KwaZulu-Natal’s best young farmers

The fourth Kwanalu Toyota Young Farmer of the Year competition produced two outstanding finalists. This year’s winner, Brandon Karg, was presented with the Kwanalu floating trophy and R5 000.
Issue date: 28 September 2007

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The fourth Kwanalu Toyota Young Farmer of the Year competition produced two outstanding finalists. This year’s winner, Brandon Karg, was presented with the Kwanalu floating trophy and R5 000. Brandon and his wife Glynis have been farming in the Kamberg district of the KwaZulu-Midlands for 13 years with dairy and beef herds. They have 977 milking cows, 847 heifers and 130 dry cows, as well as a beef herd of 308 animals.

Brandon handles the farming, which is very advanced technically; Glynis runs the administration and finances. Brandon has an Adult Basic Education and Training school running on the farm, is also very involved in the local community school and often hosts student study groups. He has a staff of 70 and sponsors the farm’s soccer team which plays in the district league. he runner-up, Ronald Kuhn, farms 70ha of bananas on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.

He has been farming for 10 years and currently harvests 20t to 30t/ha. He markets 60% of his bananas through a company called Banana Bafana, and the balance is ripened on-farm and sold to the informal trade. also grows 40ha of sugarcane, which goes to the Illovo sugar mill, and has just started a small herd of 90 beef cattle. Ronald assists with teaching at the local school, which offers agriculture as a subject. – Joe Spencer

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