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Volume 122, Number 41 Wednesday,
November 16th, 2005
South Africans experience ND farming & weather
BY SARA J. PLUM
Megan Olson never dreamed she'd be showing people older than her how
to make a snowman. Well, the proof is in the picture and the men she
helped are novices when it comes to dealing with snow. It's
something they do not see a lot of in South Africa.
Barry de Klerk works for Ron Erickson of Esmond and is from Kameel
in the North West Province, which he says is similar to Esmond in
size. He is single and farms with his father.
Dawie Herbst is employed in the Esmond area by Robert Arnold and
hails from Koppies, Vrystate (or Free State) Province. He is
divorced with two daughters, Tarien, age 12 and Hannah, age 8. Dawie
also farms back home.
The men are staying in an older home on the Rick and Beth Olson
farm. They arrived in April on temporary work visas arranged through
an agency called PLUTO, Inc.
PLUTO stands for "Placing Labor in Unique Trade Opportunities." The
placement firm has been in operation for seven years providing
Midwest farmers and businesses with highly screened seasonal and
temporary workers.
Barry and Dawie elected to work with a farmer and were given a
choice as to what type of agricultural work they wanted to do.
PLUTO, Inc. assisted with the labor certification and Bureau of
Citizenship and Immigration Services application processes.
The workers contract for approximately seven months with the
employers, who are named on their visas. If things do not work out
at any time during the seven months, the worker goes back to South
Africa even though his or her visa has not expired.
This is Barry's first year in the program and Dawie's second. In our
area there are South African workers in Bowdon, Fessenden, Devils
Lake, Harvey and New Rockford. Dawie is aware of a few men who have
been coming to North Dakota for the past six years.
When asked to name the first difference they noticed between farm
operations here versus South Africa, they didn't hesitate to say
equipment.
American farmers have greater access to larger and more modern
equipment.
Another difference they noted was grain storage and drying on
individual farms. Major grain cooperatives in South Africa, with
elevators all over, provide storage in concrete silos similar to
ones at elevators in Harlow and near Leeds. Barry and Dawie estimate
silos in South Africa are approximately 50-70' wide by 200' tall and
each elevator has several of these silos. Farmers haul their grain
using double axle wagons pulled by tractors instead of the
tractor-trailer or tandem trucks used here.
The average North Dakota farm size, according to the US Department
of Agriculture, was 1,283 acres in 2002. In South Africa, farms are
anywhere from 1,000 to 7,000 acres, with larger farms diversifying
by raising beef, sheep or chickens and employing 30 to 50 people.
There are no farm subsidy programs in South Africa, so, as Barry
explained, everything is mortgaged, down to the last wrench and
bolt.
With farming such a risky venture, some farmers have developed part
of their pasture land into game ranches for extra income. Hunters
from the United States and around the world come to hunt the "Big 5"
- lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and Cape buffalo. Other farmers are
creating a second income by breeding some of these animals in
captivity for sale to the game ranches. Currently these practices
are being looked at by a panel appointed by the South African
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
Among the other differences we talked about was, of course, the
opposite growing seasons. We begin planting (hopefully) toward the
end of April; they begin in (hopefully) mid-November. The crops they
plant are similar, with the main crops in the North West Province
being winter wheat, corn, sunflowers, peanuts and cotton. The Free
State Province grows corn, sunflowers, winter wheat and soybeans.
Barry and Dawie pointed out that South Africa is, for the most part,
a semi-arid country, with the costal areas of the Indian Ocean
having a subtropical climate. Average annual rainfall in their part
of the country is 10 inches. We receive 15-17 inches. Ideally,
farmers there would like to see approximately three to four inches
of rain a couple weeks before planting begins.
Their average daily temperature in the winter is 60 degrees for a
high and
28 degrees for an overnight low; in the summer, 100 degrees for a
high and 60 degrees for a low. When asked how cold the winters get
in North Dakota, I told them I didn't know exact temperature
amounts, but the words cold, frigid, shivering, freezing and inhuman
are often used from November to March (at least by me).
The men went on to explain that even though the largest crop in
South Africa is winter wheat, their main food source from farming is
white corn.
This is used to make porridge, a breakfast staple. And if you attend
a barbecue, you will most likely be served lamb instead of
hamburgers or hot dogs.
The similarities between our countries are many, and yet the
differences are greater than we know. In a country that has gone
through apartheid, many things are changing.
When asked if they would ever consider moving to the United States,
as some of their countrymen are doing, Barry and Dawie were shocked
by the question. No matter what the future holds for South Africa,
it is home. The land is in their blood. And like any farmer will
tell you, once it's in your blood, no matter where you go or what
you do, it's a part of you forever.
Barry de Klerk, left, and Dawie Herbst, center, enjoyed the Oct. 5
snowstorm by helping Megan Olson build a snowman. It also didn't
take them long to learn how to make snowballs.
Maddock joins NESC
The Northeast Education Services Cooperative (NESC) welcomed a new
member at its October meeting. The Maddock School joined the
cooperative in a signing ceremony October 12 at Lake Region State
College in Devils Lake.
The NESC, formed in January of 2002, now has 17 school districts and
two colleges as sponsoring partners. The cooperative permits
coordination of education services and provides opportunities for
shared and new services for school districts. School districts
involved are Adams-Edmore, Bisbee-Egeland, Cando, Dakota Prairie,
Devils Lake, Four Winds, Lakota, Langdon, Leeds, Maddock,
Minnewaukan, Munich, Rock Lake, Rolette, Starkweather, Warwick and
Wolford. Governing board members of the NESC welcome Maddock to the
cooperative. Standing, left to right, are Rob Peterson, Rock Lake;
Wanda Olson, Cando; David Ambers, Minnewaukan; Sharon Humble,
Wolford; Sue Best, Rolette; Ken Dahl, Lakota; and Kay Gravdahl,
Warwick. Seated are Steven Peters, Bisbee-Egeland; chairman Keith
Nielsen, Starkweather; Chris Lauinger, Maddock; and Maddock School
Superintendent Brian Bubach.
Gun safety taught
Members of the Farm & Home Improvement 4-H Club who attended the
October 20 meeting are pictured. Left to right, back row: Andy
Backstrom, Jordan Backstrom, Levi Slater and Jaden Kallenbach. Third
row: Mandy Johnson, Anne Backstrom, Preston Gilderhus and J.T. Rice.
Second row: Kimberly Randle, Ben Backstrom, Zach Johnson and Jenae
Johnson. Front row: Hailey Kallenbach, Megan Wald, Caleb Johnson,
Jakob Schmid and Noah Engels.
The Farm & Home Improvement 4-H Club met at the Maddock Community
Center October 20. The meeting featured a hunting theme and a
variety of game was served, including Salisbury goose, dressing,
goose with rice, two varieties of deer sausage, brownies and apple
crisp.
Mandy Johnson, gun coordinator for Benson County, gave a
presentation on gun safety, the parts of a gun and told of the
Benson County 4-H shooting class which will be held this summer to
teach gun basics and safety.
Participants must be eight years old or more. For more information
on the shooting class call her at 473-2540.
The next meeting will be November 21 at 7 p.m. at the Maddock
Community Center.
Maddock play cast
The cast will compete at the State Class B One-Act Play Competition
November 21 at the Mandan High School at 1:45 p.m.Members of the
Maddock one-act play cast are, left to right, standing, Erin
Markestad, Ashley Duren, Isaac Engels, Andy Rosendahl, Kara
Gutormson and Preston Gilderhus.
Seated: Anthony Benson, Thane Solberg, Ashley Finley, Drew Lauinger
and Trish Simon.
The Maddock High School won the Region IV One-Act Play Competition
in Rugby November 8. The 11-member cast performed the drama The
Friends of Julia Dark by Art C. Lennox, earning an ensemble superior
acting award as well as the championship plaque (which is currently
on display in the Maddock School office). The plot of the play
involves a police detective interviewing a group of teenagers about
what happened to a friend at a party the night before. The story
sends messages about drug abuse and friendship.
Under the direction of English teacher Kathy Sears, the cast of 7th
through 12th graders has been practicing up to four times a week
since the end of September. Most rehearsals began at 7:15 a.m. so
the students had to put in extra effort for the play to come
together. This was also the first year Maddock has tried drama
instead of comedy, so the serious tone of practices was more
challenging.
The judges from Minot State University shared their comments and
critiques with the cast. They offered suggestions on how to improve
the performance.
All were impressed with Trish Simon's emotional intensity in her
small but vital role, and other actors were commended for their
interpretations of the lines.
Five generations
Five generations of females are pictured with baby Jaylen Anderson
in the lap of her great-great-grandmother, Maxine Yri of Leeds.
Seated, left, is her mother, April Keller Anderson. Standing on the
left is grandmother Wanda Keller of Leeds and standing, right, is
great-grandmother Marlys Darling.
Birthday party
In celebration of North Dakota's 116th birthday on November 2, the
eighth grade North Dakota history class at Maddock decorated a cake
to represent a topographical map of the state. They also included
the major bodies of water, roads and cities (including Maddock).
Left to right, front row: Erin Yri, Erin Leier, Sharisa Yri and Kara
Kallenbach. Middle row: Matthew Hagen, Mitch Olson and Jason Smith.
Back row: Derek Engh, John Sears and Jesse Brandvold. |
