Most of their sheep, goats and chickens are marketed directly to the end consumer, while the local auction provides them with a marketing channel for their cattle. The Sernick Group also has its headquarters nearby, which means that help is just a phone call away.
From bus driver to farmer
Patrick Molotsi and his sons, Nami and Neo, farm on Benoni, roughly 3km outside of Steynsrus. They are dedicated livestock farmers, with a cow herd consisting of 196 animals, some 56 sheep and a few Boer goats and pigs. They also raise broilers that they market in town.
It has been almost ten years since the Molotsis moved to Benoni from a plot near Kroonstad. While employed as a long-distance bus driver for Greyhound, Patrick speculated with cattle until the time finally arrived and he could take the next step – buying a farm. He subsequently left his job and embraced his dream of becoming a fulltime farmer without giving it a second thought.
“Livestock farming is in my blood,” says Patrick, “and everything that I have done in my life so far has prepared me for my role as a fulltime livestock farmer.” Nami shares this sentiment: “I am here because I want to be a farmer.”
Lending a helping hand
The Molotsis have received a lot of help from Sernick, both in terms of training and support. The group has, for instance, assisted them in building a reservoir as well as installing solar panels to pump water from the various boreholes on the farm.
“Sernick has been instrumental in our journey to becoming a viable business. I was one of the first students to be trained by them in 2017, and I buy all our feed and bulls from them. Without Sernick our road to success would have been considerably more difficult,” says Patrick.
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