Cornel van Heerden is the Eastern Cape’s 2016 TAU SA’s Young Farmer of the Year. Mike Burgess visited him recently on the farm Wildefontein in the Lady Grey district to learn how he established an award-winning livestock enterprise while saving money, and why his extensive Bonsmara beef operation has proved such a success.
Cornel van Heerden (34), the Transvaal Agricultural Union’s (TAU’s) Young Farmer of the Year for the Eastern Cape had to start from the bottom. “I got nothing for free,” he says.
Cornel, who was recently elected vice-chairperson of the Dordrecht TAU regional branch for 2017, did not inherit land, but today farms on approximately 4 000ha between Barkly East and Lady Grey with 390 Bonsmara females and 200 Merino ewes. After matriculating, he started working for his father, Johan, in 2000 and was paid in part with livestock. Cornel added these to a handful of cattle Johan had given him while he was still at school as an incentive to farm.
Eventually, in 2006, Cornel purchased the 1 000ha family farm Vaalkop in the Bonthoek, and today rents another 3 000ha from his father, who is retired and lives on La Vanier farm.
Cornel immediately committed himself to running Bonsmaras because the breed can handle the area’s very rugged terrain and mixed veld.
“I farm Bonsmaras because they climb our mountains – they get right to the top,’’ he explains.
The Bonsmara’s docile temperament is another advantage for Cornel. He employs only two workers and therefore needs a breed that is easy to handle and does not require chasing after.
On average, Cornel’s mature cows weigh between 450kg and 550kg. Heifers enter the herd at an annual rate of 25% to 30% and are put to the bull at an average age of 18 months for four months from November to February.
Cows are mated for three months, from December to February. Selected females that fail to conceive are put to the bull again in March/April to calve in winter, when they are assisted with lucerne, oats or wheat, depending on the season. Cornel has 120ha under fodder crops.
Bu hikaye Farmer's Weekly dergisinin 9 December 2016 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Farmer's Weekly dergisinin 9 December 2016 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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.
