PRODUCER FOCUS
Julias Ramohlabi, Senwes Manager: Developing Farmers
visits Dirlyn Farm on a regular basis to teach students
more about the financial aspects of farming.
Dirk de Beer and three students that he mentors. From left to right
are Khuzelemvelo Nyokana, Dirk De Beer, Mohau Sekhele and Lenah
Gaonewe.
Grooming
Young Minds
Senwes client Dirk de Beer is committed to making a notable difference in the lives of
young agricultural students. He offers practical training and mentorship on his farm,
Dirlyn Boedery, which is situated just outside Bloemhof in the Free State.
By Kefiloe Manthata
Senwes Communication Graduate
D
irk says that his motivation
for helping out these young
students stems from his deep
love for the land and his desire
to preserve it. “You cannot expect some-
one who does not have a relationship with
the land to make sound decisions about
the land. That is what we teach these
students here. We show them how to work
the land, how to treat the land, how to
feed the land so that it feeds you in return.
We give them a realistic, practical view of
what it really takes to run a farm.”
De Beer strongly believes that the
secret to ensuring that the South African
agricultural industry continues to grow,
lies in investing in young people, ensuring
that they acquire not just the theoretical
know-how, but that they also develop the
instincts that he says are quite vital in
securing farming success.
This year De Beer is mentoring three
students. Lenah Gaonewe, Mohau
Sekhele and Khuzelemvelo Nyakana.
Gaunewe, who holds a National Diploma
in Agriculture Irrigation is now the co-or-
dinator of the learnership on the farm
while completing a B.Tech degree in Crop
Production. She expresses her deep grati-
tude for the opportunity given to her by de
Beer through the learnership. “Everything
is so different outside the classroom. You
have no real grasp of the concepts that
you learn at school until you actually have
to put them into practice. What Mr Dirk
does for us here is of immeasurable value.
We can never thank him enough.” Her
feelings of gratitude are shared by both
Nyokana and Sekhele, who also marvel at
the shift in perspective that happens when
one moves from the classroom to working
the land.
Sekhele hails from Virginia in the Free
State. He is a second year Agricultural
Management student at Central University
of Technology (CUT) in Bloemfontein.
He speaks about how difficult it is for
students to find the right farm to do their
practical training.
“I really struggled. I made countless
calls and travelled far and wide for this
opportunity. That is why I am determined
to make a success of it.”
Senwes Agronomist, Julias Ramohlabi,
works with De Beer and teaches the stu-
dents about the financial aspects of run-
ning a farm. He presents classes on the
farm, where he teaches them about cash
flow and budgeting, ensuring that they not
only understand how to maintain the land,
but also how to sustain the business side
of farming.
SENWES SCENARIO | SPRING 2018
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