‘We’ve all lost something’
“The world has surely become a funny place if one can no longer simply reach out for a handshake, without thinking twice about it or having to sanitize afterward. It’s such a small, basic gesture that is part and parcel…
Cliffhanger finish for pome fruit season
The technical production story of the recent pome fruit season concluded with a fairly happy ending given plot twists such as extreme weather events, “reliable” cultivars underperforming, and a global pandemic that almost single-handedly disrupted the fruit value chain. Despite…
Covid times are stressful times
Many outsiders scoff and say that agricultural sector has been “lucky” in that it did not have to close down as a whole during any of the COVID-19 lockdown phases. Those in the know, however, realise just how stressful the…
How to keep your head above water
People simply do not talk about their emotions enough. They focus a lot on practical matters, and the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on the economy at large, yet do not divulge how it is affecting their own…
The DNA of caring
“Uithou, aanhou en bekhou!” – Irene Cillié. On 16 May this year the family and extended farm family of Laastedrif and surrounds said goodbye to Irene Cillié, the mother of many. On that same day her son, Rossouw, custodian of…