By Gerrit Rautenbach It’s early morning in early autumn. The slow wind swirls some reddened leaves on the slate floor of the weather-beaten stoep of the main house on the farm Erfdeel. Didi Smith-de Kock and I are sharing some…
Next Generation Series: When Robin Baldie was six years old his teacher asked him what he wanted to be one day. “Without hesitation, I wrote ‘farmer’,” the tall man with the broad smile remembers fondly. Most people might be mistaken…
Next Generation Series: Some prophets of doom believe farming is on its way out (because farmers are a threatened species, they say). Finding a farming concern going stronger than ever after six generations cast a different light. Gerrit Rautenbach visited…
NEXT GENERATION SERIES Making a success of something in life is all about momentum. Progression. Growth. But to be able to do it well, you need to feed the stream. Gerrit Rautenbach looks at how the custodians of the farm…
Pictured: Juan-Ivan and Grant Smuts Brothers in farms … By Gerrit Breytenbach Those incredibly blue eyes are looking at me. Straight in the eye. Sorted, happy eyes, however, not icy eyes. I have just met Grant Smuts, the most senior…