Family farming is more than just a profession – it is the heartbeat of the agricultural industry and a heritage passed down from generation to generation. At Lemmertrust Boerdery, this legacy is proudly continued and supported by the advanced technology of Fendt machinery and a strong family bond. With the baton firmly in hand, the current generation is showing how tradition and innovation work together to ensure sustainable growth and progress.
Wernich Lemmer, a mechanical engineer and young farmer in the Hartbeesfontein district, is the sixth generation farmer on the farm, Lemmertrust Boerdery, where they mainly farm with maize and sunflowers, and commercial Bonsmara cattle.
Wernich summarises their farming as mainly a livestock farm with medium-sized crop farming – two-thirds maize and a third sunflowers. Wernich is the general manager of the farm and also a trustee who farms with his father, Willie, who is the main trustee.
Wernich was named Agri Noordwes Young Farmer of the Year in 2021. “It is an incredible privilege to be part of a family farm. My children will be the seventh generation on the farm, God willing,” he says.
Family farming rediscovered
Over the past seven years that Wernich has been involved on the farm and in farming, they have mechanised a lot and introduced a lot of new technology. They mainly apply crop rotation and have also moved to minimum tillage.
He says: “We have changed a lot of our cultivation and methods, and adapted them with great success. I also did not just walk into farming and took over everything. I had to know my place and also work myself up within farming. It was very good for me, to give me a new perspective as well. You think a little differently, you also look at things differently.”
Wernich also says that farming is a business enterprise, and you have to manage it like one.
He shares: “Within the family farm, each of us knows what is expected of us and what needs to be done. It is important to consider what is best for the farm and the business.”
Wernich’s advice to young farmers involved in farming with their fathers: “You have to prove yourself. If it is difficult for you to work with your father in a business, try to gain his trust. Go the extra mile. You can only be angry with yourself if he does not give you opportunities or grant you opportunities, because you have not proven yourself yet.”
The relay baton of family farming
Wernich sums up their family farm as a relay race. “My grandfather, after whom I am named, expanded the farm to where it is today, and my father and his brother maintained and expanded the farm very well. Everyone gave everything in their time here on the farm to expand the farm, and now it is my turn. I now have the baton in my hand.”
What stands out for Wernich is that the farm has expanded generically, not too fast or too big. His dream is for the farm to expand further in a sustainable way, and to be able to pass the baton on to his own children one day.
Lemmertrust and Fendt create a new path
A farmer’s time and patience are two things that should not be tested. Wernich says: “Our previous combine was in use for thirteen years and in the past year we experienced many problems with it. These were not only small things; they were quite serious damages. After the repeated problems, I mentioned to my father that we would have to consider buying a new combine.
“One of our relatives regularly does business with Tradestuff in Hartbeesfontein. He advised me to go and look at the Fendt combine harvesters distributed by Tradestuff in the area.
“Rudi Barnard from Tradestuff showed me the Fendt combine harvesters. The extra mile that Tradestuff and Fendt went with us from the beginning was the decisive factor. Tradestuff and Frans Cronjé from Fendt came to explain everything about the Fendt combine harvester to me on the farm, and as they say – the rest is history. We purchased the Fendt Ideal 7 harvester and two Fendt tractors; a Fendt FT 936 and a Fendt FT 720 Gen 6.”
After his thorough research, Wernich believes and trusts that the Fendt Ideal harvester can do for the South African harvester market what the Equalizer planter did for the planter market. “For me, it is the best harvester in the world. It was a dream come true for me when we got the opportunity to take that step.”
Wernich says that they are also very excited about the upcoming harvest season where the Ideal 7 will be in action on the farm for the first time.
“You want to harvest as clean as possible with the lowest possible fuel consumption. With tractors, you want to do your work on the fields as well as possible with the lowest possible fuel consumption and that is what the Fendt tractors offer you,” he adds.
The Lemmers use the Fendt FT 936 Vario (270 kW) mainly for soil preparation and planting, and the Fendt FT 720 Gen 6 (150 kW) for general farm work and everything in between.
“I am very impressed with the operation of the tractors; they are very versatile. At the beginning, I had to figure out how it works and get used to all the buttons, but the Fendt team came to show me everything on the farm and taught me everything. After I have mastered everything, I was so shocked by how simple it actually works and how user-friendly the tractors are,” says Wernich.
Fendt at the forefront of innovative technology
Wernich believes that you should always ask yourself: When is technology more or when is it innovative? And he believes that the move to Fendt is certainly innovative technology that will greatly benefit their farming.
“The fuel efficiency, the Vario gearbox and the technology in these tractors really stand out to me,” Wernich confirms.
“We recently used the FT 936 Vario for soil preparation. We work about 400 to 450 mm deep, and what we could already see, was the deeper action on the fields. Where the soil was too soft or too wet, the tractor easily pulled the ripper through.
“The TMS (Tractor Management Sys-tem) of the tractor makes a very big difference. There are two important aspects that I can highlight about the Fendt tractors that for me put the tractor in a class of its own: Firstly, the TMS system which mainly includes the Vario gearbox, and secondly the automatic suspension system control. In addition, the tractors are also equipped and ready for variable planting or spreading, and section control.
“Where we could drive a maximum of 5,4 km per hour during tillage with the competitor tractor, and tilled about 2,5 ha per hour, we now do almost 4 ha per hour at a speed of between 7 and 8 km per hour, and our fuel consumption is now about 2 litres per ha less. At this stage (although we have not yet used the tractor much for tillage) it looks to us as if we shall get a fuel saving between 15 and 20%, including your Ad-Blue.
“I would definitely put these tractors in an A+ class, while I would put the closest competitor in an A- class. We are very much looking forward to the road ahead with Fendt, and also with Tradestuff,” concludes Wernich.
Willem Lemmer with his granddaughter and his son, Wernich Lemmer, in the maize field.
Service, the driving force behind Tradestuff
Rudi Barnard, owner and manager of Tradestuff, believes that happy customers mean a happy business. He says: “The most important thing is to reach the farmer. If you want to make a difference and impact in today’s agricultural industry, you have to provide service and for that you have to sit down with the customers and farmers to hear exactly what they need to sell the right thing to the customer so that he can do his job easily, efficiently and economically, and not just to make a profit.”
Tradestuff is the proudest Fendt and Massey dealer in the Hartbeesfontein district and provides services from Ottosdal, Hartbeesfontein, Orkney, Stilfontein, Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp to Ventersdorp.
“There are always challenges, but it is always fun to be part of the agricultural industry! Over the years with Massey, it has been incredible fun to paint the world red, but it is now even more fun for me to paint the world Massey red and Fendt green!” says Rudi with a laugh.
“We have a very good relationship with AGCO and Fendt, and it makes what we do and strive for effortless. I am not afraid to provide service to farmers here in the area, because I know I will receive the support of AGCO,” he concludes.
Willem Spies is responsible for Tradestuff’s Fendt marketing and sales. He says: “Our workshop in Hartbeesfontein has expert technicians and our own trucks to bring in tractors, but otherwise our expert technical teams go out to the farmers. Tradestuff is there for the farmer, and that is what we strive for and what we try to maintain.”
Tradestuff has a large parts and whole goods department. All the staff members of Tradestuff are ready to help you and to walk the road with you. For enquiries, contact Tradestuff at (+27)18-431-0062 or visit their website at www.mftradestuff.co.za.
