Agri AUG SEPT 09.indd - Agri SA

Photo: Professor Cheryl McCrindle
Photo: Professor Cheryl McCrindle
Cheryl on her Arabian mare
Ilizwe My Flair- Western Riding
Association Champion at Horse
of the Year in 2009.
Sarah Jane McCrindle, her
daughter, riding her Quarter
Horse stallion, Bronco
Captain Cape, at the Horse
of the Year in 2008.
“It is extremely difficult
for anyone who doesn’t
inherit a farm to get into
farming. The paperwork
that various legislation
brings in terms of water rights,
labour, funding and the like, is
especially daunting.”
Cheryl claims that 60% of
farming time is wasted on paperwork,
which could have been
utilised on farming. In 1990 she
joined the Medical University of
South Africa as a production
animal veterinarian and spent
the next 10 years working with
small scale farmers to improve
the health of their animals. Due
to her work with upcoming
farmers, she believes that
communal farming has a higher
potential profit margin, in fact
possibly even ten times more
than commercial farming, over
a period of time. The input costs
versus the outputs achieved are
more profitable when farming
on communal land with no land
taxes and using family labour. One of her aims is to improve the
productivity and fertility of livestock owned by upcoming farmers
so that they can truly realise the financial benefits.
It is her conviction that there are large areas available in the
previous homelands, which could be leased from either the chiefs
or the local municipalities, and that these lands are suitable for
agriculture.
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“I work to be able afford to farm. My biggest frustration as a part
time farmer is that I cannot expand my farm because I do not
have the time. Cattle prices remain stagnant whilst my input costs
keep rising. I am only able to cover these expenses because I
have an alternative source of income”, she says.
In 2006 she was awarded the Shoprite–Checkers /SABC2 Woman
of the Year Award in the Education Category. This she received for
‘creating a new paradigm of thought and action in the veterinary
field, especially for her contribution to uplifting people of previous
disadvantaged communities in meaningful and productive ways
through teaching animal health and welfare’.
The award was mainly given to her because she developed web
based training courses to teach veterinarians, extension officers
and animal health technicians from Africa how to communicate
with and train small-scale farmers. There are still twenty to forty
participants who enrol for this module every year.
She believes that organised agriculture’s contribution to agriculture
is enormous and is currently a member of Agri Pretoria,
Gauteng.
“Not only is there a kindred spirit present at the meetings, but
Agri SA as a whole has done much to change the perceptions
of the nation. ‘Boer’ is less of a swear word because of their
efforts. The common language of the farmer is understood by
any culture, race or nationality.”
She also has appreciation for the bargaining done on behalf of
farmers. and is saddened by the lack of praise for farmers in the
media, as she believes it doesn’t contribute to motivating new
entrants. She says we should not follow the example of Britain,
where legislation now hampers farming to such an extent that
they have destroyed family farms and farming is now done by
large syndicates without the passion for farming, as they are only
interested in the bottom line.
Her advice to young farmers is to follow their dreams and to be
prepared to work hard. She believes it is possible to make a living
of farming and points out that there are many vacant positions as
farm managers.
“Start small. Be creative. Don’t give up. If you have access to
communal farming, make use of it.”
Cheryl believes that there will always be a future for farmers as
people will always need food. However,
the frustration of continually changing goal
posts with new regulations and forms to fill
in, as well as the low profit margins, makes
the farmers’ life difficult .
“The weak Rand should be used as an
export advantage, but that fact also makes
it difficult to keep up with international
prices on input costs.”
“We need to be able to export and break
down trade barriers. South African agriculture
is on par with world standards.
farming is a business that will need the
back up from private enterprise as there is
simply not enough money available from
state subsidies.”
In her free time she participates in Western
Riding Championships at major shows
and loves to spend time near animals,
especially horses and cows. a
Volume 38 No 4
ZELNA OBERHOLSTER