Free State Agriculture (FSA} is looking for its 24th winner of the prestigious competition. The organisation appeals to all young farmers, their friends and family to make sure the best candidates are finalists this year. Entries close on 31 January 2019.
Nelius Ferreira, Free State Agriculture’s Young Farmer of the Year for 2018, explains some practices in his apple farming.
From left are Professor's Allan Bennie and Pieter Fourie, both from the Central University of Technology, and Ferreira. ©Jóhann Thormählen
According to Professor Pieter Fourie, convenor of the judges and Head of the Department of Agriculture at the Central University of Technology, a finalist must set an example for others in the industry, especially for young farmers.
"It is not the size of a farm or farming practices that make a farmer win," says Fourie. Fourie explains that it is more about how he or she do what they do and whether they make a unique contribution. How an example is set in things like the precision of a farm, what balance there is and how the management performance looks.
Farmers will be judged on, among other things, their future vision, budget and finance, production, marketing and community engagement; however, the most important aspect includes management philosophy and how technical skills are used to put it into action.
FSA’s Young Farmer Conference, with the theme Accessible Resources in a Modern Agricultural Environment, will be held at Monte Bello Estate in Bloemfontein on 17 April 2019, after which the Young Farmer of the Year will be announced at a gala dinner.
This year’s finalists will be visited and judged by a panel of judges early in March.
