Leading Darling dairy farmer JK Basson of JK Basson Family Trust has once again been named the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Master Dairyman of the Year. He has received this prestigious award several times over the past 15 years.
By Johan Coetsee
This year’s winners in the various categories were announced during an awards ceremony held at Lanzerac Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. The winners come from the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
This annual competition recognises outstanding performance and honours winners across categories for breeding genetically superior animals and for applying performance recording and testing as essential tools in herd improvement, says Breyton Milford, general manager of Agri-Expo.
The 2025 award winners are:
- Large-Scale Master Dairyman of the Year: JK Basson Family Trust, Darling, Western Cape
- Medium-Scale Master Dairyman of the Year: Van Niekerk Boerdery BK, Caledon, Western Cape
- Small-Scale Master Dairyman of the Year: Letsolo PT Dairy, Sebokeng, Gauteng
- Correctional Services Master Dairyman of the Year (a new category): Goedemoed Correctional Services, Maletswai (Aliwal North), Eastern Cape
- Herd with the Best Somatic Cell Count: Packwood Farm, Knysna, Western Cape, with a count of 170 000 cells/ml
- Herd with the Best Calving Interval: JK Basson Family Trust, Darling, with a calving interval of 375 days
- Honorary award: Boy Blanckenberg of Klipheuwel, near Durbanville, for his visionary leadership, tireless advocacy for dairy farmers and decades of dedicated service to the South African dairy industry
The 2025 awards event was hosted by Agri-Expo on behalf of ARC’s National Milk Recording and Improvement Scheme, with support from various partners.
Insights from World Dairy Summit
At the event, Christine Leighton, project manager at Milk SA, shared insights from the 2025 World Dairy Summit of the International Dairy Federation, held in October in Santiago, Chile, and attended by more than 2 000 delegates from about 300 countries.
She said that 80% of the world’s population includes milk in their diet, which makes milk quality a non-negotiable priority. As the global population ages, quality becomes even more important.
Leighton highlighted the need for the dairy industry to adapt to climate change. “Nature’s recovery is now linked to how agricultural systems develop in the future.”
Other topics discussed at the summit were succession planning, rising production costs, labour shortages and new technologies such as robotic milking.
Also read: Cool cows produce more milk: Adapting dairy farming to a hotter climate
ARC, Dairy Farmers’ Partner in Science and Innovation
Dr Litha Magingxa, president and CEO of the ARC, said the ARC remains an important and reliable partner in science and innovation for South Africa’s dairy farmers. The sector must work together to build a sustainable and fair dairy industry for the future.
Milford said that ARC’s National Milk Recording and Improvement Scheme plays a crucial role in the dairy sector by providing accredited genetic improvement services through the International Committee for Animal Recording. The aim of the scheme is to improve sustainability and profitability in dairy production, ultimately contributing to food security, job creation and the development of human capital.
Also read:
FMD | Milk SA announces working group for dairy value chain
New FMD outbreak puts Creighton’s 35 000 dairy cattle in jeopardy
KZN dairy crisis: FMD could trigger national milk shortage, experts warn
Western Cape celebrates World Milk Day 2025
