vital to livestock trading – African Farming

Solomon Masango, an award-winning farmer from the Carolina district, knows what it takes to run a successful farm. Lindiwe Sithole, host of African Farming Season 2, meets this living legend on his farm to find out more about his farming strategies. Masango has a deeply rooted love for what he does, and this has motivated him to adapt to changes and deal with all the challenges in the agricultural sector. “All my hard work paid off,” he says during the visit. 

Another arm in the agricultural sector that plays a vital role in the success of farmers is livestock auctions. Sithole chatted to Craig le Roux, an auctioneer from Vleissentraal, to find out more about auctions.

Livestock auctions help livestock farmers to buy and sell animals. An auction is also a great way to get to know other farmers and industry role players in their sector. These events are especially important for small scale farmers, as they don’t necessarily have the marketing power of big commercial farmers. 

Vleissentraal is a firm of professional auctioneers, and one of the auction houses that organise auctions on a regular basis. When a farmer decides to do business with an auctioneer, it is crucial to choose a reputable auction house. “At Vleissentraal we present different types of sales,” Le Roux says. “It takes about six to eight weeks to sell high-end livestock. We do a lot of market preparation to make sure the farmer gets the price he deserves for his prized animals.” He says it takes a lot of hard work to pull off a successful sale – but Vleissentraal does all the admin, arranges for cattle information catalogues and helps its clients to market their animals on various online platforms. 

The company also helps farmers to sell their stock at the weekly sales. “This is a much easier process. The day before the sale, we arrive on the farm to load the animals onto the trucks, and we also alllot the animals numbers,” Le Roux explains. In addition, Vleissentraal assists farmers to choose the right time to sell their animals. 

For more information about Vleissentraal visit www.vleissentraal.co.za