Having grown up on a maize and cattle farm in Viljoenskroon in the Free State, Lynne Griesel understands the work ethic required to make a success of farming.
“It’s early mornings and late nights. Success comes with constant hard work, day in and day out. It’s not about working hard for just a season and then expecting to reap the rewards,” she says.
Griesel has been at the helm of Tulane Chickens in Viljoenskroon for 15 years. What started out as a broiler chicken farm is today a thriving full-service operation that provides free-range chicken products and stretches across the value chain.
Griesel’s go-getter attitude has seen the business through the ups and downs of the economy and brought her the success she enjoys today.
“You have to be flexible to succeed. You can’t be set on an idea and stick with it regardless of the circumstances,” she says.
“When I was farming broiler chickens, I reached a point where I realized we couldn’t keep competing with larger businesses. The economy also took a dip at that stage and we faced shutting down.
“I decided to start farming free-range chickens because our smaller business model would be in a better position to survive in a niche market. With free-range chickens, we could make more profit per chicken and that made all the difference.”
ABATTOIR
The switch was made in 2012, and the farm grew from strength to strength. Four years later, Griesel was able to buy an abattoir certified for free-range chickens. This gave her a competitive advantage over normal broiler abattoirs, as only 5% of abattoirs in South Africa have this certification.
Her business also has a value-adding a section that prepares pre-packed chicken pieces and spiced, crumbed, and marinated products.
This story is from the June 19 - 26, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
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This story is from the June 19 - 26, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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