Agriculture

Unique Service Learning Project

Under the guidance of our oenology lecturer, Dr Anton Nel, a unique service learning project was started this year at the Language Museum in Paarl. This museum owns a piece of land where an old vineyard is planted. The vineyard is a bit neglected, and it was decided to use this as a teaching platform where viticulture students could practice their knowledge and skills to re-cultivate this vineyard and get it up to a productive level.

In executing this project, our students gained valuable experience while the Language Museum had their vineyard upgraded.

Young Winemakers 2022

With harvest completed, the Oenology class of 2022 started with their experimental wines. Implementing all the techniques learned in class resulted in some fine wines. Students recently presented a wine tasting where staff and fellow students could experience the fruit of their labour.

We tasted some great wines, and we are sure that our students will soon be leaders in the winemaking industry.

Building industry partnerships

As a university of technology, it is important to remember that the focus of training should always be on preparing students for a career in industry. Building solid relationships and partnerships with industry is, therefore, high on our agenda. Department staff recently visited Hortgro in Paarl, focusing on the fruit industry. The fruit industry, together with the wine industry, forms the backbone of agriculture in the Western Cape, and it is imperative that CPUT Agriculture has a strong link to this industry.

Fruitful discussions were had regarding assistance with curriculum development, guest lectures, industry visits, research activities, and opportunities for WIL placements of third-year diploma students.

Successful training in agriculture demands not only sound academic training but also calls for “hands-on” experience and exposure to practices.  The Department of Agriculture of CPUT utilizes the “Work Integrated Learning” methodology. After two years of formal, on-campus academic training, the third year is allocated to experiential learning, where students are placed in industry to gain practical experience on a farm or in an agricultural business.

WIL students work at amazing places, and with the “WIL Window”, we want to share some of their experiences:

RCL Foods - Rainbow Chickens Division

As of 2018, our current courses in Livestock Production include poultry production, and a strong relationship was built with RCL Foods.  This massive company produces a variety of well-known food products such as Selati sugar, Supreme flour, Pieman’s pies, Yum Yum peanut butter, Nola mayonnaise, Sunbake bread, Bobtail & Catmore pet food and Epol animal feeds.  The company, however, is probably best known for its poultry products, namely Rainbow Chickens and Farmer Brown. 

Rainbow Chickens has a fully integrated broiler production system that breeds and rears its livestock, which is fed from its own feed mills, and processes, distributes and markets fresh, frozen, value-added and further-processed chicken.  In the Worcester area, the company has six laying farms, three rearing farms, 13 broiler farms, a specialized hatchery and a slaughtering & processing facility. Our students work and get experience in all of these sectors.

The company runs a mentorship program with these students and invests in building strong graduates ready to enter the agricultural industry.

The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of South Africa - Bull Testing Centre

The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of South Africa has many different institutes throughout the country, including the unique Bull Testing Centre on the Elsenburg farm just outside Stellenbosch. CPUT has built a strong relationship with the centre and has been placing WIL students there for experiential training since 2014. 

The Bull Testing Centre does precisely what its name says = it tests young bulls under the national beef recording and improvement scheme with six phases.  At the Elsenburg facility, the centre focuses on the central performance test (phase C), where young bulls are scrutinized under feedlot-type conditions for growth characteristics.  Young bulls enter the centre at age 7 - 8 months and are tested for 112 days, including the adaptation period of 28 days and the test period of 84 days, 12 weeks in total.  The centre has eight annual intakes, meaning they test between 80 and 100 bulls yearly.  At the end of the test period, all bulls are given marks by a panel of experts and each bull is awarded a Gold, Silver, or Bronze merit.  To achieve the highest level, a bull must have an average daily gain of 100, a minimum feed conversion rate of 107 and a minimum weaning index of 100.  Such a bull is then branded on the left shoulder with an upright V mark.

This year, we have two Livestock Production students at the centre. They are working hands-on with the young bulls, doing various tasks such as cleaning the pens and watering troughs, doing health inspections of the animals, weekly weighing of the bulls to check weight gains, etc. Our students' supervisor is Mr. Rodney Manyongwana, a qualified mentor and a person with a passion for assisting young agriculturalists.

Stoneberg Farms

This year marks a new relationship with Stoneberg Farm as the company has taken WIL students for their experiential learning period for the first time. What makes Stoneberg Farm unique is the fact that the business belongs to foreign investors from Taiwan. The massive farm of 1 50 hectares in the Het Kruis region specialises in producing olives and Rooibos tea. It produces raw products and has its own processing plant where olives are pickled and bottled or pressed for oil. Rooibos tea is processed and packaged under the Stoneberg brand name.

Their focus is exclusively on exporting produce to Taiwan since the owners have strong contacts in that market. Our students are involved in the entire value-adding chain, from primary production to processing to international marketing and export.

Passionate student aspires for a future in livestock production.

Mihlali Gxabagxaba, 21, is enrolled towards the Diploma in Agriculture (Livestock Production).

Born and raised in the Eastern Cape, Mihlali completed his Basic Education under challenging circumstances. His late grandmother raised him and his siblings on old age and social grants. Inspired by his family’s circumstances, he continued his education and left for Cape Town to further his studies after matriculating. Determined to improve his family’s living conditions, he aspires to become independent in all aspects of his life.

“In 2017, I was accepted at CPUT for a diploma in Horticulture and Agriculture, but I chose Agriculture,” he says. He adds that the university provided him with an Absa Scholarship in the same year. “I was happy and appreciative of the opportunity.”

It has been his passion to gain more knowledge about food production as the country faces challenges about food security and widespread poverty that force farmers to produce more food with inadequate resources.

“Studying agriculture gave me a better perspective on farming and understanding the work behind the juicy steak and meat quality, which require outstanding knowledge on animal breeds and feeds,” says Mihlali.

He values a better understanding of working with people and realises the need for agricultural science students to know about the South African Agricultural industry. “Agriculture also perfected my communication skills because it is an industry requiring engagement with people, farmers and even researchers.”

He adds that during his studies and practical training, he became interested in animal health, which was mainly inspired by the shortage of animal medication in places like his hometown.

“My training mentor always pushed me to learn and overcome my fears and generally inspired me to believe in myself.”
He says his family’s situation drove him to aspire to do better. “I appreciate the career I have at CPUT, and inspiring words from the lecturers created a future for me.”