Sarah Green: A Young Female Farmer's View On Livestock Farming

After qualifying as an occupational therapist at the University of Pretoria and practicing in Johannesburg for six years, 29-year-old Sarah Green moved back to the family farm, Harmony, near Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this year.

- Izak Hofmeyr

With the aim of becoming a full-time farmer alongside her father, Alan, and mother, Carol, her plan was to first spend six months on a Brangus farm in Argentina, but COVID-19 put a stop to that idea. She only managed to spend six weeks in Argentina before catching the last plane home ahead of lockdown.

“I always wanted to become a farmer, but my parents suggested that I gain professional experience before coming back to the farm,” says Sarah. “In retrospect I am very glad that I did because I gained a lot of experience in the corporate world.”

Taking on a leadership role

The Green family’s farming enterprise consists of the Harmony Brangus Stud of more than 1 000 cows, a crop section, a Jersey dairy herd, and a feedlot. Sarah is in the process of taking over a section of the beef cattle herd. She enjoys working alongside her parents, who both hold agricultural degrees and are seasoned farmers.

“Each of our herdsmen looks after three or four herds. They are knowledgeable and dedicated stockmen and I have huge respect for their role on the farm. They are the first point of contact when it comes to the cattle herds, and I depend on their feedback. I am responsible for the dayto-day management of these herds and as manager, I depend on them to inform me of the state of the animals, as well as to assist with the implementation of the Venter-Drewes veld management system, which I feel is a sustainable method of conservation,” explains Sarah.