#BizSoeknBoer: meet JJ Van de Velde

1. Tell us a bit about yourself

JJ van de Velde: I am a young farmer who came from the Netherlands. I have been living in South Africa for the last 23 years and enjoy every day of it. I farm seed potatoes, soya beans and maize on 500 ha arable land in the KZN midlands.

2. What does your average day look like?

Van de Velde: I wake up at 6am, make tea for the family and start work at 7am. I talk to my six heads of staff and make a plan for what we are going to do for the day. Then I take one of the tractors and go off to the lands to plant, spray or do any work that needs to be done. I have lunch at 12pm, start work again at 1pm and carry on till 5pm. In the evening I spend time with the family, worry about the next day's problems or start planning ahead.

3. Favourite thing about being a farmer

Van de Velde: Planning and thinking about new ways of doing things. Also, when things break down, to fix it again in the least amount of time to make sure that everything is working fine.

4. Least favourite thing about being a farmer

Van de Velde: Being the food providers of this country but not getting the appreciation from people that farmers deserve. Getting blamed as farmers, by the supermarkets, when things are not right.

5. Favourite farm to table dish?

Van de Velde: My favourite dish is when my wife says I can cook. Then I can use all the ingredients from the fridge and the spices that I like. The only problem is that none of my kids will like it so I have to eat it all myself. I like a good piece of "boerie". No potatoes!

6. Name three things you must have on a farm

Van de Velde: A wife, children and a tractor

7. Favourite farming implement or technology

Van de Velde: Combine (harvester). This machine is big and it separates the seeds from the straw. It is a job at the end of the season which gives me great satisfaction.

8. What is your biggest concern about the agriculture industry currently?

Van de Velde: That we have no more time. Everything has to be bigger and better and when things go wrong, it will go wrong badly. There is nobody you can fall back on who will help you - they all seem to like to run when there is trouble.

9. How do you get your produce to market and where does it go? Any challenges there?

Van de Velde: By trucks which is a great expense. Our potatoes go to Johannesburg and Durban fresh produce markets, our seed potatoes go all over the country and to our neighbouring countries. The soya goes to the local soya presses. And the maize to our local pig farmer.

10. What are you doing to farm more sustainably?

Van de Velde: Work hard and handle a lot of work yourself, be it with the soil or the crops.

Farmers should listen to the clouds, look at the sun and taste the rain because the weather is your partner in crime or your helping hand. Use all the technology that there is to give you advice, but think twice on how to implement it because I think we as farmers can overdo it sometimes.

11. What has been your greatest achievement as a farmer so far?

Van de Velde: Still being a farmer today, because it is not easy. I was young farmer of the year for KZN in 2005, I was seed grower of the year South Africa in 2008. And I was able to donate 800 bales of hay to the drought-stricken area of Zululand which was good.

12. Words to live by?

Van de Velde: Being a farmer is a gift, so use it and be proud about it.