Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
‘Farming for profits without social responsibility is foolish’
Being named the 2018 Agri SA/Toyota Young Farmer of the Year is wonderful recognition, says North West potato producer JP van den Berg, However, simply being able to farm and contribute to food security is a daily highlight. He adds that his hardworking staff are pivotal to his farming success, and he devotes much energy to caring for their welfare. Annelie Coleman reports.
For JP van den Berg and his wife, Dr Linné van den Berg, farming involves much more than turning a healthy profit. They find lasting satisfaction in the human connections they make daily with employees, neighbours, suppliers, buyers and others.
The Van den Bergs also believe that their farm, 180km north of Vryburg in North West, should balance profit-making with social responsibility activities that benefit the local community.
“For me, one of the most satisfying aspects of this business is working with dedicated and motivated staff members every day,” says Van den Berg. “That’s something I’m very thankful for.”
Van den Berg (31) was recently named the 2018 Agri SA/Toyota Young Farmer of the Year. This is not the first recognition he has achieved as a farmer; he was South Africa’s top seed potato producer for three years: 2014, 2016 and 2017.
He began farming in 2009, the third generation to run the family farming business on Buttermere, close to the Molopo River. The farm is 2 633ha in area and the business leases an additional 3 500ha.
Before joining the business, he completed a BAgric Hons at the University of the Free State and worked for a potato farmer in Christiana to gain experience in potato production.
Van den Berg started with 12ha of seed potatoes under pivot irrigation and has since expanded production to include pivots covering 13ha, 20ha and 30ha. The average seed potato harvest is 55t/ha. The business includes a Brahman stud and a weaner production concern.
MAXIMUM VS OPTIMUM PRODUCTION
Van den Berg stresses that farming simply for financial gain does not make sense: there are certain things that money cannot buy. The couple’s passion for nature, their love of people, joy and satisfaction are not negotiable, and form the basis of their business. Success in farming should not be measured by what a person achieves but how it is achieved.
“We at Buttermere are dedicated to the provision of the bestquality seed potatoes that will add value to the businesses of potato producers in South Africa,” says Van den Berg.
“Our main aim is to take cognisance of clients’ and consumers’ needs and produce seed potatoes accordingly.”
Buttermere’s mission is the optimal production of top-quality products through sustainable resource usage, with an emphasis on social responsibility, based on respect for and clear communication with every role player in the value chain.
The main focus is quality, not quantity. Van den Berg explains that there is a marked difference between optimum production and maximum production.
“Optimum production refers to the best possible outcome using available resources, such as soil, water and labour, in a sustainable manner. Maximum production refers to output without any consideration of the sustainability of resources.”
He says that paying attention to and knowing what is happening in every aspect of his business is crucial. By starting small and growing systematically, he has been able to gain this in-depth knowledge and experience. He adds that being goal-orientated and thorough is essential as today’s highly competitive business environment allows little margin for error.
“This is why proactive decisionmaking is so important. It can only be attained if one is fully aware of what’s happening in the business,” he says.
CARING FOR EMPLOYEES
A farmer’s workforce should be happy, content and well looked after, insists Van den Berg. “Indeed, without a motivated team, I’d have found it very hard to continue.”
He employs 16 full-time and 120 seasonal staff members and makes sure that workers and their families have access to ample nutritious food as well as quality education and health services.
“In our effort to improve the lives of both the permanent and seasonal workers, we give them two balanced meals a day,” he says.
They also receive housing, water and electricity, and the children are transported to schools in Tosca, the closest town.
To create more employment opportunities for the farmworkers’ wives, he started a broiler production business with capacity for
300 chickens, as well as a chicken abattoir, despite strong competition in the industry.
The business has grown to employ 10 staff, of whom eight are women. Most of the chickens are sold locally or used on the farm as part of the workers’ meals.
Van den Berg says it is important that each person is clear on his or her responsibilities, and he demands dedication, hard work and productivity. He discusses the tasks and responsibilities with each worker annually, and those who reach their goals receive a bonus.
In a bid to create additional employment and add value to the business, he has also introduced a grass seed project. Seeds of white buffalo grass ( Panicum maximum), blue buffalo grass ( Cenchrus ciliaris) and bristle grass ( Anthephora pubescens) are harvested in summer to be sold. The seeds are harvested by hand and mechanically, then bagged, weighed and cleaned by hand. The project employs 40 people in all.
During the off-season, male workers mend fences, prepare the potato lands for the next season and mix and prepare animal feed.
“In our part of the world, droughts are a given. That’s why it’s so important to build up a stockpile of animal feed.
“The hay left over from the grass seed harvest is baled and stored for the lean times,” he says.
To Van den Berg, community involvement is not about words, but action. For example, he provides subsistence farmers on the Tosca commonage with high-quality stud bulls from Buttermere to increase the standard of weaners. All Buttermere bulls are tested for fertility and venereal diseases. Since he started the project five years ago, the quality of the local community’s cattle herd has increased significantly.
RESPONSIBLE USAGE OF RESOURCES
Resource conservation, particularly judicious water use, is a priority on Buttermere. Van den Berg has access to enough water to increase the number of irrigated hectares considerably but prefers not to do so. He believes that every South African has a responsibility to save water, and his contribution is to limit the number of irrigated hectares on his farm. He also adheres strictly to irrigation and water usage requirements. This, he stresses, is vital for sustainable crop production.
“Water is our lifeline. It would be foolish to chase profit at all costs and in the process destroy this valuable, God-given resource.”
His advice to farmers is to reinvest in their business, especially during the growing phase. In addition, he believes it will become increasingly important in future to plan, research and choose the right crop.
His concern for social responsibility extends to the use of technology. Although he appreciates its value, he would not consider investing wholesale in mechanisation that would negatively affect job creation.
“Technology must create, not destroy jobs,” he says.
• Email JP van den Berg at jpbuttermere@gmail.com.