“I am renting the farm through the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development on a 30-year lease agreement with the option to buy. When I first started farming in 2010, I leased a farm in Steynsrus. After that we moved to two different farms, the first in Edenville, which I leased, and the second in the Sasolburg area, which consisted of 200ha of leased municipal land. This allowed me to gradually grow my farming activities to where I am today.”
Piet says he still considers himself an emerging farmer. He has 80 cows, but once he surpasses the 100-cow mark, he will consider himself a fully-fledged commercial farmer.
“Of the 80 cows on the farm, I received 35 through the Sernick/Jobs Fund scheme, with the understanding that I have to give back 40% of the offspring. This is a very good deal because there is no way that I would have been able to afford 35 topquality cows on my own.”
Previously, Piet was a full-time shopkeeper and owned three supermarkets in Sasolburg. These days, he is involved in construction and has also opened two new supermarkets, both called Mothepu Superstores, in Parys. He plans to market most of the products produced on the farm through these supermarkets.
“Although we plan to produce a variety of products on the farm, I am a cattle farmer at heart. This year, however, I partnered with my neighbour and we have planted 70ha to maize as well as a variety of vegetables. In addition, my wife has a piggery with some 20 sows. Most of the maize is earmarked to go into the swine feed.”
Sernick plays a leading role
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Shongololo Boer Goat Stud: Only The Best Will Do
South African Boer goats have proven popular worldwide for their ability to improve indigenous goat breeds. In addition, Covid-19 restrictions necessitated the establishment of electronic auctions, making it easier for foreigners to acquire outstanding genetic material exported by agents via established channels.
Feed Additives: A Veterinary Perspective
In an already volatile environment, dairy profit margins vary as milk prices and feed costs shift annually. Feed costs represent the largest input cost (an estimated 35 to 70% of the variable cost) in the production of milk. As a group of feed ingredients, feed additives can cause a desired physiological response in a non-nutrient way, such as pH shift, growth or metabolic modifier, and will usually be cost-beneficial.
Guard Against Lumpy Skin Disease
Most parts of the country received good rains during the rain season and producers are generally very optimistic. Wet seasons unfortunately come with their own set of challenges and veterinarians have cautioned livestock producers to keep an eye out for elevated biting insect loads, which may lead to conditions such as lumpy skin disease (LSD).
Climate-Related Hazards: How Smallholders Can Mitigate Its Consequences
Rainfed crop production remains the main source of food security and livelihoods for rural communities in South Africa but presents the challenge of climate variability due to its high dependence on weather variables such as rainfall and temperature.
Tips for a successful AI programme
The success of an artificial insemination (AI) programme depends on several factors that are largely within the control of the producer. It is interesting that those producers who take a hands-on approach to their cattle and inspect them regularly are also the ones who achieve the greatest success. Before his passing, Stockfarm spoke to Koot Louw, a well-known reproduction technologist from Brandfort in the Free State, about his insights into and advice regarding the AI process.
Pay Attention To Orf In Your Flocks
Some of our readers may have treated or heard of sheep or goats that have been infected with orf (vuilbek).
Sanele Mbele: Where Passion And Skill Meet
Passion for farming runs strong in the Mbele family’s veins. Sanele Mbele, from the farm Rietspruit in the De Jagersdrift area near Dundee, has inherited this passion in huge dollops.
Land Reform: Case Studies In Kwazulu-Natal
Land reform in South Africa is complex. Land reform solutions are equally complex and within partnership and development models, this is no different – but there is hope. KwaZulu-Natal has several types of partnership models and the wide variation in farming systems, as well as their different needs, set each model up for different strengths and weaknesses.
Brahman Breeders In Limpopo Have A Winning Plan
Several breeders from the Bosveld Brahman Club in Limpopo are applying genetic excellence and genotypic correctness to stimulate the demand for their bulls. At several of the last auctions, the minimum standard of bulls was raised to achieve this goal.
A Brahman Dream Comes True
For as long as he can remember, JP Mlangeni wanted to be a farmer. It might have taken a few years, from being a teacher and later a businessman, but his dream finally took shape and today he runs a fully-fledged breeding and commercial Brahman farming enterprise in Mpumalanga.
