Paul Webber can look back on a memorable 2019 mohair season. He not only achieved the highest price of R621/kg for a bale of 24-micron good-style kid mohair in April, but ended up being awarded the Daidoh Trophy for the highest average price for a summer kid clip. Having won the same trophy in 2014 and being runner-up in 2015, it is safe to say that Webber is producing some of the most sought-after mohair in South Africa.
FAMILY FARM
Webber runs a mixed livestock operation on his 3 980ha Connaught property near Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape: 700 fertile Angora ewes share resources with 350 Dorper/Meatmaster ewes and 50 Bonsmara-type cows.
He is the seventh generation of his family to live in the Grahamstown region. His late father, Neil, who contracted polio as a child, farmed an 800ha farm, while his uncle, Brian, farmed Connaught from the mid-1960s.
Webber attended Winterberg Agricultural High School in Fort Beaufort, where he matriculated in 1985 before completing two years of military service. He then returned to Grahamstown and assisted his father for a couple of years before accepting a managerial position on a Western Cape fruit farm.
In 1995, Brian invited him to join him on Connaught, where Angoras had become a central pillar of the farming operation. The two agreed to a 50/50 partnership and farmed successfully together until Brian’s death in 2018.
Webber has continued on Connaught and says that his uncle’s legacy lives on not only through the Angoras, but also in terms of what he taught him in relation to financial management and animal husbandry.
“He was careful with his money and had a saying that one should never spend more than one earns. He also insisted on not putting stress on animals, and believed that calm animals were more productive.”
Denne historien er fra Farmers Weekly 6 March 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
Denne historien er fra Farmers Weekly 6 March 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.
