Mdibane Masilela, a determined grain farmer from Delmas, Mpumalanga, began his journey in 2022 with just 60 hectares of soybeans. Today, his operation has expanded to 166 hectares. He shares valuable insights about his journey, from farming alongside his father to managing two farms and overcoming challenges to achieve remarkable success.
“I was born into farming. My father had two farms since I was a child. He had a lot of cattle and he has been planting but not the way we are planting now. I was assisting here and there. So, I’ve been farming since 2001,” Masilela shares.
His passion for agriculture is deeply rooted in his upbringing. After learning the basics on his father’s farm, he furthered his knowledge at the Buhle Farmers’ Academy in Delmas, where he specialised in vegetables and livestock.
“I already knew some of the things, but I wanted more details. I’ve been attending workshops, even those organised by the department of agriculture. That’s where I’ve been learning,” he explains.
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Innovating with limited resources
Masilela credits his success to creativity and resourcefulness, particularly when it comes to equipment. “I fixed my father’s old equipment. We converted my father’s planter, the N700 John Deere planter, into a no-till planter,” he explains. Applying the no-till planter has reduced costs and boosted efficiency.
Like all farmers, Masilela has faced his share of obstacles. His first year presented a tough challenge with an armyworm outbreak. “I was not prepared for that. I didn’t have that big sprayer, but I borrowed one and sprayed everything. It came out well,” he recalls.
He’s also learned hard lessons about soil quality and weed control. “It didn’t cost me a lot of money, but I didn’t spray well on another piece of our fields. The weeds were competing with our plants. It didn’t come out very well, but I got something from it.”
In this episode, Masilela also discusses:
- Keys to success through hard work and no shortcuts;
- Plans for the future; and
- Advice for aspiring farmers.
Want to know more? Dive deeper into the episode and gain insights from the award-winning Farmer’s Inside Track, officially recognised as Africa and the world’s best podcast at the 2024 Digital Media Awards presented by WAN-IFRA, the global press organisation.
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