Bultfontein flexes its muscles > CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
AREA FOCUS
The NG Moedergemeente in Bultfontein .
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PECAN NUTS Pecan nuts are also cultivated in the area and an additional 5 000 hectares are planned over the next five years .
CHURCHES Bultfontein has churches in abundance . It includes the NG Mother Church , NG Bultfontein-East , Reformed Church as well as a few Charismatic churches in the area . Another old building is the magistrate ' s office in town , which was erected in 1951 and inaugurated by the former Minister of Justice , CR Swart .
BULTFONTEIN SILO The silo is managed by Ina Strauss , one of only four female silo managers at Senwes . She is in charge of 17 staff members at Bultfontein silo .
Bultfontein is one of Senwes ’ four largest silos , with Wesselsbron , Bothaville and Viljoenskroon being the other three . Bultfontein silo was the largest silo in the Southern Hemisphere when it was erected in 1964 .
It has 111 bins in total . This Keeve Steyn silo has 99 bins ( 60 round and 39 star bins ) and the new silo has 12 round bins . The silo was erected in 1964 and the new silo was added in 1982 .
The Keeve Steyn silo is the largest silo in the Senwes stall , with Kroonstad , Theunissen and Wesselsbron 234 being the other Keeve Steyn silos . Mainly maize , sunflower and wheat are received and although rail transport facilities are available , the extent thereof is very small .
Strauss says that the silos were 97 % to 98 % full over the past
two seasons and between 3000 and 5000 tons of grain per day have been received in the past . An interesting fact is that water has to be pumped out 24 hours per day since Bultfontein silo is built on a water table .
Talking about silos - the impact of agriculture on the area is clearly visible . You will find a silo every 10 km from Bultfontein to Wesselsbron , at Bultfontein , Protespan , Willemsrus , Tierfontein and Wesselsbron .
SENWES VILLAGE HINTERLAND BRANCH Gerhard van der Ryst is the branch manager of the Senwes Village Hinterland branch in Bultfontein . He is in charge of a team of 55 staff members . The Senwes Village Hinterland branch in Bultfontein is almost 26 years old and was opened on 9 November 1990 . It is situated on the old sports grounds on the northern side of town . A grain store was erected in the 1920 ' s and the founding members were well-known families such as
The Gereformeerde Kerk in Bultfontein .
the Calitz , Cronje , Coetzee and Bredenkamp families , amongst others . A mechanisation branch as well as a new grain store was opened in 1939 . A retail branch flowed from the mechanisation branch . So many people made contributions to the growth of Bultfontein over the years and each person left his mark . A number of projects have been launched to upgrade the town with a view to the 150 year celebrations in 2024 . Keep on flexing your muscles , Bultfontein !
SENWES Scenario • JUN / JUL 2016
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