Acquisition and expansion
Brett Wienand, Jock Danckwerts and Chris Louw established their farming enterprise, J&B Citrus, by planting 20ha of clementine trees on a portion of Brett’s land. Their operation steadily expanded and they planted all the usual citrus varieties, including a variety of late mandarin called Nadorcott, which is in huge demand in the European Union and United Kingdom (UK).
Bruce Knott was employed as general manager in 2007, and has been instrumental in the enterprise’s expansion ever since. Today, J&B Citrus has over 300ha planted and aims to plant another 400ha by the end of 2022.
Bruce says the clementine trees that were planted in 1998 initially cross-pollinated with the Nadorcott variety which caused problems, as fruits that were marketed as ‘seedless’ now contained seeds. “From 2008 to 2012 the clementine trees and all the other varieties were top worked and budded to the Nadorcott mandarin variety.”
From 2013 to 2017 J&B Citrus acquired two more farms, and a neighbour sold them a further 100ha. Lemons, Nadorcotts and clementines were planted on this additional land. They also recently bought into Burlington Farm, a dairy farm, where they can potentially plant 550ha of citrus.
To date they have concentrated on lemons and late mandarins, but this has resulted in a peak picking season with its resultant labour challenges. To this end, they are planning to introduce Samba, a new mid-season mandarin. “We are actively looking for varieties that will stretch our picking season and fill in the gaps. Samba, which is currently on order, fits into the picking regime and will hopefully be a successful variety,” he says.
Employment opportunities
This story is from the December 2019 edition of FarmBiz.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2019 edition of FarmBiz.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Hauling In A Full Net: Reaping The Benefits Of Processed Fish
As local and global governments deal with the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, producers are now more than ever searching for new options for expanding their businesses. That said, farming and value addition to produce does not have to be limited to landlocked food sources.
Grow Produce Year-round With Tunnels And Greenhouses
Climate change is an inescapable reality and can wreak havoc in open-field production systems that rely on the right weather patterns to produce good yields. For this reason, many producers worldwide have turned to growing crops in tunnels or greenhouses. These production systems offer protection from changing weather patterns, allowing them to grow crops throughout the year.
Saving Soil: Harnessing The Microbiome
We live in unprecedented times.
Summer Grain Production: A Producer's Perspective
The 2020 planting season for producers in the summer rainfall areas is here and most of them are looking forward to the first summer rains so that they can plant their crops. FarmBiz spoke to Jaco Minnaar from the farm Uitsny near Henneman about the new season. Jaco is vice-chairperson of Agri SA and currently serves on the Senwes board.
Electronic Auctions: The New Normal?
The South African livestock industry has suffered a tremendous setback with challenges posed to physical auctions. However, the industry is nothing if not resilient. The first ban on livestock auctions was imposed during the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in 2019.
Oxygen Types That Damage Crops In Extreme Weather Conditions
Oxygen is best known as a life-giving gas without which life as we know it, would not be possible.
Asia's Maize Imports Likely To Grow
In 2019, the Asian maize market was finally on the rise to reach US$204,4 billion after two years of decline. The total consumption indicated buoyant growth from 2009 to 2019. Its value increased at an average annual rate of 5,1% over the last decade.
Cultivated grazing: Fertiliser is the key to success
Nowadays everything in agriculture has to be done on a larger scale. Cultivated grazing has also become a science, with producers forced to think bigger to get more out of their grazing – all at the most economical cost.
Industry Giants Comment On Special Adjustment Budget
Prof Johan Willemse, an independent agricultural economist, says the supplementary budget delivered by the minister of finance on 24 June was a real shocker. According to him, the government is spending an additional R145 billion on the COVID-19 issue. The real issue, however, is a record budget shortfall due to the economic meltdown, with wrong policy choices and corruption on the cards.
Rethinking The Conversion Process Of Poultry Litter To Biogas
The poultry industry is generally comprised of broiler chicken production, egg production, day-old chick suppliers and other poultry. While micro-enterprise businesses are gaining prominence as a means to address the challenges of job creation, economic growth and equity, the industry has future challenges concerning poultry litter management.
