Ramulondi Petrus Managa (64) was the runner-up in the small-scale maize farmer category of Grain SA’s 2020 Grow for Gold National Yield Competition.
Petrus followed in the footsteps of his father, Jack, who was also a farmer. ‘He taught me everything I need to know about farming,’ he shares about his role model who passed away in 1978 when Petrus was just 21 years old. This father and son team had a dream which became their reason for farming – to provide food for the community. After his father’s death, Petrus did not want to give up on their dream. He was a full-time teacher at that stage, but became a part-time farmer to keep the dream alive. After retiring in August 2018, he could farm full time. ‘Being a full-time farmer means I am more active than before. I am always on the go, working hard. Farming is definitely keeping me young,’ he says.
As a tribute to his father, Jack’s name forms part of his farming enterprise’s name – Jacklondi’s Farming Suppliers. This is to symbolise that he became the man he is today because of his father’s influence. The ‘londi’ part of the name was derived from part of his own name, Ramulondi, a very proud land owner.
Success is a process
‘Don’t worry about becoming successful. Work towards being significant and the success will naturally follow.’ These words by the American talk-show host, Oprah Winfrey, describe Petrus’s journey as a maize farmer. He firmly believes that if you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
This hands-on farmer’s 15-ha farm is situated about 45 km from Louis Trichardt in the Nzhelele area near Dzanani in the Vhembe district of Limpopo. Here, using Bayer’s cultivar DKC 78-45 BR, Petrus managed to achieve 6,49 t/ha. This achievement inspired his Bayer seed representative to enter him for the Grow for Gold competition and he was placed second after the winner Gardner Khumalo, who was featured in The Corner Post in the March 2021 issue of SA Graan/Grain.
Planning forms an integral part of his farming operation and he believes in sticking to the basics like soil preparation, adding fertiliser and following a good spray programme. ‘I plant and harvest twice a year on 13 ha. As soon as I am done harvesting in March, I plough and then plant again. By June, when the cold weather arrives, my crop is already grown and there is minimal risk for damage.’
He has also witnessed that in this area a mixture of manure and 3.2.1 delivers a good maize crop and he has seen the value of taking soil samples as healthy soil produces healthy crops.
Although he was not a member of one of Grain SA’s study groups at the time of the competition, he is excited to attend a group in the near future. Jerry Mthombothi, the development coordinator at the Mbombela farmer development office, has expanded his region with new study groups in Limpopo. Petrus hopes to pay a visit to share some of his knowledge with the group – and who knows, he may just learn something new from someone else as one is never too old to learn.
Don’t wait for opportunities, create them
Initially maize and a variety of vegetables – tomatoes, cabbages and butternut – were produced on the farm. However, Petrus decided to rather focus on one thing and do it well. ‘I decided to specialise in maize because this is the product which our community needs,’ he shares. He also knew he could achieve great results focussing on one thing, as success comes from doing that one thing over and over. This principle is also one which Bruce Lee, the Chinese-American actor and martial artist, believed in: ‘I fear not the man who has practised 10 000 kicks once; I fear the man who has practised one kick 10 000 times.’
This approach has proven to be successful and Petrus says that up to now he has not made a mistake and has been blessed with a good harvest every year. He even supplied maize to the humanitarian aid organisation, the World Food Programme, who purchased 30 tons of his 42-ton harvest in 2016.
Petrus says he is not a dreamer, but a thinker and a doer who sees possibilities around him. After his retirement he decided not to sell his maize anymore, but to process maize meal on the farm. Maize is being milled and packaged (from 12,5 kg to 80 kg) at the plant on the farm. ‘People wanted maize meal, so I made a plan to help them.’
Dreams for the future
‘I am currently doing very well, but I am running short of land to plant,’ he shares. With his available equipment and implements he believes that he could easily handle 20 ha to 40 ha. ‘This way I can provide even more food for our rural community.’
Petrus is passionate about agriculture and excited to see a third-generation farmer in action already. His eldest son, Ramulondi (31), has resigned from his commercial job and returned to the area to purchase a 20-ha piece of land where he is farming. His other son, Funzani (26), will also follow in his father’s footsteps as he has already joined Petrus on the farm, where he is learning from a good mentor who clearly sets a wonderful example.
