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November 2017
10
Dreams, dedication
and
hard work
the recipe for success
A
n American poet, Henry David Thoreau said, ‘Success
usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for
it.’ The success of busy South African developing farmers
was recently celebrated at Grain SA’s Day of Celebration.
More than 300 guests, which included government representa-
tives, agricultural stakeholders and approximately 150 develop-
ing grain producers, many sporting colourful traditional outfits,
attended the event on 5 October this year. Guests each received
a seed depth measure as gesture of the Grain SA Farmer Develop-
ment Programme and the personnel and executive who support
the farmers.
This year the farmers’ progress and hard work were acknowledged
at the Sandstone Sleeper Estate on the outskirts of Bloemfontein.
With 17 new farmers joining the 250 Ton Club and 21 becoming
members of the 500 Ton Club, it was clear that the valued advice
Grain SA’s team and mentors share with the developing farmers is
making an impact on developing agriculture.
The main sponsors of this glorious occasion were represented by
Dr Langelihle Simela (business development manager: Absa Agri-
Business), Mr Ferdie Marx (area alliance manager, John Deere Finan-
cial sub-Saharan Africa), Ms Linda van der Merwe (head: Customer
Marketing, Syngenta SA) and Ms Dudu Mashile (sales manager:
Emerging Markets, Monsanto).
2017 winners who achieved their goals
The 2017 Grain SA/Absa/John Deere Financial Subsistence Farmer
of the Year, Ms Mavis Hlatshwayo (55) joined Grain SA in 2005 and
is mentored by Mr Jerry Mthombothi (development co-ordinator).
She dreams of owning more land to create job opportunities for
the unemployed in her community. Hlatshwayo is always willing to
share the knowledge she gains at the study group meetings, work-
shops and courses arranged and organised by Grain SA, with less
experienced farmers in the area.
Mr Thembalihle Tobo, the winner of the Grain SA/Syngenta
Smallholder Farmer of the Year, hails from Ndunge near Bizana in
the Eastern Cape. He started farming in 1996, became a member
of Grain SA in 2006 and is currently the chairperson of the Ndunge
Study Group. According to Mr Luke Collier (development co-or-
dinator) who has been mentoring Tobo, this dedicated farmer is a
role-model to many in his community.
Agriculture is in his blood, says Mr Paul Malindi, the Grain SA/
Monsanto Potential Commercial Farmer of the Year. He obtained a
441 ha farm through PLAS in Edenville in the northern Free State
in 2012 and joined Grain SA’s Farmer Development Programme in
the same year. Malindi is one of the founding members of the
Edenville Study Group. Mr Johan Kriel (development co-ordinator)
says Malindi implemented all the advice he has received over the
years and it paid off this year.
The 2017 finalists in the Grain SA/Absa/John Deere Financial New
Era Commercial Farmer of the Year were: Messrs Edwin Mahlatsi
(Bothaville, Free State), Vuyani Lolwane (Gelukspan, North West
Province) and Remember Mthethwa (Dannhauser, KwaZulu-Natal).
The winner was announced at the Grain SA Awards Ceremony on
13 October and received a John Deere tractor sponsored by John
Deere Financial in partnership with Absa.
A word of gratitude
Ms Jane McPherson (programme manager: Farmer Development,
Grain SA) thanked the friends of the programme – those individu-
als who support the programme to ensure its continued existence.
These include the Maize Trust, Winter Cereal Trust, OPOT, Monsanto,
Afgri, Pioneer, Pannar and Sasol Base Chemicals. Grain SA’s CEO,
Mr Jannie de Villiers, expressed his gratitude to every develop-
ing grain farmer who is willing to be mentored and taught, thereby
ensuring a growing harvest of grain farmers each year.
In 1976, after becoming the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect
score of 10, the 14-year old Romanian Olympic gold medallist,
Nadia Comaneci, was asked what the secret to her success was. She
answered, ‘Hard work made it easy – that’s my secret.’ Congratula-
tions to each nominee, finalist and winner who knows the difference
hard work makes in their own farming operation.
GRAIN SA
Day of Celebration
LOUISE KUNZ,
SA Graan/Grain
contributor
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