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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Karel Bezuidenhout ’ s blood is green
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IF YOUR NAME IS GREEN KAREL , IS MUST BE FOR A REASON ! KAREL BEZUIDENHOUT ' S BLOOD IS DEFINITELY GREEN - HE IS A JOHN DEERE AND
SENWES CUSTOMER TO THE QUICK .
AUBREY KRUGER
Green Karel farms on the farm Pecunia in Elliot in die Eastern Cape . He describes his land as very unique . “ When you think of the Eastern Cape you think of mountains and cattle . I farm on level ground in a district which I regard as the cream of Elliot .”
May people make the mistake to call the farm Petunia , like the well-known flower . However , this Pecunia means money in Latin and forms part of 17 bordering farms of 3 400 hectares in total .
SIXTH GENERATION He is the sixth generation Bezuidenhout farmer . The first came to the area in 1883 . His father , Daniël , started farming on 130 hectares in 1972 and bought
AUG / SEP 2017 • SENWES Scenario
the farm Pecunia in 1993 . When he died in 2000 , he owned 13 farms . Karel has a lot of respect for his father - “ He was my biggest mentor . Everything I know he taught me . He had vision which not many others had .”
FARMING ACTIVITIES Karel runs diversified farming operations . His versatile Dohne merinos and crop farming , which compliments the livestock farming component , make for effective farming operations . He expands on his livestock farming component : “ My dad used to say that one has to have a good livestock component - it is like insurance for your future .”
Crops represent approximately 75 % of his turnover and the livestock component 25 %. Crops include soya beans and wheat on
200 hectares each , maize on 750 hectares and forage on 200 hectares . He has 2 200 Dohne merino ewes and 750 Bonsmara cows .
GRABBING OPPORTUNITIES WITH GRATITUDE Karel grabs every opportunity that comes his way “ and by God ’ s grace everything has worked out for me .” He believes that individuals differ by what they do with the opportunities which come their way . He had the vision to mechanise as far back as the early 2000s and he was the first producer in the area to use a harvester . This is where John Deere features . “ I only have John Deeres on my farm ,” said the green enthusiast who grew up with this world-class name . His father bought a John Deere 2120 in 1972 for R3 600 .
THREE MODELS SUMMARISE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JOHN DEERE Karel has 16 John Deeres , but the three most important ones are :
“ The 2130 ( 1979 ) - It is a European version with lights on the nose , indicators and a parking