In South Africa, unemployment is sitting at a ridiculously high level. Many may argue that the informal sector is not included in the official unemployment figures. Still, in June 2022, according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate was 63,9% for those aged 15-24 and 42,1% for those aged 25-34 years, while the current official national rate stands at 34,5%.
This indeed creates a vast pool of suitable people for employment, but sadly, we still hear companies saying that it is hard to find the right staff today. Does this mean we need to change how we recruit, or are there no suitable applicants looking for jobs? When interviewed, Sonya Skipp, General Manager of iFacts, said that there were various reasons companies were not easily finding the right staff.
When Allianz published its global risk barometer for 2022, the 8th biggest risk South African businesses faced was a skills shortage. Covid contributed to this with many older employees leaving the official workplace, the change in the needs and expectations of employees and the skilled employees demanding a lot more flexibility.
Whilst only 4% of students who enter the South African schooling system achieve a degree. This leads to a lack of suitably qualified people being available for specific positions, but there is an extreme talent shortage in the following sectors:
Engineering
Construction
Real estate
Public service
Healthcare
Transportation
The recruitment stage in many companies has not changed for some years. Most applicants will put their best foot forward in this stage of liaison with a company, but the background checks need to be appropriate for the risk that this potential employee could create. Social media risk assessments have become a more significant role player in this environment as they can reduce the reputation risk a company faces with a rogue employee.
Skipp said the lack of suitable applicants was not limited to positions requiring qualifications. She stressed that the staff turnover rate ranged from 100 to 300% in high turnover industries such as the security industry. Security guard turnover is linked to several factors: stress, poor recruiting, inefficient wages, and a lack of compliance and training.
These factors all make the recruiting of the right person that much more difficult regardless of which industry sector you are in. She said that the combination of too many people, the lack of qualifications and the desperation to be employed led to increased pressure on recruiting staff.
At iFacts, the number of invalid qualifications, driver’s licenses and industry verifications showed desperation. A simple, online verification of information provided in a job application could quickly eliminate risk and reduce the number of job interviews needed. She stressed that online interviews were a further helpful tool in the recruitment process. It is essential that companies review their policies and procedures regularly and do not continue to do it the way it has always been done.
https://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/pablo-169.png5121024super-adminhttps://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/logo.pngsuper-admin2022-09-12 02:59:162022-09-12 02:59:16“We have always done it this way!” — Lionesses of Africa
The term “emergency fund” refers to money put away that people can use in times of financial distress. The purpose of the emergency fund is to improve financial security by creating a safety net to help cover unforeseeable, high-cost expenses which, in its absence, could have catastrophic effects on your financial situation.
The purpose of an emergency fund is simple, it is money you’ve set aside to be able to pay for life’s unexpected events without getting into debt.
Having an emergency saving fund will relieve stress and give you peace of mind as you know that you have a financial safety net if you need one due to job loss.
A saving fund can prevent you from going into debt – Using credit cards and overdrafts incurs interest and you will pay back more if you borrow money for your emergencies.
Your saving fund can make you money if you keep the cash in an income bearing bank account. You will earn interest. If you put that interest into a tax-free savings account, you can benefit from not paying tax.
What characteristics of an investment vehicle are important for emergency funds?
Save your money in an interest-bearing bank account that has easy access. Compare which savings accounts will give you the best interest and the cheapest bank charges.
You could join a stokvel or start a stokvel.
If you consider yourself to be more of a high-risk individual you could try growing your money through investing on a platform like www.easyequities.co.za and put all of your dividends into a tax-free savings account.
What steps should one take to establish an emergency fund?
Step 1
Make a decision on how much money you are going to save each month towards your emergency fund. I would suggest setting yourself some financial goals. Set yourself some smaller goals first and achieve those and them move onto bigger goals. Saving is a mindset and needs to be a habit that is created. Challenge yourself to save 2 months’ worth of living expenses as a start and once you have achieved that make a bigger goal.
Step 2
Decide on the saving mechanism you want to use and do the required research on the pros and cons and costs involved. Make sure to get the highest interest rate with the least bank fees and make sure you can access your money when you need it.
Step 3
Try and automate the saving process. Set up a debit order on the day you get paid so you are not tempted to spend that money.
Step 4
Don’t take on anymore debt. When we have high debt payments we can’t afford to save. If you have debt try prioritizing paying it off. This will free up more money for you to save.
Step 5
Update your budget to include your new saving amount.
We cannot plan for all of the financial threats that will come our way in life but having an emergency saving fund will stop those financial threats from destroying our financial well-being. Emergency funds are there to be used in emergency situations like loss of a job or death of a family bread winner. I would suggest a minimum of 12 months’ worth of living expenses be saved in the bank. We can’t always predict the future but we can be prepared for it.
It’s never too late or too early to get Money Savvy.
https://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/pablo-170.png5121024super-adminhttps://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/logo.pngsuper-admin2022-09-11 23:57:512022-09-11 23:57:51Why you need to set up an emergency saving fund — Lionesses of Africa
The first step of any successful pitch is to understand your audience.
While all your audiences need accurate, timely, and curated information, the C-Suite audience has far more responsibility and much less time and brain space than others in the organization. Being highly organized and structured helps them retain and remember your recommendations. Winging it is for amateurs. These questions can help you help THEM!
What are some adjectives that describe the people who work in top senior leadership roles that you are trying to reach?
What concerns do they have that are different from your day-to-day concerns?
What are some of the risks that C-suiters have to manage that you don’t? (Consider how many people in the world are dependent on the quality of their decisions.)
What does this audience need to do with the information you offer them?
As an example, a C-SUITE exec might be a highly organized woman with a type-A personality who also has 3 kids and is president of her neighborhood council. In other words, she is hyper-driven, short on time, and beyond exhausted. She is concerned with reporting to the top boss that she is meeting the required financial goals. If the company is not succeeding, she could have to consider options such as layoffs or decreasing benefits.
For the people in the C-SUITE (and a many other people as well,) it is of the utmost importance to get your message across in the least amount of time and with a supreme amount of confidence and clarity.
Speaking to this audience can be intimidating so it is essential to address the common fears that can get in the way of effectively communicating with senior leaders. These can range from fears around speaking up in general, public speaking, to addressing this specific audience, to answering questions. Name them (your fears) to slay them.
There’s no need to fear an intimidating audience, with the right preparation, you will end up adding so much value to the decisions they make!
https://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/pablo-171.png5121024super-adminhttps://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/logo.pngsuper-admin2022-09-11 20:54:452022-09-11 20:54:45Successful Pitching to the C-Suite (and other scary audiences) — Lionesses of Africa
As women entrepreneurs, we all have experienced unexpected set-backs and challenges, and in her new book, Launch the Legacy, author, Dr. Alisha “Ali” Griffith believes the best way to deal with such unpredictable times is to launch your own legacy.
What if everything you thought was a challenge was actually strengthening your superpowers to build your legacy brand? Author, Dr. Alisha “Ali” Griffith, brings together 14 other dynamic aligned change agents to share their journeys on dealing successfully with life’s unexpected curve balls to still stand proudly in launching their own brands. Launch The Legacy will take you through the deaths, failures, parenting special needs, abuse and so much more that these women have experienced, to emerge as brand success stories. The book will help you to see other everyday high achieving women, who are launching legacies, even though they have experienced major adversities in their lives, propelling towards leaving generational wealth and doing it on their own time, in their own terms.
Launch the Legacy, is about shifting from passive to active and most importantly, about choosing you, through growing your impact, influence and income. Discover how to uncover your inner leader, survivor and million-dollar value brand. The time is now to go beyond the setbacks towards consistency in shifting your mindset, igniting your inner fire and making positive power moves towards generational excellence, success and legacy.
Author Quotes
The need to create and recreate generational wealth grew from tapping into my desires to design destiny.
The desire to create my own business was fueled by watching others who look like me building businesses that can last beyond their generation.
Legacy begins and continues with each of us. We all have skills and unique gifts that are valuable to someone else. Now is the best time to develop a thriving mentality to launch your business brand that can also build generational wealth.
About the author
Dr. Alisha “Ali” Griffith is a published author, transformational speaker and a startup business coach for women. She has dedicated her career to helping women to start profitable businesses and create wealth. Her proven path to profitability— laser clarity, systems and sales—takes business owners from brand new to badass. With an incomparable blend of business strategy and personal development, there is a depth to her coaching. An audiologist and speech pathologist by profession, Dr. Ali is trained to hear people so she can feel them. She supports women in getting to the heart of what they really should be doing in the world, and how to get there. Dr. Ali shows women how to have it all with highly functioning systems and strategies that maximize their time, talents and profitability. A believer that mindset goes hand-in-hand with money, she coaches clients through everything from their fear of sales to breakdowns in their personal lives. Leading by example, Dr. Ali is building a tribe of won’t-stop women who can fight through life’s unexpected and exceptional challenges—every day—and live lives that leave legacies.
https://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Ali-Griffith-Collage.jpg7501500super-adminhttps://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/logo.pngsuper-admin2022-09-11 17:52:052022-09-11 17:52:05Creating a business brand that builds generational wealth by Dr. Ali Griffith — Lionesses of Africa
One question you will be asked as a creative is where do you draw inspiration? And I have sensed people want a deep answer, some philosophical long encyclopedia statement. If you have a way with words, give it to them; but if you are like me here is a simple list:
Childhood
My childhood was in a specific area, at a certain time and with people who lived in a similar manner to each other. It was a time before I discovered a lot of things, what I saw and experienced was all I knew. That is what was magical about it. I grew up with flowers in the bushes, bees migrating, growing food seasonally, birds singing the whole day, springbok running through the yard on a random Wednesday morning. It felt rural but I was in the front seat living through the most honest version of living in the bush. So much of it was pretty, and to this day I pull from the prettiness of that time.
Environment
Your environment at any time of your life has a lot to give to your imagination. Physically, mentally, and emotionally you are surrounded by many factors that can be transformed into ART. This is one of the reasons a lot of artists love metropolitan places like Johannesburg metro and New York. These cities are ALIVE each and every moment of the day. There is active and passive art in these cities, a picture on the corner of Manda and Walter Sisulu is epic. I am lucky to have lived in a village, a small town, and a big city. My material is vast, I have experienced nature, concrete and in-between. I pull from it all, at all times.
People
The people in your life are essential to your experiences. The events you live through with them are what makes your memories about certain places. For example, my one experience of Umhlanga beach is with my friends, in summer dresses and hats. My memory is filled with pastel colours, sun, feminine energy, screams as the waves hit us. And if you asked me to create a beach range, this will be one of the inspirations I pull from. I have a lot of memories tied to the people I love, with energies of that exact moment. These span from holiday, a lunch, a Christmas, funerals, graduations, births, drives, shopping, dancing, music, etc. People could also include heroes, sheroes, celebrities, movie stars, your principal, etc. A range about black history can be centered on Winnie Mandela, or Martin Luther. It can be centered on 1 victim hanged or who created something we are still using. It also can be about all of them. You ask me to do a range on ice cream, I can immediately go to Keli’s song, Barbie or Lil’Kim.
Books
I am a reader; I assume most creatives love reading. I could be wrong of course. I cannot remember how many books I have read, or digital material. I definitely read something every day; I am reading this article as I write it. Reading removes me from my real setting and throws me into the world of the writer. I get completely engulfed by a book, much more than a movie does. Reading has taught my mind to imagine. To create scenarios, I want for any type of topic presented to me. It has taught me to go to Thailand while sitting in South Africa. Again, there’s ‘feelings’ which I refer to as energy that comes with these mental travels. If you present a topic, my mind will ride it. This is probably why my favourite movies include Avatar, Aladdin, Transformers, all animation, and most pretty movies. Reading is a great inspiration for creatives; hence magazines are a huge source of material for us.
Music
I mean, obviously! Especially at a time where a song comes as a sound, a video, a live recording, and mini movie of behind the scenes. Who comes to mind? Beyonce. If you watch one of her videos about her work, you will come out inspired. The way she works, thinks, prepares, disciplines and researches is a guide to how I could work too. There are many more musicians who do this and pull from them. Do not block yourself by saying you don’t enjoy the music, look beyond the music. At the person. Number 3 on our list. I say this about genre because South Africa has so many genres, each presenting a certain people, place, and energy of life. And this is not even all the music in the whole world. I listen to kwaito, house (all types), jazz, RnB, reggae, hip-hop, amapiano, qgom, and some gospel. I have favourite songs from each; and each inspires certain creativity in me.
Travelling
I’m adding this one as it is really a strong one. It is not possible for all of course; as travelling has become expensive. One day I will go to Mexico, Cape Verde, Morocco, Turkey, Kingston or India and I will return a new person personally, mentally, and creatively. The food, people, books, music, landscapes and experiences these places have to offer will open a new portal in my mind. I will evolve into another person. I will have new ranges to build, new ideas and inspirations. A simpler way to achieve this is to watch digital media based on countries you love. Travel through that for today and be inspired.
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Lioness Weekender spoke to renewable energy champion, Sandra Chukwudozie, this month to learn about her vision and drive to make a difference to the continent’s energy poor people.
What inspired you to start your company?
The driving force behind founding Salpha was the belief that the over 600 million people, half of the world’s energy poor that reside in Sub- Saharan Africa, of whom the poorest are women, deserve access to clean and affordable energy. I also wanted to channel the energy, passion and intelligence of the youth across the African continent towards accelerating access to clean energy.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
One of the challenges that has plagued the solar energy industry in Africa is the influx of cheap and substandard products. Salpha strives to make safe, affordable, and durable products the default option in the market. Salpha builds upon the strong foundation for quality assurance that encompasses solar appliances and productive use equipment laid by the World Bank Group, in this regard our products are certified under the VeraSol Global Quality Assurance Framework. Thereby ensuring that our products have a lasting impact on off-grid communities by selecting products that meet consumers’ needs.
Tell us a little about your team
One of my main priorities as CEO is curating a compelling organisational culture aimed at energizing the company and creating an atmosphere of comradery and professionalism. Salpha is a team of Alphas that are driven for impact. Vibrant, enthusiastic and passionate young people who want to make a difference are at the forefront of this organization.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
On a personal level, I grew up watching my entrepreneurial parents grow the family business into a conglomerate spanning various sectors including Oil and Gas, Manufacturing and Real Estate. Naturally, growing up in such a household inspired me and instilled considerable pro-business values in me, helping me realize that through our commercial endeavours, we can very much have a positive influence on other people’s lives.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
There is an urgency to expand and reach the current energy poor in Africa with clean and affordable energy. Our audacious target at Salpha is to provide 30 million people across the African continent with access to clean energy by 2030. The journey to achieving this feat will involve regional expansion plans to include more countries across western, eastern, and southern Africa; plus hiring the right team and global partnerships across the value chain. I am proud to contribute towards creating products and building the next generation of Africans ushering in a fresh paradigm to the challenges of energy access in Africa.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
The freedom that comes with doing what I love. Contributing meaningfully to solve one of the world’s pressing issues, whilst creating job opportunities.
What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Always follow your authentic path and be passionate about what you do. Passion will keep you steadfast when the road gets tough.
“There is no passion to be found playing small–in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” Harriet Tubman.
To find out more about Sandra Chukwudozie’s mission, vision and the work of Salpha Energy in more detail, send her an email: sandra@salphaenergy.com or visit the company’s website and social media platforms:
https://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Sandra-Chukwudozie-Collage.jpg7501500super-adminhttps://nileharvest.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/logo.pngsuper-admin2022-09-11 11:44:462022-09-11 11:44:46Sandra Chukwudozie, a champion of renewable energy in Africa — Lionesses of Africa
Animal nutrition plays a key role in animal production. Praveen Dwarika, Managing Director at Afgri’s Lemang Agricultural Services discusses the topic of animal nutrition in our latest episode of African Farming Digital.
The international literacy day is celebrated each year on the 8th of September to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society. This year, the theme is “transforming literacy spaces” with a focus on rethinking the fundamental importance of literacy learning spaces to build resiliency and ensure quality, equitable and inclusive education for all. As we commemorate the world literacy day, we need to reflect on why 55 years on, 11% of the world’s population is illiterate and what should happen to ensure 100% literacy globally.
UNESCO’s definition of literacy describes a “means of identification, understanding, interpretation, creation, and communication in an increasingly digital, text-mediated, information-rich and fast-changing world[1]”. This goes beyond the conventional definition of literacy as the acquisition of reading, writing, and counting skills but as a fundamental foundational skill underpinning acquisition of knowledge. Illiteracy therefore is the inability to read and write (with understanding) a short simple phrase in one’s everyday life. It also encompasses the inability to conduct simple numerical calculations in everyday life.
In 2019, the World Bank launched the learning poverty indicator to track the global learning crisis. The learning poverty rate measures the proportion of children who are unable to read a simple text with comprehension by age 10[2]. It serves as an early warning on how education systems are faring on the acquisition of foundational skills with high levels of learning poverty pointing to failing education systems.
Despite all the progress made in ensuring universal access to quality education, 771 million people globally -of which 2/3 are women- are considered illiterate[3]. According to UNESCO, Africa hosts 17 out of 20 countries with the lowest literacy levels[4]. Additionally, children in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from the worst learning poverty. In 2019, the learning poverty rate in Africa was 86 percent[5]. This is expected to rise, due to the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on learning. The pandemic exacerbated an already existing crisis, rolling back gains that had been won over the past decades. In Africa over 250 million children were out of school for the greater part of 2020 and 2021. Due to Covid driven school closures, children only learned on average 5-20% of what they usually learn. According to Human Rights watch[6], 40% of countries in sub–Saharan African countries did not provide any remote learning strategies because they were grossly unprepared for an emergency of that magnitude. The pandemic saw an Increase in incidences of school dropout and child marriages. It is estimated that globally, 10 million children will not return to school after the pandemic.
What contributes to the poor state of literacy
Schools have inadequate literacy programs. Without a strong literacy foundation all efforts to bolster educational attainment in the higher levels of education become more difficult to sustain.
Underfunding: Though providing universal access does not automatically lead to poor quality, adequate allocation of resources is necessary to ensure that quality is maintained. In many countries in Africa, universal access has translated into overcrowded and underfunded schools due to inadequate resourcing.
Inadequate teacher training and investment in teacher education, particularly at the foundational levels leads to poor acquisition of basic skills for learners.
Lack of or inadequate access to reading resources and materials in and out of school.
Intergenerational education inequalities lead to poor outcomes for children who’s care givers have low levels of literacy. Research shows that boosting mother’s or caregivers’ literacy may be one of the best ways to improve children’s academic achievement[7].
Children in difficult circumstances including conflict, extreme poverty or children engaged in child labor are the most disproportionately affected by learning poverty and the least likely to acquire functional literacy skills unless timely interventions are made.
Recommendations
African Governments need to go back to basics and prioritize foundational learning. Resource allocation should include universal enrolment, teacher training and adequate resources in schools.
Increase community-based interventions that promote literacy.
Literacy interventions should reach the most disadvantaged populations.
Language of instruction: Research has shown that children taught in their mother tongue or their first language, have better literacy outcomes than those learning to read in unfamiliar languages.
Establishment of well-structured literacy programs in schools, that consider the following elements[8]: Adequately trained and prepared teachers who are knowledgeable and use effective instructional techniques; Adequate instruction time for lessons focused on literacy development; Appropriate, adequate and varied teaching and learning materials; An effective assessment system that monitors individual progress; and opportunities for families to participate in the learners instruction through access to practice materials.
Photo credits: FAWE Kenya
References
Human Rights Watch, Impact of Covid-19 on Children’s Education in Africa, Submission to The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 35th Ordinary Session, 31 August – 4 September 2020
Green CM, Berkule SB, Dreyer BP, Fierman AH, Huberman HS, Klass PE, Tomopoulos S, Yin HS, Morrow LM, Mendelsohn AL. Maternal literacy and associations between education and the cognitive home environment in low-income families. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009 Sep;163(9):832-7. doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.136. PMID: 19736337; PMCID: PMC3083977.
The world Bank et al, 2022, The State of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update- CONFERENCE EDITION June 23, 2022 https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/e52f55322528903b27f1b7e61238e416-0200022022/original/Learning-poverty-report-2022-06-21-final-V7-0-conferenceEdition.pdf
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In the 23 years since Thabang Tsephe began his self-funded dairy farming journey, he has come a long way. Thabang’s son, Phutheho, now farms with his dad. This father-and-son team have learned, and continue to learn, sometimes hard, but always valuable, lessons they are happy to share with other developing black farmers. Lloyd Phillips visited them.
In 1999 Thabang Tsephe used money he had saved from his family trading store business and his taxi business to lease Willary Farm in the Eastern Cape’s Ongeluksnek area. The farm had about 10ha of planted pastures, irrigated by draglines and a moveable pivot. There was also 80ha of dryland grain maize that Thabang milled after harvesting and sold as meal to shops and other customers.
His vision was to become a sustainable large-scale dairy farmer and today he has gone some distance in working his way towards that goal. Initially, Thabang milked 10 mixed-breed cows with a portable four-point milking machine. He drove long distances every day to market and distribute his milk, supplying local school feeding schemes, shops and direct consumers. Thabang leased Willary Farm for seven years and slowly grew his dairy herd to about 30 cows in milk.
GROWING THE HERD
In 2006, Thabang leased 150ha of arable land and 350ha of veld grazing and planted pastures from the Mariazelle Mission in the Eastern Cape’s Matatiele area. Once he was on the Mariazelle farm he built a basic eight-point swingover parlour. Despite the demands of running a growing dairy enterprise and marketing his own milk, Thabang also managed 70ha of dryland maize on the farm. In 2014 he was selected as a finalist in Grain
South Africa’s Developing Grain Farmer of the Year Competition. Thabang’s lease for the Mariazelle farm ended in early 2020 by which time he had grown his herd to about 74 cows in milk. He then secured a 30-year lease on a government-owned farm, Bon Accord, also in the Matatiele area.
Thabang says this long-term lease gives him greater security and gives him the flexibility to really pursue his dream of becoming a large-scale commercial dairy farmer. He knows this is a challenging task. But fortunately, he also has his son, Phutheho, farming with him. As a team they are tackling the issues, and solving the problems, together.
Phutheho says: “When we got to Bon Accord Farm, we had to do big renovations to the broken-down dairy parlour building, the milk lines, the cooling system, and the bulk milk storage system.”
The parlour now has 10 points on each side which the Tsephes will extend to a maximum of 19 points a side as cow numbers increase to the planned goal of 450 cows-in-milk. “We can only properly start growing the herd once we’ve arranged a suitable electricity supply and when we have all the pivot irrigation systems running.”
Dairy farming is a technical field and dairy farmers are continuously upgrading their knowledge and skills to stay ahead of the game. Thabang and Phutheho belong to various study groups and take part in training workshops, like those hosted by Milk SA. This father-and-son team have already learned many critical lessons, on the ground, that they are willing to share with other developing dairy farmers.
In the early years of his dairy farming career Thabang struggled to sell all his milk for
a fair price. Now, Thabang and Phutheho have the security of a guaranteed offtake agreement with food and drink processing and manufacturing company Nestlé. The 10-point swing-over dairy comfortably handles Bon Accord’s 74-cow milking herd. The Tsephes plan to increase the number of points to 19 a-side as the herd numbers grow.
MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS
Thabang says before buying in dairy heifers and mature cows to help build up a herd, farmers should do as much research as possible into individual animal history and the production system from which the animal comes. This way farmers avoid the problem of buying in poor milk producers from another dairy farmer who is trying to get rid of them.
“Also, bought-in heifers and cows should come from a production environment or feeding system similar to yours,” says Thabang. Moving cattle from one system to another should be done with minimal stress on the animals.
He says it is important to develop relation ships with experienced dairy farmers who will give good advice on where to find, and buy, the best heifers and cows. Boughtin animals should ideally come from farms in the same area as the destination farm.
FIND THE RIGHT MARKETS
Phutheho says when he began farming with his dad their herd was still at the Mariazelle farm and all the milk was sold to independent local supermarkets, to local school feeding schemes and to an independent milk powder producer. There were no formal contracts between Thabang and these milk buyers, so they could reduce, or cancel, their orders at very short notice.
This meant Thabang could suddenly be left with excess milk and nowhere to sell it. There were times when the school feeding schemes would not pay him at all, and during school holidays they did not need milk.
“We would run around trying to find other buyers and would often be forced to sell our milk below cost of production. When we couldn’t find any buyers, we’d be forced to dump the milk. At one stage things got so bad that we were struggling to pay our creditors and faced a real risk of losing our farming business,” says Phutheho.
Since 2019, the Tsephes have supplied all their milk to food and drink processor and manufacturer, Nestlé. The company has a programme to help developing dairy farmers grow and increase their scale of production. Part of the programme is a guaranteed milk offtake agreement with farmers like Thabang and Phutheho.
Guaranteed offtake means a guaranteed income for developing dairy farmers that allows them to plan for business growth. Thabang says Nestlé’s programme is helping them with financial recovery. “Nestlé also offers soft loans to developing milk suppliers and these loans have been very helpful,” he says.
It’s been a long road for Thabang Tsephe’s mostly self-funded journey to become a commercial dairy farmer. His son, Phutheho, is now at his side and together the father-and-son team are geared up to face new challenges. The Tsephes keep detailed farming records. Benefits of this record-keeping are not only financial, but also for improved animal health and welfare, such as helping to avoid inadvertently milking a lactating cow when she is late in her most recent pregnancy.
MILK SA AND GRAIN SA LEND A HAND
Milk SA is a nonprofit organisation representing the Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO) and the SA Milk Processors’ Orga nisation (SAMPRO). Milk SA has a mandate to promote South Africa’s dairy industry, and to drive transformation in the sector.
Thabang and Phutheho explain that as part of its transformation initiatives, Milk SA has a programme that financially assists developing dairy farmers to grow their herds, upgrade their infrastructure, and buy the necessary production inputs.
Milk SA’s financial assistance requires the qualifying dairy farmer to contribute part of the costs. “Milk SA wants to see that the farmer already has a small dairy business. Milk SA has been very helpful to us with developing our dairy business. We also regularly attend their ongoing training workshops,” says Thabang.
Grain SA also has a programme that helps developing farmers produce better grain and silage maize. Grain SA establishes and supports study groups countrywide, and dairy farmers who grow grain and/or silage maize are encouraged to join their local study group and learn more about improved production practices.
At study groups farmers learn about selecting the best maize hybrids, land prep, planting and calibrating planters and sprayers.
Thabang explains that Grain SA also has a programme funded by brewing company, AB InBev. The programme offers soft production loans to developing farmers who grow silage maize and/or grain to be used in concentrate animal feeds. These soft loans allow developing dairy farmers to make a profit that can be ploughed back into developing their businesses.
RECORD-KEEPING IS KEY
The Tsephes insist it is extremely important that farmers throughout the sector, at every scale, should keep written records of all aspects of their businesses. Phutheho says every animal in their dairy herd has an ear tag which holds information about the animal’s birth year, birth month and the number it was born among its peers in that particular year. The information from each ear tag is recorded in the farm computer.
“This information helps us plan things like when to breed a heifer or cow, and which bull to use. It also helps us monitor when an animal should be dried off and when she is due to calve down,” says Phutheho. Both he and Thabang warn that failing to keep detailed and accurate records poses risks like inadvertently milking a cow late in her pregnancy which could lead to mastitis and high somatic cell counts in her milk.
Milk buyers financially penalise farmers whose milk has high somatic cell counts. Thabang adds that records help a dairy farmer to manage the entire business, including nutrition management and silage production.
He continues: “Know your production costs, your income, your profit and loss. Find out what your biggest expenses are and where you generate the highest returns. Identify and fix problems with a negative impact on your business. Everything must add value to the business.”
The two men agree that if a developing farmer can afford it, he (or she) should hire an independent bookkeeper to help with accurate record-keeping and generate objective information to guide improvements in the business. The father-and-son team add “it doesn’t help to lie to yourself, to your business or to your supporters”. Organisations like Milk SA, Grain SA, Nestlé, and others will want to see accurate records before they help a developing farmer.
The Tsephes learn from their vet pharmaceuticals sales representative and other animal health experts. Herd health is a complex field and the two men are not afraid of asking the experts for advice. Bon Accord has 74 mixed-breed cows- in-milk, a number the Tsephes plan to increase to 450 cows-in-milk.
A LOT TO LEARN
The Tsephes are humble enough to appreciate that there is much to learn about keeping the herd health in tip-top shape. They rely heavily on the advice and guidance of a representative of animal health products company, MSD Animal Health.
The MSD rep visits Bon Accord Farm to assess the herd, the production environment and the milking system and to develop a herd management programme for the Tsephes. He teaches the Tsephes and their employees about identifying and appropriately treating immediate health problems, and trains them in injection and dosing techniques. He cautions them to observe various milk withdrawal periods after using some of the veterinary products.
“Having a herd health management programme means we can proactively prevent or minimise problems that could result in loss of production, sick animals, and even mortalities. Health problems may have a seriously negative impact on production and profit. Given the poor state of government’s animal health resources, it’s critical that we have a good relationship with someone like an animal health company representative,” says Phutheho.
For more information contact Thabang and Phutheho Tsephe at email phuthehot02@gmail.com
