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Plaas Media has been presenting its Santam Agriculture National Silage competition for eleven years now. This year’s competition received 88 entries of which 67 were maize silage, 15 oats silage, and six feed sorghum silage. These entries are made up of 60 bunkers, 22 bags, and six bales.

This year’s entries

A total of 21 companies entered themselves or their clients into this year’s competition. These companies are Quantum Foods/Nova Feeds, Exact Silage, SSK, AFGRI Klipheuwel, Bloekomboom Boerdery, Sparta Beef, Nutribase, Kemin Industries, Lake Agriculture, Sparta Baby Beef, Heinz Boerdery, Pannar Seed, Strapping & Profile Manufacturers, Budissa Bagger, TWK Agri, Pioneer Seed, Meadow Feeds Natal, Meadow Feeds Randfontein, Van Greunen Boerdery, AFGRI Animal Feeds, and Leading Edge.

Sponsors

The main sponsor in this year’s competition was once again Santam Agriculture, who has been the name sponsor since the competition’s inception. The prize and cash sponsors are Pannar Seed, Nutribase, Pioneer Seed, TWK Agri, Raniplast, and Orkel. Various new companies were involved as prize or cash sponsors this year, namely Euro Bagging, Novatex, and Advanta Seed. The laboratory partner was once again Labworld

Sampling

The sampling was conducted by two post-graduate Animal Science students from the University of Pretoria, Frans Malan and Stefan Corbet. Both were trained in the sampling process by Richardt Venter of AgSci Unlimited, one of the competition’s co-ordinators. This year the team covered 14 641km while sampling.

Sample testing was conducted by Dr Elrisa Taljaard and her team at Labworld. The analysis was done by the overseer of the competition protocol, Prof Robin Meeske, formerly of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s Outeniqua Research Farm. Prof Meeske recently retired and this will be the last year that he is involved in the competition.

Meet the finalists!

There are three formal categories in which finalists participate, namely maize, feed (forage) sorghum, and small grains (oats). There is one open category in which other crops may be entered but for which no finalists nor winners are announced. These entrants do however receive a silage analysis report.

The maize category finalists boast a number of return participants. Here they are in alphabetical order:

Enterprise nameFarm nameFarmer/producerEntered byStorage format
Allem BrothersJonkerskraalWillie DreyerBudissa BaggerSilo bag
Bloekomboom BoerderyGelukvleiDavid BritzBloekomboom BoerderyBunker
HJP BoerderyWitbankKobus PieterseExact SilageBale
JH Neethling BoerderyRooikoppies DairyNeels NeethlingMeadow Feeds RandfonteinBunker
Just MilkGalla Hills DairySteve MossStrapping & ProfileSilo bag
Rockdale IndustriesRockdael EastJohan HarmseNutribaseSilo bag
Rockdale IndustriesRockdale EastJohan HarmseTWK AgriBunker
Te Water BoerderyZelpyDewald te WaterExact SilageBale
Van Greunen BoerderyWerdaMichael van GreunenNutribaseBunker

Here are this year’s oats finalists in alphabetical order:

Enterprise nameFarm nameFarmer/producerEntered byStorage format
Bakenskop BoerderyBakenskopBrian HumeSSKBunker
Middelpos AgriGoedertrouPV du ToitQuantum Foods/Nova FeedsSilo bag
MJ Slabber PlaseGoedehoopNina SlabberAFGRI VeevoereBunker
Ocean Breeze HolsteinsSwartwaterJK BassonQuantum Foods/Nova FeedsBunker
Saamstaan BoerderyVyevleiRobbie EksteenAFGRI VeevoereBunker

A fantastic result was achieved in the sorghum category this year which will be discussed at length during the annual silage conference and awards ceremony. In alphabetical order, here are this year’s feed sorghum finalists:

Enterprise nameFarm nameFarmer/producerEntered byStorage format
ALS KuilvoerBergstroom BoerderyeArno JoubertStrapping & ProfileSilo bag
Ternus BoerderyStompiesfonteinMarnus FleischmannBudissa BaggerSilo bag
Winterstorm InvestmentsWinterstormMarcu Janse van RensburgKemin IndustriesBunker

This year’s winners will be announced during a silage conference that will take place on 27 November in Pretoria. The winners will also be announced on our various social media platforms, so be sure to keep an eye on the Plaas Media, Veeplaas Magazine and Stockfarm Magazine Facebook pages on the day! – Press release, Plaas Media

For more information regarding the competition, entries for 2025 or other queries, contact DeidrĂ© Louw at 066 231 2430 or deidre@plaasmedia.co.za