Senwes Scenario December 2016 / January 2017 | Page 16

••••

Uys inherited his love for cattle from
his father-in-law, Bob.

IN T H E SP OTLI GH T

Uys van Heerden
> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

600 mm per year. They did not
even have 200 mm over the past
season, which was really hard.”
However, Uys feels positive
about 2017 for a number of reasons. “We have peace of mind
about the fallow lands. I also have
full confidence in my Heavenly
Father, which makes it possible for
me to be calm about the coming
year. He will make it a good year
for us.”
HOBBIES
Family is very important to Uys.
They have a house at the Vaal
River, where the family has a boat
and they practice water sports.
“I enjoy spending time with my
children. I also play golf, which I
enjoy very much.”

PHOTOS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
Ben, the German shepherd, follows Uys
everywhere on the farm.
All kinds of interesting things are
displayed in the garden.
The Van Heerdens live here.

14

SENWES
Senwes is the main supplier of all
my input requirements. I do most
of my business through Senwes.
They also do the marketing of
most of my maize.
He gets very well along with
Senwes Grain Marketing Advisor,
Herman de Jager, “We have a very
good relationship and I enjoy teasing him,” says Uys.
His long relationship with
Senwes comes from the time when
he became a member in 1987. He
remembers Credit Manger Louw
Prinsloo at Senwes Credit: “He

DEC 2016/JAN 2017 • SENWES Scenario

was very good to me in 1996,
when I started farming on my
own.”
Uys delivers his grain at
Allanridge Silo, which is approximately 7 km from his farm and he
drives through his fields. He also
allows Senwes to market the grain
in his own silos.
ADVICE TO YOUNG PRODUCERS
He knows from experience and
he also advises young farmers not
to hesitate to ask for advice. Then
you can decide what you want to
do.
A second piece of advice is
that calculated chances are good.
Sometimes you have to take
chances. However, remember that
it is easy to buy something on
hire purchase, but it is not easy to
repay a number of hire purchases.
It is very difficult. Debt must be
sound at all times.
Uys says that one never stops
learning. “I used to leave only a
few fallow lands. The drought
taught us to do that to more
lands.”
Uys grew and developed over
many years, but he appreciates
everything and everyone around
him - this is the character of a
large scale producer who knows
about small beginnings on
Kleinbegin. Big enough to make
a difference, small enough to care
and to give advice.