Once you start farming, there's no going back

Ralph and Preline Swart

“I did everything alone for many years until eight years ago when my wife Preline and two sons, Leaan (24) and Jacques (22), came on board,” Ralph says. “Currently, we produce various grains (wheat, barley, triticale and oats) and livestock (Dohne Merino 1,800 ewes, 42 rams and a 160 head herd of mainly Bonsmara and Nguni cattle) on our private land as well as the one that we lease from the Moravian Church. We now have 81.9ha of our own land in Spanjaardskloof and 1,159ha that we have leased from the Moravian Church Council for the past 38 years.”

“All four of us are very passionate about farming,” says Preline. “Each member has his or her own particular interest in the farming business but we all support each other. We all have one goal – to make an enormous success of our farming business. Jacques, for example, prefers working with the livestock, while Leaan is in charge of maintenance on all the farm vehicles and equipment. Our sons are very hands-on and take after their father. Ralph is our mentor and we appreciate him for leading the way into agriculture.”

In the past few years, things started to happen for Swart Boerdery. Ralph says he had never received any government money or subsidies in the past but when his wife came on board, she started to conduct research, went to the agriculture offices in Bredasdorp and put together business plans while filling out application forms. In 2011 they received their first grant, which gave their business a big boost.

Learning from others

“For as long as I can remember I have always worked on the farm,” Ralph says. “At first, everything I knew about farming was what I learned from my dad and uncle. But through the years I have gained considerable experience from observing and by seeking advice from other farmers in the region. Whenever I don’t know something, I ask. If you set your mind to it, then there can be nothing to hold you back.”

“I’m glad that I decided to join my husband and boys in the farming business,” Preline adds. “The way I enjoy farming I just cannot picture myself doing anything else. As a qualified home based carer who had worked with disabled children, I did not see myself as a female farmer but now I thoroughly enjoy it. Having my husband as my mentor is a bonus.”

An introduction to conservation agricultures

Ralph says: “In 2000, I got the opportunity to go to Europe to see how some of the farmers there operated. This was my first introduction to conservation agriculture and I was very impressed with the results those farmers achieved. After my wife and I went with a group of farmers to Argentina, I realised that I had to try this. When I got back home I started asking around and was surprised to find out that some farmers in South Africa had already switched to conservation farming methods – such as the use of zero or minimum tillage planters to plant directly into crop residues from previous years, instead of ploughing and sowing.”

“My thinking on this matter changed fast, but implementing these new ideas took some time as I needed to acquire all the necessary equipment. We are now in the process of switching over to conservation farming methods and have bought a new 27 tooth no-till planter which I started using last year.”

Since switching from sowing to no-till planters, the Swarts have decreased the amount of seed planted for wheat from about 125kg/ha to 75kg/ha.

Eating, sleeping, walking and talking farming

“I love being a farmer and I am so glad that my wife and kids are farming with me. I also love to help other farmers and we go out of our way to treat our workers fairly and to make them feel like part of the business. When they talk about what we do on the farm they always say ‘on our farms,’” says Ralph.

After all the awards received, Preline says: “My husband deserves these awards after farming for so many years. He is a very successful farmer now and I am so proud of him, more than he will ever know. He eats, sleeps, walks and talks farming and is a strong pillar for myself and our kids. We look up to him along with many other farmers who ask him for guidance and advice.”

A partner in the agricultural environment

Absa has been working with Ralph and Preline to help with the success of their business over the years. Absa has been a partner in the agricultural environment for the past 100 years and has used this wealth of experience to develop tailor-made business solutions for its clients. Absa assists start-up entrepreneurs and, in addition to traditional lending criteria, the bank also provides non-traditional development credit offerings, ranging from the off-the-shelf transactional products to complex financial solutions.

Willie Zastron, provincial head of Absa Business Banking, Western Cape in South Africa, says: “Absa will continue to support farmers and help them prosper given the important role that they play in our economy. Ralph and Preline Swart are excellent examples of how we have supported small emerging farmers grow into large-scale commercial farmers.”

Awards:

• ABSA/GRAIN SA New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year 2014 – Ralph Swart
• Pick n Pay award for most progress in the last decade 2014 – Ralph Swart
• New Entrant to Commercial Farming Western Cape 2014 (Agricultural Writers) – Ralph Swart
• New Entrant to Commercial Farming National 2014 (Agricultural Writers) – Ralph and Preline Swart