PRODUCER FOCUS
Marscha and her husband Edzard Biermann.
Edzard Biermann
Not your average beer man
You may think that Senwes producer Edzard Biermann is just an ordinary neighbour, but
you would be wrong. You may think that, as producer of barley, he may be a bit of a beer
man, but who knows?
By Aubrey Kruger
Senwes Scenario Editor FROM ELECTRICITY TO ESTABLISHED
FARMER IN 13 YEARS
dzard Biermann, with German
blood and a Scandinavian
name, is a South African farmer
to the quick. The name Edzard
means someone with a strong framework
or someone who is well-rounded. And it is
definitely the case. This farmer bid electrical engineering
farewell in 2006, after 13 years, and
started farming. However, he had nothing
and had to find land. “Let me tell you
something, land is not easy to obtain if
you do not inherit land,” said this farmer.
Most other farmers are third or fourth
generation farmers. In his first season he
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SENWES SCENARIO | AUTUMN 2019
planted a mere 10 hectares, but he has
expanded significantly since then. He
remembers those days very well. "I only
had a Volkswagen Jetta, which I used for
my farming.”
VLAKSPRUIT MOULDED HIM
Turning off to the farm Vlakspruit, it imme-
diately becomes evident that Edzard and
his wife Marscha farm with sugar beans
and soybeans, amongst others. The farm