Raised in a farming community near Bloemfontein in the Free State, it comes to no surprise that Johnny Pietersen has been farming his entire life. At 60, he works as farm manager in Wonderfontein in Mpumalanga and also pursued his own business venture with his life partner, Samaria Ngema.
“We decided to buy property at White River [just outside Nelspruit] to use for farming,” Pietersen tells Food For Mzansi. “We started small, with just a few sheep, goats and three Nguni cattle.”
Through their business, Samaria’s Mealie Meal Depo, they also sell food to the local community, he explains. “We also sell mielie meal, beans and meat that we buy from a butchery.”
The Voermol touch
To keep his animals in top shape, Pietersen swears by Voermol’s Protein Block. The advantage of using Protein Block is that it acts as a source of protein, minerals and Vitamin A for cattle and sheep. It was formulated to compensate for nutrient-poor pasturage and roughage.
Easy to handle and use, Protein Block is easy for animals to ingest due to its molasses base. It also stimulates ruminant game, and stimulates ruminant animals to eat more dry matter.
For Pietersen, the addition of Protein Block to his animals’ diet has really increased their well-being and condition. He found the product to be so effective that it helped him rehabilitate a sick animal.
“I bought some sheep two months ago that were in a bad condition, and after about six weeks, you wouldn’t say that is the same sheep!”
Pietersen says that he has been using Protein Block since he started farming, and he probably always will. “We believe in the Protein Block and our animals will never be without it.”
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