Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
SA agriculture in ‘desperate’ need of positive young leaders – Kriek
For many South Africans, this might seem like one of the most difficult times to be alive, given the major uncertainty in many areas of life, but South Africans should know that a great number of the challenges they are facing are not unique to this country. This was according to Calvyn Hamman, Toyota SA Motors senior vice president of sales and marketing, speaking at the awards ceremony of the Agri SA and Toyota Young Farmer of the Year and New Harvest Farmer of the Year, held in Kempton Park recently.
Volatility and uncertainty brought about by climate change, corruption and politics were affecting many nations around the world. However, said Hamman, the added burden of having to endure threats to their security as well as their right to own land had made “farming in South Africa one of the most stressful jobs you can have”.
Despite this, agriculture still offered many development opportunities, and Hamman implored young farmers to remain positive about the prospects for the sector. “Farming has become very sophisticated and complicated, and to remain relevant you need to continually invest in improving the way you farm and the way you run your farming business.”
Also speaking at the event, president of Agri SA, Dan Kriek, told the audience that the saddest part of his job at the organisation was speaking to young farmers who hade little hope for the future of farming in South Africa, and meeting parents who were discouraging their children from following a career in agriculture. He urged the Young Farmer of the Year and New Harvest award finalists to remain optimistic. “We are in desperate need of young leaders who are positive about the future of this country,” he said.
Prof Carlu van der Westhuizen, convener of the adjudication panel for the awards, said judges placed a lot of focus on strategic business thinking and ingenuity in their assessment of the candidates. The 2018 winners, who each won a new Toyota Hilux bakkie, were Whernit Dirks, winner of the Toyota SA New Harvest Farmer of the Year Award, and JP van den Berg, the Agri SA/Toyota SA Young Farmer of the Year.
Dirks is a grain and sheep farmer near Piketberg in the Western Cape and has been farming since 2007.
“Participating in the competition was a great learning experience. One of the most important lessons I take away from this is the important role of effective staff management in a farming business,” Dirks said.
Van den Berg farms seed potatoes, stud and commercial cattle, seed grass and game in the Tosca region in North West. He also runs a chicken abattoir. Echoing the sentiments expressed by Hamman and Kriek, Van der Berg said his message to all farmers was to “keep your focus and remain positive”. – Denene Erasmus