About

We understand the importance of giving back to the community, but as South African citizens we know that there’s a much bigger picture when it comes to helping and building a better future. So, with no idea of what to do, just a conviction that we needed to start somewhere, we embarked on a journey in 2015 in aid of emerging farmers after we were inundated with requests for assistance. We started hosting farmers days, training days, workshops and carcass competitions – overwhelmed every time by the eagerness to learn, hunger for knowledge and thankfulness of the participants – they finally found a place where they felt at home.

With every year, the next steps became clearer and clearer and in 2018 we officially partnered with The Jobs Fund to establish the Sernick Emerging Farmer’s Project. Since it’s initiation, Sernick in partnership with the Jobs Fund have been able to train emerging farmers in various aspects of cattle breeding, established a successful co-operative with emerging farmers, and given those with a hunger for knowledge and willingness to work, the opportunity to become profitable commercial farmers who are able to look after their families and employ others in their community.

A total of 660 farmers (Tier 1) are being recruited, given SETA accredited training and an opportunity to exchange their old stock with good quality cattle that fetch higher prices at the market. A total of 300 farmers (Tier 2), selected from the 660, are currently being equipped with technical skills to enable them to develop their own herds while maintaining healthy cash flows to meet their working capital requirements. Another 50 farmers (Tier 3), from these 300 farmers, will be upskilled into viable commercial entities with their own reproductive capacity. These Tier 3 farmers will also be given the opportunity to acquire shares in Sernick Wholesale, a new company that will be established to consolidate the group’s wholesaling operations.

The programme is open to black emerging cattle farmers who are farming in the Free State and neighbouring provinces that is within 150km from Kroonstad such as the Kenneth Kaunda District in North West and the Sedibeng District in Gauteng, already have land and cattle and that is living on the farm land.  Please note that this programme does not supply land or cattle.  

The project is spearheaded by Petro Naudé as Project Manager and Patrick Sekwatlakwatla, Head of Transformation