Potato Farmer of the Year: Stephan Fourie

Stephan Fourie from Potato Pride in the Eastern Free State was awarded the Syngenta National Potato Farmer of the Year 2015 at Potatoes South Africa’s Banquet on Wednesday 30 September 2015.
 
Stephan Fourie obtained a BCom Accounting degree from UNISA in 2004 and completed his articles in the following year. In 2006 his father in law presented him with the opportunity to farm on Potato Pride in the Eastern Free State. Assisted by his wife Sussa, Stephan acquired experience in crop farming with, amongst others, maize, corn and soy bean, cattle farming as well as potato farming under irrigation.
 
Stephan is involved in agricultural organisations as a member of Grain SA, Free State Agriculture as well as Van Reenensdorp Farmers Association.
 
He ascribes his success as a leader farmer to the motto of Potato Pride, “driven by passion and proven by performance”. With a passion for renewal as driving force, Stephan places a strong emphasis on the value that his workforce adds to his precision farming. For Stephan the challenge as top performer is not so much in competing with fellow producers, but rather in the aspiration to continuously improve the quality of his own product.

Antonie Delport, Managing Director of Syngenta Crop Protection, main sponsor of Potatoes South Africa Congress and National Potato Farmer of the Year 2015, Sussa and Stephan Fourie from Potato Pride and Ernst Yzel, Chairperson of Potatoes South Africa - photo Magic Photography