Day 3: Farm Visits on the Way to Inkanyezi Game Farm
South Africa: Day 3
March 11, 2025
Today was
a busy day of farm visits, traveling, and lots of bathroom breaks. We packed up
our things at the ANEW hotel in Centurion and headed towards the country. Our
first stop was at a small mixed farm called the 7 Akkers Farm. They had a variety
of different animals, and several small enterprises within the farm. Their main
focus was their herd of Jersey and Jersey-Holstein cross cows. Typically, they
have about 120 lactating cows at any given time. Most of their milk gets sent
to a commercial facility, but they do keep some milk and make several in-house products
that are sold on the farm, as well as in several small shops in the area. The
cattle were kept in various housing types, and it was quite interesting to see
how their production goals and methods differed between here and back in the
United States.
Along
with the dairy cattle, the wife also had her own herd of British Alpine goats
that she used for milk. The goats were milked twice a day for several months at
a time. They were quite beautiful to look at. Each one looked almost identical
to the next! The goat milking facilities were also very impressive to see.
Along with the Alpines, she had her own herd of indigenous Cape Speckled goats and
a large herd of Damara sheep. If you have not heard of either of these breeds
before, do not worry. Many of us students had also never heard or seen them
before. The Cape Speckled goats are, as one might guess, speckled goats that are
known for parasite resistance, and the ability to utilize poor forages for
maintenance and growth! They are larger goats, though much smaller than our Boer
goats in the USA. The Damara sheep are also an indigenous breed. They are a
unique-looking breed with broad, fat tails and thin bone structure. They also possess
high parasite resistance and are exceptional mothers. We talked with the
producers for quite some time about their goats, and how parasites and other
diseases impact the overall production of their sheep and goat herds. Hearing
their stories and listening to their concerns was quite interesting. We, in the
USA, share similar struggles in terms of disease and parasite problems, so
getting to talk with someone from another country about it made it a very enjoyable
and educational experience. We almost forgot to mention, we also got to see
several chickens, ]ducks, and even pigs while at the farm! They truly had just
about every animal imaginable!
Our next stop
was an emerging cattle farm near Brits, Northwest. We originally planned on
meeting with a lady named Ipeleng Kwadi-Seboni but instead, we were able to
meet with her father. While speaking with Ipeleng’s father, we learned much
about the long, hard, and rewarding experience of starting a farm in South
Africa. He started off by telling us about how their farm first started off as hectares
of land, full of all sorts of different trees, shrubs, and wildlife. As they began to grow, they utilized the trees
they were clearing to build their fences. Finally, after much hard work, they
brought in their first herd of cattle, a couple of cows and one bull. This was
the start of a flourishing farm that proved to be very fruitful for their
growth. From building connections with farmers to overcoming loss and obstacles,
they have truly built an incredible home for themselves that they can
confidently rely on to live. The relationships that they have built with their
neighbors are also very admirable and something that many of us really enjoyed
hearing about. Before we left their farm, we visited their cows which were being
held on one of their neighbor’s land. This proved to us how strong their roots have
grown in their own neighborhood.
Our second
to last stop of the day took us quite some time away from the other farms, and
into the province of Limpopo. There, we visited one of the four cotton gins
found within South Africa. Pulling up, we were in awe at the shear size of the
facility. The many buildings stood like mountains, surrounded by fields of
growing cotton and other crops. Upon arrival, we were relieved to spend a few
minutes in their air-conditioned office, listening to the owner give us some background
information about the cotton industry within South Africa. Then, we went out to
see the gin itself. The machine was massive! An entire shed was dedicated to
this piece of machinery that is used to clean the cotton, separate the seeds
out, and pack it into large bales. These bales get plastic-wrapped and are then
sent out to be sold. We were also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to see
their cotton pickers. This operation had 3 large, Johne Deere cotton pickers.
When the machines were turned on and opened up, it looked like we were watching
the Transformers movie in real life! The various parts of the machine lifted up
and shifted around to turn it into a fully functioning beast of a machine. It was so amazing to see a new piece of machinery
and learn more about the cotton industry. The owners and their workers were so
kind and informative, and were happy to answer our questions about the cotton
industry.
Finally,
we arrived at the Inkanyezi Game Farm where we originally planned on going on a
game drive, but the area has been receiving so much rain that it was too wet to
travel around and explore! The owner served us a delicious meal for supper,
which included some traditional South African foods, with some freshly squeezed
orange juice and ice cream to top it all off. Currently, the group has been
trying to spy some hippos and enjoying the fresh air! We are really looking forward
to some, hopefully, dryer weather tomorrow and more great memories!
Gretta Larson and Kallen Kafka
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