Award-winning Bonsmara farmer Boikanyo Christopher Melamu from Vryburg in North West is aiming to go all the way to the top. But he does not want to go alone. Mentoring and skills transfer is close to his heart and he doesn’t mind sharing his knowledge because he wants everyone to succeed.
Melamu, from the Lamus Bonsmara farm near Dithakwaneng village, is not a new kid on the block when it comes to farming. He has been farming for over 20 years and says he is passionate about farming with livestock.
Melamu owns two farms – one is 1 200 hectares in Reivilo, and the other one is 1 958 hectares in Nilsne. He is also a registered breeder.
How the bug bit
“My farming career started at a very early age. I was raised in a farming family until the early 2000s [when] I decided to go solo and start my own farming journey.
“Initially, I started with five cows. I used to work in the mines, so I saved money to start this journey. It was not easy to get where I am now. However, working hard and commitment sustained me thus far,” he says.
Melamu has a herd of 350 cattle and intends to go big. He says livestock farming is critical in the country because not only are they breeding but also supplying beef.
He has a total of six full-time employees but would like to expand his workforce to make life easier for his staff.
“Some people say I have got too many employees, but I respond by saying ‘no I need more’. I want to make their workloads lighter and enrich their lives at the same time.
“The most important lesson that I have learned in life is that you need to share your knowledge and help others in any form or with any deed possible.”
Throughout his farming journey he has had a lot of mentors who guided him and advised him, Melamu acknowledges.
“I cannot single out one or two of them, I have a couple of them. I am a person who consults a wide range of people depending on the situation I find myself in. It also helps because one can build networks by reaching out to different people.”
Relishing the accolades
“It has been a rewarding journey for me, [because] along the way I received several awards and recognition for the hard work I have put in. The first one came in 2012 when I was awarded emerging breeder of the year and in 2016, I was among the top 10 finalists for the South Africa Stud Book Elite Awards.
“In 2020 I was the overall winner of the award, and it is actually heartwarming to see the hard work paying off. Hard work has never killed anybody.”
Melamu adds that one of the most important things that will ensure the growth and success of any farming business is record-keeping of cattle, medication and finances.
“You need to keep records from birth notifications to the weighing of calves,” he advises.
Taking chances
One of the things that makes him happy is witnessing the growth process of a calf until it becomes a Bonsmara, gets inspected and is certified with the B-brand on the right shoulder.
“Initially, I sold my cattle at the G7 auction. I started as a guest seller in 2015. It went like that for a few years until I decided to hold my own production sale. It wasn’t easy but I did it because I needed to grow and stand on my own two feet,” he explains.
In 2020, Melamu hosted a production sale, selling 10 of the 26 bulls on offer.
Last week he hosted his third production sale in Reivilo where there were 32 bulls on offer. He ended up selling 27.
Melamu says it is important that new entrants in the farming space are prepared to learn so that they can make it.
He urges other commercial farmers who can help small-scale farmers to take them through the farming journey.
And he practises what he preaches because, in his spare time, he mentored a group of 13 farmers in Dithakwaneng.
“I was giving them guidance on how the cattle should be cared for. I did the mentoring for a period of five years where I taught them everything they needed to know – from how to handle the cattle, to doing a pregnancy test.
“And by doing so, what brings me joy is to see the quality of the calves coming through and when they went to sell their cattle in the auction, they come back happy. With that, I know that one of them will know the importance of having a Bonsmara.”
Motivation
Melamu says it does not cost anything to ask questions. He pleads with people who want to venture into farming to put more time into research and understanding the basics.
“It’s not an easy journey, there are a lot of challenges, I know that. But when the road gets tough, go to government and ask for help. It might not come immediately, but soldier on. Let us stand up and work.”
He adds that while the farming journey has been great, he has encountered a number of challenges.
“Access to land and access to finance remains the biggest barriers for agriculture to grow in the country. The lack of good communal land infrastructure like roads is a major challenge.”
But challenges or not, Melamu is ready for anything.
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