A vegetable farmer from the Koedoesrand district at Maasstroom in Limpopo walked away with a trip to France and a generous cash prize during TLU SA’s annual Congress dinner.
Henna du Plessis competed against seven other finalists from across the country and was declared the winner of the TLU SA / Old Mutual Insure Agri / Manitou / Mahindra Young Farmer of the Year award on 18 September.
“It was tough to decide on a winner this year,” says Mr Bennie van Zyl, General Manager of TLU SA and one of the judges. “Henna’s teamwork on the farm as well as his passion for agriculture, community involvement and his loyalty towards TLU SA made him a worthy winner.”
Henna (33) – who has been farming for almost half his life – also farms with game on the farm Rockferry.
Family is very dear to him, and his biggest dream is to own another farm and expand his business thus ensuring a good life for his family. He and wife Candice’s first child was born recently.
“I want my legacy to be that of an honest person who is always willing to help and who wants to be involved,” he says.
Henna is a member of the dynamic TLU SA Young Farmer committee which raises funds for the Trauma Fund. The committee presented an amount of more than R30 000 towards the fund during congress.
He always has a measuring tape and toolbox in his bakkie and prefers a mutton chop over a steak. Henna says his father is his role-model although their methods for planning differs completely.
Asked what cannot be fixed with pliers and wire, his answer comes in a quick and straignt forward fashion: “LOVE”.
AJ Wohlfarht (34) of Wohlfarht Poultry near Magaliesburg in Gauteng is the runner-up. He farms with poultry.
Lukas Eksteen (33) from Buffelsfontein in Mokopane (Naboomspruit), Limpopo took the third place. He farms with mainly Bonsmara cattle.
The other finalists were:
Azelle (29) and Neels Uys (30) from Suikerbos in Platkoppie near Heidelberg. He is a grain farmer and she farms with cattle and sheep;
George and Stephan Cloete (29 and 28) from the farm Holbank in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, farms with sheep, maize and soybeans.
Stefan Landman (33) from Dagwacht in Groenvlei in the north of KwaZulu-Natal (Wakkerstroom/Utrecht area), farms with sheep, cattle, soy beans and maize; and
Wynand Louw (28) from Nooitgedacht in Limpopo in the Soutpansberg district farms with Boran cattle and macadamia nuts.
“The quality of these young farmers filled us with hope for the future of agriculture in South Africa,” says Mr Van Zyl. “The excellence visible in all of the finalists farming is significant, and each candidate thoroughly proved themselves in their specific industry.”
