Zolani Tyali and his son Mandange recently won the 2017 Unistel SA Stud Book Elite Developing Farmer award. Mike Burgess visited them on their farm in the Eastern Cape to gain a better understanding of the ups and downs experienced in their stud and commercial Nguni operations.
Farmer-and-son team Zolani and Mandange Tyali farm Nguni cattle on their 202ha farm, Brooklyn, near Morgan Bay in the Eastern Cape. The quality of their Tshezi Nguni herd of 70 stud and 35 commercial female animals was recently recognised when the Tyalis received the 2017 Unistel SA Stud Book Elite Developing Farmer award.
“Our Ngunis were good enough to be registered with SA Stud Book in 2011, and we were then invited to join the Amathole Nguni Breeders’ Group in 2013,” recalls Mandange.
These events, he says, are his greatest accomplishments since returning to the farm in 2008, after having completed a BA in sports science at the University of Pretoria and working in Port Elizabeth for a period.
Despite these achievements, Zolani and Mandange have been unable to improve and expand their operation by acquiring additional quality land. They have been searching for 10 years without success.
“All the production problems we have revert to the same thing: a lack of land,’’ Mandange says.
THE LAND PROBLEM
In the 1990s, Zolani belonged to the Eastern Cape Nguni Club and ran cattle on two small farms near Kei Mouth that he bought and sold successively. In 2004, after selling the second of these, he bought Brooklyn.
In the mid-2000s, he and several other family members received the 192ha farm, Hatchleydene near Komga, through the state’s Land Distribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) programme.
This farm had several major shortcomings, however: it was too small to carry more than 40 head of cattle, it was infested with lantana and inkberry, and it had poor water resources and infrastructure. After unsuccessful negotiations to return it to the state, Zolani sold Hatchleydene on the open market in 2015.
Esta historia es de la edición 30 June 2017 de Farmer's Weekly.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición 30 June 2017 de Farmer's Weekly.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
