Using the drought to up your game

The Northern Cape’s Williston district is sheep country through and through, but six years of drought have made extensive sheep farming here desperately difficult. Wouter kriel spoke to producer Hannes esterhuyse about how he has adapted his operation to run optimally despite the drought.

- Hannes Esterhuyse

Hannes Esterhuyse, who runs sheep on the farm Volstruisfontein near Williston in the Northern Cape, says that in order to survive a prolonged drought, simply coping with it is not enough. “We accepted the drought for what it was and realised we had to work with this new reality. So instead of just waiting for it to break, we decided to be proactive and constantly search for ways to adapt and improve our farming practices.’’

Esterhuyse farms on 22 000ha, part of which he owns and the rest of which he leases. Since 2015, the Williston area in the Karoo has been struggling with prolonged drought, making traditional extensive sheep farming extremely challenging.

“The area has an annual average rainfall of 160mm, most of which ocurs from November to May. In 2015, only 78mm were recorded. Isolated showers brought us luck in 2016 with 188mm, but in 2017 we recorded only 44mm. In 2018, we saw 96mm, in 2019 a total of 61mm, and in 2020 only 139mm.”

To manage this situation, Esterhuyse is applying a three-pronged strategy: better livestock management with the help of technology; diversification; and a commitment to using water as efficiently as possible.

LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT

According to Esterhuyse, the terrain of the area is ideal for Dorper sheep. “I love working and interacting with my animals, and the Dorper’s temperament suits me in this regard.”

He had to come to terms with the fact that the drought had reduced carrying capacity.

“We now keep fewer animals, and this means that every ewe and every lamb is important.”

The area is rugged, and tracking and managing the animals is difficult and sometimes not possible under extensive management.