From bulls to boardrooms: farming part-time as a professional

Maintaining a farm requires time, resources, and commitment. Farming part-time while being fully employed elsewhere can seem daunting and risky. Although it certainly presents unique challenges, it is feasible for some. Koot Klopper and Herman van Heerden spoke to Henning Naudé about how excellent time management and the delegation of resources, as part-time farmers, successfully keep their farms productive.

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Koot Klopper is a fifth-generation farmer on his family farm, Vogelensang, located outside Zastron in the Free State. The farm has been in his family for over 140 years.

To carry on the family legacy, he decided to pursue a dynamic career that would allow him to both learn and apply research within the agricultural field.

Klopper is a qualified agricultural economist, with a master’s degree in the subject. He currently works as a senior agricultural specialist at Absa, where he manages client acquisitions and stakeholder relationships in the agriculture sector. His career in agricultural economics has helped him better understand the importance of managing a farm as both a farmer and as a businessman. He also has over 15 years’ experience in the finance industry.

"My career path was chosen with the goal of optimising my farming practices from the knowledge I gain as a professional," he says.

Since taking the reins at Vogelensang, Klopper has successfully balanced his job and his farming, expanding his operation to multiple farms to sustain both livestock and crops.

His runs a Bonsmara-Brahman herd, Merino sheep, and a variety of wild game. He also grows maize, soya bean, sunflower, and teff. Currently, his crops make up roughly 58% of his total production output, while the remaining 42% is made up of livestock.

PART-TIME STUD BREEDER

Taking a different approach to part-time farming is Herman van Heerden. He is a part-time Chianina stud breeder and the owner of the Grande Bovini Chianina stud, situated outside Mookgophong in Limpopo. He took over from his father in 2020, after his dad passed away.

Van Heerden is a practising attorney by trade based in Pretoria, where he specialises in banking and corporate law.