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    Finalists announced in the 2021 Santam Agriculture National Silage Competition

    Plaas Media is proud to announce the finalists in its eighth Santam Agriculture National Silage Competition. Despite various challenges that had to be overcome during the sampling season, the competition was once again a huge success.

    This year's instalment saw a record number of 105 entries, 79 of which were maize, 16 small grains (oats), eight sorghum, and two grass (test bales). These entries consisted of 73 bunkers, 26 silo bags, and six bales. As in 2020, the bales category was included as a test category with a view to possible formal inclusion in the competition in future.
    Source: vivros62 via
    Source: vivros62 via Pixabay

    This year’s entries

    A total of 23 companies and producers entered their clients or their own farms. Eleven of these companies are new to the competition.

    The companies that entered this year were Afgri Animal Feeds, Quantum Foods/Nova Feeds, Welgemoed Farm, Kemin Industries, RCL Foods/Epol, Nutribase, Meadow Feeds Paarl and Meadow Feeds Natal, Winterstorm Investments, Pannar Seed, Sparta Baby Beef, Strapping & Profile, EC Contracting, Kameeldrift Voere, Hurwitz Farming, Saxeni Agric, White Gold Farms, Malati Farm, JW Nel & Seun Boerdery, Lactimar, Mas Corporation, Limpopo Dairies, Pioneer, and Envarto.

    Sponsors

    The head sponsor in this year’s competition was once again Santam Agriculture, who has been the name sponsor since the competition’s inception and has been hugely supportive throughout their involvement. The prize sponsors are Labworld, Claas/Kempston Agri, Pannar Seed, Kemin Industries, Strapping and Profile, Nutribase and Hurwitz Farming.

    Sampling

    The sampling was conducted by four post-graduate animal science students from various South African universities. They were Gerrit Putter and JG Els from the University of the Free State, Timothy Chilemba from the University of Pretoria, and Henlo Smit from Stellenbosch University.

    These students were trained in the sampling process by Richardt Venter of AgSci, the competition’s coordinator. The sample testing was conducted by Dr Elrisa Taljaard and her team at Labworld. The analysis was done by the creator and overseer of the competition protocol, Prof Robin Meeske of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s Outeniqua Research Farm.

    Meet the finalists

    There are three formal categories in which finalists are announced, namely maize, feed (forage) sorghum, and oats. There is one test category, namely silage bales, and finalists are announced in that category as well.

    For the first time in the history of the competition, the top ten maize entries are equally split between bunkers and silo bags. Among the maize finalists are three previous competition winners, which bodes for an exciting finish and speaks to the competitiveness of the entries, as well as the importance that the results have for our participants.

    Maize category finalists in alphabetical order:

    Farm/enterprise nameFarmer/producerEntered byEntry type
    ALS GroupArno JoubertNutribaseSilo bag
    Deale BeefCronjé DealeNutribaseSilo bag
    Gerber Boerdery TrustIan GerberAfgri Animal FeedsCement wall bunker
    Just Milk (Queensvalley)Steve MossStrapping & ProfileSilo bag
    Maluti BeefDanbri SaaymanStrapping & ProfileSilo bag
    PD Hauff & SonMark HauffPioneerCement wall bunker
    Simpson & Son FarmingShane SimpsonMeadow Feeds NatalGravel wall bunker
    Sparta BeefSello NtjobokoSparta BeefSilo bag
    Stubbs Farming Paternership (Denleigh)Nick StubbsPioneerGravel wall bunker
    Westend LandgoedHano LombardNutribaseGravel wall bunker

    The small grains category also boasts with some fantastic results this year and three out of the four finalists are previous category winners.

    Small grains (oats) finalists in alphabetical order:

    Farm/enterprise nameFarmer/producerEntered byEntry type
    DassenvaleyJohan MostertAfgri Animal FeedsGravel wall bunker
    De DraayAwie ErasmusMeadow Feeds PaarlBun/drive-over pile
    Groenwei BoerderyBull van RensburgEC ContractingGravel wall bunker
    Ocean Breeze HolsteinsJK BassonNova FeedsGravel wall bunker

    Feed (forage) sorghum finalists in alphabetical order:

    Farm/enterprise nameFarmer/producerEntered byEntry type
    Berg en Dal BoerderyPieter HammanAFGRI Animal FeedsGravel wall bunker
    Hurwitz FarmingJarren HurwitzHurwitz FarmingSilo bag
    Saamstaan Boerdery (Vyevlei)Elanza FouchéAFGRI Animal FeedsGravel wall bunker

    Bales test category finalists in alphabetical order:

    Farm/enterprise nameFarmer/producerEntered byEntry type
    Exact SilageBurger MaraisKameeldrift VoereBale
    JW Nel & Seun BoerderyKempen NelJW Nel & Seun BoerderyBale
    Saxeni HoldingsEmje FerreiraSaxeni AgricBale

    Winners will be announced during a live streaming and watch party on 3 December at 6pm. To watch the announcement of the finalists, click on the link:

    For more information regarding the competition, 2022 entries, or other queries, contact Deidré Louw at 066 231 2430 or deidre@plaasmedia.co.za.

    Source: AgriOrbit

    AgriOrbit is a product of Centurion-based agricultural magazine publisher Plaas Media. Plaas Media is an independent agricultural media house. It is the only South African agricultural media house to offer a true 360-degree media offering to role-players in agriculture. Its entire portfolio is based on sound content of a scientific and semi-scientific nature.

    Go to: http://agriorbit.com/
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