CEO, Grain SA
A FEW DAYS AFTER THE GRAIN PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD CEREMONY, I FOUND MYSELF THINKING LESS ABOUT WHO WON AND MORE ABOUT WHY WE GO TO ALL THE TROUBLE OF FINDING EXCEPTIONAL PRODUCERS, VISITING THEIR FARMS, EVALUATING THEIR BUSINESSES, AND ULTIMATELY CELEBRATING THEM.
Grain Producer of the Year is neither a beauty contest nor the World Cup. If you lose the World Cup, you simply move on, and if you win, there is a victory parade through the streets afterwards. Farming is far more serious than that. When a sports team loses, supporters are disappointed – when producers consistently lose, the consequences are dire.
People lose jobs. Capital accumulated over generations is destroyed. Suppliers lose customers. Rural towns become poorer. Processors become increasingly dependent on imported raw materials, costing the country foreign exchange and weakening our competitiveness. Ultimately, ordinary South Africans pay the price through higher food prices and increased pressure on household budgets. But when our producers are successful, we win as a country, and they create wealth for South Africans.
For farmers, it really is a battle to remain on the land. That is why we do not celebrate producers for glamour. We celebrate them because their commitment and achieve-
ments teach us valuable lessons about improving productivity, strengthening business resilience, embracing innovation – and ultimately, thriving in international markets while building farming enterprises for future generations.
This year’s awards, held under the theme ‘Building for tomorrow’, were the 27th annual Grain Awards. We again focused attention on producers whose businesses provide practical examples of profitable and sustainable farming. For me, what we are looking for can ultimately be reduced to three questions.
First: Can you produce exceptionally well?
Do you understand your soil, crops, climate, technology, and production system well enough to turn scarce resources into output consistently?
Second: Can you build a sustainable business around that production?
Yield without margin is not success. A magnificent crop that leaves the balance sheet weaker is not sustainable. Good agronomy and good economics eventually must meet in the same hectare.
Third: Are you building something bigger than yourself?
Are you investing in people, caring for the soil, sharing knowledge, and contributing to your community? And, hopefully, are you building a farming business sufficiently resilient to continue into another generation?
The three finalists demonstrated these qualities in very different ways: Henk Michau rebuilt his farming operation in the eastern Free State after starting on rented land in Limpopo. His story is one of adaptation, careful measurement, and enduring relation-
ships. Neethling Dippenaar’s philosophy starts with the soil; combining soil health, precision, and continuous learning with stewardship across generations. Pieter Nortjé has built an operation around curiosity, disciplined experimentation, and capable people who are trusted with genuine responsibility.
Nortjé was ultimately named our 2026 Grain SA/Syngenta Grain Producer of the Year. Since planting his first maize in 2014, he has developed an extensive irrigated grain enterprise alongside the established citrus business at Sitrusrand. Healthy soil, plan-
ning, measurement, and proven technology are central to his approach, but so are his people. In accepting the award, he shared the recognition with his management team and left producers with a wonderfully simple challenge: ‘Be positive. Be hopeful. Farm for the future.’
That, perhaps, captures why these awards matter.
Agricultural productivity has always been about more than food. The ability to produce grain in sufficient quantities to feed more people for longer periods laid the foundation for the development of civilisation. By generating a surplus, agriculture enabled people to develop skills in other fields, build businesses, and develop communities. This principle remains as relevant today as ever.
But agriculture’s contribution also extends far beyond this. It is a means through which we can create a future for our children and build a more prosperous society. Its benefits extend to employees and their families, input suppliers, contractors, transporters, and processors. They also reach rural towns and local businesses, while contributing to exports, investment, and ultimately South Africa’s food system.
Our ambition should therefore be greater than merely maintaining agriculture as a source of affordable food. Agriculture must also remain an economic opportunity for rural communities – and that requires successful producers.
Congratulations to Pieter Nortjé, our 2026 winner, and to Henk Michau and Neethling Dippenaar, two exceptional finalists. The title belongs to one producer, but the lessons belong to all of us.
And that is why we celebrate excellence.
