Photo: Glenneis Kriel
An exhilarated Richard Carey told Farmer’s Weekly right after the announcement of the winner, which took place at John Deere’s stand at Nampo, that he knew he had a 20% chance of winning, as he was one of five finalists. Yet, when his name was chosen in the lucky draw, it still came as a pleasant surprise.
He added that he badly wanted to win the John Deere 5045D, which costs over R300 000, because it is a fantastic tractor with excellent fuel efficiency, and would make a huge difference in his mowing, fertiliser spreading and herbicide spraying activities.
@farmersweeklysa Congratulations to Richard Carey, an instant lawn farmer, from Bloemfontein on winning a brand-new John Deere 5045D at #Nampo2025! @OFM Agri #FarmersWeeklySA #farmtok #agriculturetiktok #JohnDeere #FarmersWeeklySA #agriculturetiktok ♬ original sound – Farmer’s Weekly SA
Lumka Skosana, media liaison of John Deere, told Farmer’s Weekly that they had received nearly 300 entries into the competition, which consisted of farmers writing a motivational letter on how the tractor would help them, and a fun 30-second video to illustrate this. The five best entries were then selected, from which the winner was drawn.
She said the competition reflected two of John Deere’s five core values, namely commitment and humanity, with the others being integrity, quality and innovation.
“With the competition, John Deere wants to show our customers that we are committed to their success and honour the hard work, many hours and late nights they put in to feeding the nation. With it, we are saying thanks for the part they are playing in enhancing food security in the country.”
