••••
F UT UR E F OC U S
Planning through
times of uncertainty
JENNY MATHEWS
At the time this article was due I
was completely preoccupied with
the nursing and subsequent loss of
my darling mother to an aggressive
leukemia. My son, Gavin Mathews,
is a young cattle and grain farmer in
the KZN Midlands and also an active
mentor in the Grain South Africa Farmer
Development Programme. He stepped
up in my time of need and wrote this
month’s article for me. I trust you will
enjoy a young man’s perspectives in
Future Focus – Jenny.
A
griculture is full of uncer
tainties. Farmers are faced
with consistent bombardment
from the media about what is
going wrong in the agricultural
sector and what problems lie
ahead. They are forced to walk the
tight rope of never-ending political
50
NEITHER A WISE MAN OR A BRAVE MAN LIES DOWN
ON THE TRACKS OF HISTORY TO WAIT FOR THE
TRAIN OF THE FUTURE TO RUN OVER HIM
– EISENHOWER –
debate about issues which directly
affect them but which they in fact
have very little control or influ
ence over. Farmers are also always
at the mercy of Mother Nature.
There are the normal challenges
presented by floods, droughts and
devastating rainfall patterns or
searing windstorms which obliter
ate the precious topsoils; and there
is also the much talked about
global climate change, which is
another ever-present shadow as is
evidenced by increasingly varied
weather patterns. Farmers really
JUN/JUL 2017 • SENWES Scenario
are challenged to know whether to
turn left or right sometimes. How
does one actually ever get ground
ed with all the talk of such uncer
tainties and the depth of insecurity
in the sector? How does one ever
think? How does one ever PLAN?
General Eisenhower also once said,
‘I have always found that plans
are useless; but planning is indis-
pensable’. PLANNING is one of
the most important responsibilities
of any farmer who would like to
remain competitive, with a profi