Dean Barnard, a 40-year-old farmer from George in the Western Cape, stood proudly as he was named the Agri Western Cape Santam Young Farmer of the Year. Though he has been farming with his father on Waboomskraal for 19 years, he took over operations eight years ago.
The family farms with hops, plums, almonds, and pecans.
In 2002, Barnard matriculated from Oakdale Agricultural High School in Riversdale and went on to study marketing management at Nelson Mandela University in Saasveld for two years until his father called him one morning, saying it was time to return to the farm.
Oppie Plaas Boerdery is one of seven hops farms in Africa, supplying hops exclusively to Castle and Castle Lite. For the past 15 years, the farm has been among the top three hops producers.
Their 2023 Autumn Treat plum harvest yielded just under 100 tonnes per hectare. Barnard also believes his 486g plum will make it into the Guinness World Records, as the current record stands at 354.37g.
Since taking over, Barnard has implemented significant changes over the past five years, including new irrigation technology for more efficient water conservation, planting new plum and almond orchards, and expanding hops production on leased land.
“Every year is a new challenge, and I thoroughly enjoy a challenge,” he says. “With the amount of land available to me, it’s an intensive farming operation where every decision counts.”
Future plans and community impact
Barnard’s long-term vision for their farm includes expanding the plum orchards to between 15 and 20 hectares and setting up their own packing facility to pack their fruit harvests, as well as making it available for community farmers to rent.
Inus Oosthuizen, convenor of the judging panel, expressed gratitude to each candidate for exposing themselves, their families, and their farms to the panel.
“Each candidate not only has a remarkable story but also serves as an excellent example for farmers in our country. Each candidate has shown that no matter if you are considered a ‘small’ farmer, you can make it!”
The judges also believe that Barnard will be a worthy ambassador for young farmers of the Western Cape during the Toyota SA / Agri SA Young Farmer of the Year competition held later this year.
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