(Ed: This idea alone is worth the 'cost of entry' on this
article. This kind of self-sustaining programme – very
much like the Nobel Prize winning Micro-lending model
- is something we could all learn from and aspire to.
Water running downhill can run through multiple
generators, this kind of self-regenerating money is an
incredible 'force multiplier' for every self-sustaining
programme.)
By the time they return, most of our apprentices are ready to
take on management positions with good salaries.
Ultimately, the goal is for some of these young men to
become owners, in their own right and develop their own
successful, commercial farming operations.
The bottom line here is success. As our apprentices have
no experience running a multi-million Rand business, I am
trying to arrange for some of them to become partners in
successful existing operations. There are top farmers who
are prepared to take Future Farmers on as 50% partners in
their successful farming operations. Traditionally, farmers
take on their sons as partners. The father and son will farm
together in a partnership until the father is ready to retire,
maybe 15 years. During this time, the son learns the
business skills. Each of these partners has something
different to offer in the partnership, but each brings to the
partnership something that the other needs. When the
original farmer is ready to retire, the young man (in this case,
the Future Farmer) will take over 100% ownership of the
farm and will be a competent businessman. In due course,
perhaps, their own children join the family business or
perhaps they will ?nd and develop apprentices of their own.
We have managed to place our Future Farmers in dairy
operations and thank the dairy farmers for taking this project
to heart and supporting it. We also have a student in pigs,
another in horticulture and two doing green keeping on golf
courses. We have not yet been able to place apprentices in
beef, poultry or vegetable and crop operations and there is a
huge need for positions in these specialist areas of our
industry.
There is a need for meaningful transformation in the
agricultural industry. However, it must be successful. This
means that our Future Farmers must be competent,
extremely well trained practical farmers with commensurate
business skills. Our project seeks to meet all of these needs.
Obviously, for a project with such big ambitions we
desperately need more support from the farming community.
Our apprentices are doing very well - both on local farms and
on farms overseas and there is a growing demand for them
for overseas internships. The fact is, because these are
people with a passion for farming we have Future Farmers of
exceptional calibre. The Californian employer of a young lad,
who is doing an internship there, told me that she would trust
him with her life and her money …. Over the years, they have
had over 200 interns on that farm, and he is the best of them.
There are young people of extraordinary quality out
there. All they need is a chance to show what they
can do.
So, think you can help the Future farmer's initiative? Or
perhaps you would like some more information about how
Judy is running this inspiring project? Why not drop Judy a
line. ([email protected]).
Here at CSR we look forward to hearing some more
tales of the Future Farmers that Judy is helping to
create and we'd also love to hear similar stories from
your industry.
If our crop is ideas, then we think that what Judy is helping to
grow in the rich red African soil is a prize winning cash crop
that will deliver a rich harvest to us all in the months and years
to come.
This is Lonwabo working in the dairy. He is
currently in Australia where he is doing an
internship on a large dairy.
68
Here is Si?so Ntchisa working at the dairy computer.
He completed an internship in Germany a few years
ago and is now managing a large dairy.
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