Florence Farm

We started our farm on a shoestring in 1989. At that time, the region was known for cattle, sheep, maize and dry bean farming. There were no cultivated berries in the area and we thought planting some would be a grand idea. Berries needed cold winters and sandy soil this we had.

The first two hectares were planted at the turn of the millennium. We decided to go the organic way. It was not easy; the learning curve was steep and the school fees high. Nico has a degree in Industrial Engineering and runs the farm with typical practical fact-based drive in his day-to-day decisions. But we did not survive.

In 2008 we stopped with the organic farming. Most of the berries died because of a root rot we could not control. The main reasons for stopping were the fact that our farm is ‘n total wetland and organic weed control was problematic. The time window in our cold area was too small for vegetable production. The organic market was not growing fast enough in S.A., and the last straw was the diesel price of R12/l.

Farming on Florence from 2008

We expanded our sheep and cattle herds. All the grazing that will be planted will be done with all the organic knowledge Nico has.

Thing to come and see:

• March, the sheep start to lamb.
• August is the month we sheer the sheep and it is always very interesting to experience. 
• October and November we plant grazing and maize for the sheep and cattle.
• November, the cattle will get calves.

Come and enjoy a real Highveld farm.

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