November 2016
RUTH SCHULTZ, SA Graan/Grain contributor and HELENUS KRUGER, photos
36 year old Mr Frans Mokoena from the Thabu Nchu district in the Free State, who received the 2016 award for Grain SA/Absa/John Deere Financial New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year, is a true example of a hardworking, productive farmer.
Mokoena lost his parents at the age of 21 and all of a sudden he was solely responsible for the farm. Luckily he had already been involved in the daily farming activities since he was young. As a young boy he ploughed the fields, drove a tractor, fed and milked the cows and loaded the milk so that his dad could sell it in town.
In 2006 Mokoena leased more communal land in Thaba Nchu. He also joined the Grain SA Farmer Development Programme where he attended study group meetings, training courses and farmer’s days. Mokoena is a member of the 500 Ton Club, Ladybrand Study Group, National Emergent Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (NERPO) and the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA).
‘I am where I am today, thanks to the knowledge I obtained through Grain SA. I am a big farmer now because of the information and training I received,’ he said in the DVD presentation that was screened during the awards ceremony.
Mokoena is married to Agnes. She runs the egg production line of the business which includes 500 layers. Agnes also runs the dairy and administration side of this growing family business. They farm on 2 200 ha – a combination of private leased land and land acquired in 2012 through the government’s Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) programme.
He is in charge of the sheep, beef cattle and crops. Maize and sunflower are planted on rotation. He also plants 125 ha of teff, which he has a very good market for in Lesotho. Tillage is limited to disking, followed by a ripper-roller and seedbed preparation before planting. In growing his business, he is currently building a dam for irrigation purposes on his farm.
‘I can see a lot of progress. I am improving each and every year,’ he said.
Mokoena is grateful for his team on the farm who contributes to his success. He provided all of his workers with houses in the township and also helped with the erection of a school building in the area. In his acceptance speech that was translated by his mentor, Mr Johan Kriel of Grain SA, he thanked the organisation for all its help and support through the years and said that he hoped it would rain soon so that all the farmers can have a sustainable harvesting season.
Publication: November 2016
Section: Grain SA
