'Agriculture is the glue that keeps SA together'

André Brink, 2022 Syngenta/Grain SA Grain Farmer of the Year, joined his father on Groot Phesantekraal in the Western Cape’s Durbanville district during the 1980s when interest rates were high and cash flow tight. This, he told Magda du Toit, taught him the value of careful strategic planning.

- Magda du Toit

On what do you base your success?

A visit to Australia in 2004 showed me the importance of scale. By combining scale and diversification, I’ve been able to invest in mechanisation and technology, spread costs across a bigger base, and mitigate risk. In turn, this has enabled me to take calculated risks to improve profitability. My family’s support has also been crucial.

Are there other opportunities that you would like to pursue?

I’ve always believed in striving for progress and improvement. It’s not always possible to expand in size, but there are other options such as vertical investment.

We’d like to utilise our land better. With limited availability of land and high farm prices, we decided to concentrate on improving all our soils.

We also focused on value-adding, such as improving grain quality and pre-clean certain lots before delivery. Grain quality is critical in the grain value chain, and for us, a better grade at delivery means more money.