'Don't Label Me 'Emerging' – I Am A Farmer'

Western Cape farmer Andries van der Poll grows wheat and medics on rotation on dryland, produces irrigated maize, and runs Dohne Merino sheep and Red Angus cattle. He spoke to Jeandré van der Walt about his agricultural journey and the mixed blessings of state funding.

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FAST FACTS

• Andries van der Poll began working in agriculture in 1993, but 20 years passed before he finally got the opportunity to farm for himself.

• He farms grains and livestock and hopes to tap into agritourism by adding a guest house and wedding venue in the near future.

• He utilises all the farming knowledge he gained as a student at Kromme Rhee Training Centre and as manager on various citrus farms.

In 1993, Andries van der Poll set a goal for himself: to farm for himself on his own piece of land. But the journey he embarked on to achieve his aim took him on many detours.

After obtaining his agricultural diploma at the Kromme Rhee Provincial Training Institute in Stellenbosch in 1992, he worked at a wine cellar, a desalination plant in Bitterfontein, and for his father.

In November 1993, Dirk Visser, a citrus farmer in Citrusdal, contacted Van der Poll about a job opportunity on his farm. “I was appointed foreman. Then, in 1994, he told me he was looking for a manager, and gave me a year to prove myself. He gave me a lot of exposure and an opportunity to engage in the development of new orchards,” he recalls.

For 20 years, he worked for Visser in a managerial position, after which he worked as a manager at Mouton Citrus in Citrusdal.

GETTING THE BIG BREAK

In 2011, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform bought Klipdrift, a farm between Riebeek-Kasteel and Gouda.

It lay fallow for almost three years. Then, in 2013, Van der Poll managed to secured a five- year lease on the property, finally realising his dream of farming for himself. In 2017, he went one step further by entering into a 30-year lease agreement with the department.

During the time the farm had lain fallow, weeds had taken over.