Day 5: March 16th
Today’s farm visits started down a literal rocky road. We ended up taking a wrong turn, but rather than it screwing up our day, we took it in stride and were able to take in the rural and local agriculture through our detour. Once we got back on the right track, we met a female farmer named Ipeleng Kwadi-Seboni, who originally was a school teacher, and now grazes one hundred head of Bonsmara cattle on 75 hectares of land. Also on the same land, there stands a lake that they hope to implement aquaculture into their practice one day. This lake is also used for recreational fishing and camping by the local people. She is also involved in Youth in Agriculture and Rural Development, a mentorship program that helps local youth explore different sectors of agriculture, such as white meat, red meat, and crop production. We were able to have productive conversations about the sexism that women face in the agriculture industry in both South Africa and the United States, and she and her family were also very curious about American agriculture.
The second farmer was also another female farmer named Mia Swanepoel. She was formerly a nail technician, but she now runs a cattle and goat dairy operation. She raises Jersey cattle and the Cape Speckled and British Alpine indigenous goat breeds. Mia gave us a tour of both the cattle and goat milking parlors, as well as giving a demonstration on how they make their cheese. Her goat parlor equipment she was able to refurnish from old dairy operations. Then, we headed over to the cattle parlor, where we were able to witness a milking. She milks the cattle twice a day, and the goats once a day. She feeds her cattle “Brewer’s grain”, which is sorghum and corn left over from a locally brewed beer known as Leopard’s Beer. Additionally, she shared how she artificially inseminates her own cattle as well, instead of hiring somebody else to do it for them. At the end of the tour, students were able to purchase some of her different flavors of yoghurt, including chocolate, toffee, strawberry, and peach.
Our last stop of the day was at the Hartebeespoort Dam. Students were able to get out and walk around the dam. The irrigation that some of the farmers from our previous days use came from the Crocodile River, of which the dam was located on.This was a very beautiful sight on our way back to Centurion, filled with multiple roaring waterfalls and unique architecture of the dam.
Today was a great day, and the farmers we visited truly showcase that if you have a passion for the agricultural industry, whether or not you have a background in it, you can find a place for yourself in this industry.
Comments
Post a Comment