In March this year, Syngenta launched its eighth annual business leadership programme in partnership with the North-West University Business School and Grain SA. The programme, initially limited to participants in the grains industry, was rebranded the Leadership Academy and now serves all industries in commercial agriculture. Over the past seven years, it has hosted a total of about 150 young people, and this year’s programme has drawn candidates from the sugar, feedlot, forestry, livestock, agrochemical and seed, equipment, horticulture and agronomy industries, amongst others.
Applicants for the course must be between 25 and 40 years old and work in the agricultural value chain. Up to four separate modules, each lasting up to five days, are held per year. The number of candidates per annual intake is dependent on the quality of submissions, but no more than 28 are accepted per group.
Vusumzi Mnisi (VM) runs a family-owned maize farming operation on communal land in Welkom in the Free State. The farm is part of a co-operative, Lukhanyiso Farmer Producers’ Association, which is a mixed farming operation consisting of broiler chickens, a piggery, and maize, sorghum and sunflower production. Mnisi is a director of the association. The co-op is currently working on a project to produce biogas using sorghum and waste from the chicken and piggery enterprises.
Xhamakazi Sali (XS) runs the farm Heyst, in Guba Village in the Eastern Cape. This is a mixed operation consisting of pigs, sheep, cattle and maize.
Denne historien er fra July 17, 2020-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra July 17, 2020-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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.
