ALGEMEEN | GENERAL COLUMN | RUBRIEK
Editor ' s letter
From the Word
Defining resilience
The 2020 / 21 financial year was a tough one filled with many uncertainties and roadblocks .
The country was sent into a tailspin and businesses were forced to innovate , reroute and restrategise over and over again to stay afloat . The threat to livelihoods and businesses alike was enormous and always looming in the background . For Senwes to have come out of the past year having achieved a record profit , is a tale of sheer grit . In this edition of Scenario , we break down the financial results and get a bit of insight on the resilient nature of the Senwes Group .
Senwes Equipment also experienced its best year yet and much more is yet to come . With the launch of the John Deere Construction and Forestry range , the Senwes Equipment Call Centre and the launch of the John Deere 9R tractor , the months ahead look set to be very busy .
Senwes has reaffirmed its commitment to extend finance to black farmers . It will once again provide production loans to black farmers to the value of R20 million annually for three years . Black farmers who are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity must ensure that their applications reach Agri Credit Solutions before the cut-off date .
The Senwes Relief Umbrella Initiative once again rose to the occasion , this time in aid of the KZN-communities that were most affected by the looting that we saw spiraling out of control across the country during July . Our thoughts are with the business and communities that have to rebuild after the devastating damage caused during the riots .
This edition is also jam-packed with information that producers will find especially helpful and enlightening with the view on the planting season . I am excited for our readers to dig into it .
Kefiloe Manthata
EDITOR
Action , timing and faith
There is a time for everything , and a season for every activity under heaven : a time to be born and a time to die , a time to plant and a time to uproot .
Springtime brings promises of newness . A time for fresh beginnings and planting seeds that will , through nurturing and tendering become plants that nourish and feed us . In the Living Bible , the Song of Solomon stanza two , verses 10 to 13 reads : “ Rise up , my love , my fair one , and come away . For the winter is past , [ it ’ s ] over and gone . The flowers are springing up and the time of the singing of the birds has come . Yes , spring is here ! The leaves are coming out and the grape vines are in blossom . How delicious they smell ! Arise , my love , my fair one , and come away .”
Winter making way for Spring signals a time for action . It is a time to clean up and make way for new things . We start preparing our soil and making room to plant new crops . We start planting gardens , mowing the grass , and watering our gardens . While the winter allows us to be still and reflect , Spring orders action .
Spring also signals a time to plant . Planting times and guidelines vary depending on where you are in the world , and what it is you are planting , but everything has an ideal time , and the success of your yields depend on being wise enough to discover that time . If you plant too soon , your crops may be destroyed by the lingering winter frost , you plant too late and your crops might not have enough time to mature before harvesting season . The art of planting requires precision and impeccable timing and unshakable faith .
Once the seeds have been planted , the farmer must then nurture the crops , taking care to eliminate weeds and pests , control diseases , and ensure adequate irrigation . And then it is time to pray . We pray for good rains and favourable conditions ; we pray to overcome all obstacles in the way of a good yield . We hold on to faith that God will bless the work of our hands and bless us with a good harvest .
Even when farmers do everything right during the planting season , there are many factors at work , some of which we can ’ t control . The act of farming is in many ways an act of faith , trusting that God will take the work that has been done and provide a harvest of God ’ s own design . Be encouraged . Do all that you can , and let God do the rest .
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SENWES SCENARIO | LENTE � SPRING 2021