Ostriches prove their worth in harsh drought

When Klein Karoo farmer Jolian du Preez bought his farm, Boetie Hutties, in 2017, his primary objective was to farm vegetables, vegetable seed, ostriches and sheep. Today, vegetable seed is his most lucrative crop, while vegetables provide a good cash flow booster by generating income over shorter time frames. The production of these commodities is limited, however, by the availability of water and land, as the crops are rotated on 50ha under irrigation.

For this reason, diversifying into ostriches and sheep has made all the difference, as they utilise the 33ha of veld and land not under vegetables or vegetable seed production to boost farm income.

“We send the ostriches into the camps, then use the sheep to clean up what the ostriches have left behind,” says Du Preez.

The ostriches, in particular, were invaluable during the drought, which had already started in the region before he bought the farm, but started affecting his operations significantly from 2019.