Winston Land & Cattle Co. consists of the Beer Beef and Mapassa Angus studs at Winston Farm on Southwell Road near Port Alfred. Together with Future Auctioneers, its owners hosted a agricultural day on 11 June – an initiative which was borne from the need to facilitate some much-needed conversations in the farming landscape where everyone ultimately aims to serve the greater good of agriculture in the Eastern Cape.
As the Beer and Evans families’ spokesperson, Caroline Beer facilitated the agricultural day where people could take part in conversation that was aimed at helping take the industry forward and to inspire anyone who is potentially on the precipice of wanting to get involved in the beef industry. “There is a massive support network with lots of knowledge available and a great willingness to give each other a leg-up in the industry, and this day was inspired exactly by that,” said Beer.
Guest speakers shared their knowledge
“We were pleased to have three excellent speakers on the farm, namely Athol Trollip who views agriculture from a policy and legislation perspective to help farmers understand the importance of agriculture in South Africa.
“We also welcomed Gerrit van Zyl, a very well-respected Bonsmara farmer from the Free State, who advocates regenerative agriculture and grazing practices by making the most of the space on his farm. Nick Pentz, the owner of Groote Post Wineries, is passionate about ecological integrity and his Angus stud, which helps to support the nutrient cycle on his farm.”
Where farming meets foresight
Athol Trollip, as a parliamentary leader at ActionSA and speaker at Winston Farm, said agricultural production has risen with 44% over the past thirty years, while the value of agricultural land has also increased tenfold over the last 15 years.
“Agriculture is the only industry in our country which has shown growth in the first of quarter of this year,” he said, furthermore encouraging farmers to become more independent. “It is important that farmers, while focussing on agriculture, also start taking notice and become involved in politics which will always play a role in agriculture. And one of the biggest challenges we have is the need for successful farmers to start making time to participate in organised agriculture.”
Nick Pentz, vice-president of the Angus Society of South Africa, runs an Angus cattle stud on his fifth generation wine farm, Groote Post in the Darling region of the Western Cape. He believes that beef is not just food, but part of a regenerative solution. He encouraged the farmers to create more value for their product with vertical integration and to tell the story of their products by getting more involved in the marketing process of their product.
As a Bonsmara farmer in the Free State, Gerrit van Zyl is known as a pioneering force in regenerative agriculture and sustainable beef production. He talked about regenerative beef farming practices to help heal the land, nourishing people, and build a future. “Something which made me rethink farming, is that we should focus on profit per hectare,” he said. “Plant and soil health is, after all, the foundation of farming and making money from it.”
There was also a bonus talk by William Moolman, a project manager for private farming at TASC, about agricultural projects like soil samples and veld assessments to help farmers improve their farms in a holistic manner. This was followed by an informal session with questions from the audience. – Carin Venter, Plaas Media
For more information, contact Caroline Beer on 072 538 2432 or carolineannbeer@gmail.com, or Ilze at Future Auctioneers on 082 743 8342 or admin@futureauctioneers.co.za.
