Walking in his father’s footsteps, Clifford Mthimkhulu is the 2020 Grain SA Developing Farmer of the Year award finalist, a prestigious award his father has already won. Clifford, 31, grew up watching, and then helping his dad Koos with his duties as a farm labourer on Frikkie du Preez’s farm Mieliebult in the Libertas area of Senekal in the Free State in the eighties.

Today, having taken over from his dad in 2008, Clifford runs a cattle and grain operation on 913ha. About 420ha of the total land is leased from other farmers.