming operation should be on the optimum performance of individual animals, which will ultimately generate the maximum income per hectare.
Julian Southey, from Middelburg in the Eastern Cape, was named the 2016 Voermol Sheep Farmer of the Year.
He farms with his sons, Robert and Stuart, on the farm, Manor Holme. The Southeys select for multiple births and argue that a ewe producing more than one lamb contributes to the business’ long-term sustainability and increased profit margins. The family breeds its own rams, and replaces between 60% and 70% of the rams annually.
The Southeys select for multiple births and argue that a ewe producing more than one lamb contributes to the business’ long-term sustainability and increased profit margins.
The family breeds its own rams, and replaces between 60% and 70% of the rams annually.
