By Charl van Rooyen
Land belonging to the state that is not used profitably should be made available to farmers who really want to farm so that it could be utilised for producing food.
This was one of the aspects of farming that was discussed at a work session by the Red Meat Action Group that was held at the Kroon Boma near Kroonstad recently. More than a hundred farmers gathered to discuss the difficulty of making a profit with stock farming, while a lot of other farmers joined the meeting online.
After a general discussion, the farmers were divided into different groups to discuss their problems. The topics of discussion were: farming difficulties, meat grading, stock health, auctioneers, backgrounding, feedlots, traceability and the economy.
The farmers mentioned the large tracts of unused state land. That land should rather be made available to farmers who really want to farm, and not be handed over to people who are not interested in farming.
Another problem making it difficult to farm profitably is stock theft. The culprits are arrested but then often nothing further happens to them.
The farmers also complained about the lack of financial support that is hampering them to grow their farming businesses. They need money to be successful.
The poor condition of many roads prevents farmers from transporting their slaughtering animals to auctions and markets.
They also complained about state vets. Farmers in rural areas would request their help on the farm but they are ignored. Those vets never turn up. The farmers said they really need their technical support.
The high cost of input materials in stock farming is another reason why the farmers cannot farm profitably. Many of those inputs cannot be afforded any longer.
Expensive labour also hampers them. Locals often do not want to work on a farm. That is why many farmers must employ workers from neighbouring countries who are eager to work and earn an income to support their families.
Climate change is another thing that bothers the farmers because of more droughts. They agreed that they have to be ready for more calamities. They are still seeking the answers.
Lastly, they said politics make it difficult to make any sense of what is really going on in South Africa. They find it difficult to understand agricultural policies.
The other problems that farmers discussed, included the difficulty of farming profitably. Farmers must keep their faith and farm with trust in God. They also have to form groups to buy their inputs at a lower price and market together to get better prices for their animals. They must give more attention to biosecurity to keep out diseases, such as foot and mouth disease.
