Lucentlands Podcast | Harvesting Agriculture Knowledge

In this groundbreaking episode 25 of the Lucentlands Podcast , we delve into the fascinating world of agriculture and drone technology. Join hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie as they sit down with the visionary Ken Treloar, co-founder of Aerobotics, a leading agri-tech company revolutionizing the farming landscape. Ken takes us on a captivating journey, sharing his insights and experiences in...

In Episode 24 of the Lucentlands podcast , hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie delve into the world of grape growing with their special guest, Andre Vermaak. Join them as they uncover the secrets to maximizing income and flavor in grape production. From the evolution of grape varieties to the impact of pruning techniques and market demands, Andre shares his extensive knowledge and experiences f...

Welcome to episode 23 of the Lucentlands podcast, where we delve into the fascinating world of agricultural research and innovation. In this episode, we explore the groundbreaking partnership between CenGen and the John Innes Centre, two leading institutions at the forefront of wheat research and genetics. Join us as we uncover the synergistic collaboration between CenGen, a South African research...

Join us in episode 22 of the Lucentlands podcast as we delve into the fascinating world of fruit automation with MED Automation. In this captivating episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with the brilliant minds behind MED Automation, as they unravel the secrets of their innovative machines and designs. Prepare to be amazed as John and Wiekus take us on a journey through the intricate processe...

In Episode 21 of the Lucentlands Podcast, join hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie as they dive into the world of agricultural finance and agribusiness with the renowned agri-finance expert, Earle Van der Watt. With over 17 years of experience, including a background at KPMG and extensive work with fruit export and farming companies, Earle brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Discover how...

Welcome to the Lucentlands Podcast, where we delve into fascinating topics and invite experts to shed light on various fields. In this episode, your hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie have the pleasure of interviewing Katlego Ngwane, a distinguished lawyer specializing in agriculture within the legal framework of South Africa. Katlego Ngwane is a legal powerhouse, holding both an LLB (Bachelor...

Welcome to Episode 19 of the Lucentlands Podcast! In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of blueberry genetics, plants, and grower support with our special guest, Wian Mouton. Join us as we uncover the revolutionary efforts of Fall Creek®, a US-based company that has become a global leader in the blueberry industry. Fall Creek® is more than just a company; it's a deeply rooted li...

Welcome to Episode 18 of Lucentlands, where hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie dive into the fascinating world of high-tech bee projects. In this episode, they had the privilege of interviewing Bee-Tech, a company dedicated to bee research, pollination services, and honey production. Bee-Tech understands the critical role bees play in our ecosystem and the challenges they face due to pesticide...

In episode 17 of the Lucentlands podcast, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie sit down with the dynamic and ambitious Shandini Naidoo, a highly motivated professional making waves in the agricultural industry. Shandini holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations, an LLB Law degree, and an LLM Masters in International Economic Law, making her a well-trained legal and business-minded...

Lucentlands podcast episode 16 features an interview with Kaitlin Thornton, a fourth-generation apple and pear grower from North Central Washington who is currently studying marketing at Washington State University. Kaitlyn is also a TikTok sensation with her informative videos that she shares about Apple Farming and other farm activities in general. With close to 350K followers on TikTok, she has...

Welcome to episode 15 of the Lucentlands Podcast! In this episode, Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie sit down with Jaco Engelbrecht and Casper Brink from Voor-Groenberg Nurseries in Wellington, South Africa. Voor-Groenberg Nurseries has been producing constantly improving grafted vine plants for over 55 years, originating as a group of small family operations and growing into one of South Africa&#3...

In this episode of the Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie show, we sit down with Mike Allsopp, or Mr Bee as he is commonly referred to in South Africa, to discuss the pressing challenges facing bees in the country. Throughout the conversation, we explore the various obstacles that bees face, including the lack of support from the South African government, which has left many beekeepers struggling to...

Welcome to the Lucentlands podcast! In this episode, we sit down with Rico Basson, the CEO of Vinpro, a non-profit company that represents nearly 2,600 South African wine grape producers, cellars, and industry stakeholders. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of the South African wine industry and discover how Vinpro is breaking the mold and shaping its future. Rico shares his insights...

Lucentlands recently conducted a podcast with Werner Opperman, CEO of Agrarius, where they discussed investing in agriculture and how Agrarius works for people who need investments. Werner is an investment professional with a multi-hat intellectual approach, using paradigm-shifting thinking to evaluate, engineer, and optimize financial solutions. He has logged over 7000 hours of modeling experienc...

Welcome to the Lucentlands podcast where we discuss the latest trends and insights in the fruit industry. In this episode, we are thrilled to have Rob Meihuizen and Hein Coetzee from TopFruit as our guests. TopFruit is a leading company in the importation, evaluation, and marketing of commercialized fruit brands in Southern Africa. With over 38 years of experience, TopFruit provides a comprehensiv...

Breaking Barriers in Plant Genetics: Dr. Renee Prins’ Journey to Founding CenGen   In the latest episode of the Lucentlands Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Renee Prins, founder of CenGen, a plant genetics platform based in the small town of Worcester, South Africa. Despite facing many challenges as a woman alone in the business world, Dr. Prins has created a successful enterprise that provides...

Are you interested in learning about the booming kiwi fruit industry in South Africa? Look no further than the Lucentlands Podcast, where we recently had the pleasure of chatting with Roelof Du Toit from the Kiwi Connection.  In this captivating episode, we dive deep into the world of kiwi fruit farming, discussing everything from growing techniques to market trends and beyond.   Join us...

In this episode of the Lucentlands Podcast, we sit down with Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers Association of South Africa.  During our conversation, we delve into the exciting future of South African agriculture and the role that the citrus industry is set to play.  With Project260, the Citrus Growers Association is committed to ensuring that South Africa will be exporting 260...

In this episode of Lucentlands Podcast, we had the pleasure of interviewing Marianna van der Laarse, the founder of Agrijobs, a company dedicated to connecting young people with career opportunities in the agriculture industry. We discussed the challenges of attracting youth to the field and the importance of inspiring stories in encouraging them to pursue careers in agriculture.   Marianna s...

We recently visited Zimbabwe on a project for the South African Citrus Growers Association together with the Zimbabwe Citrus Growers Association.   We were blown away by what Zimbabwe has to offer! We reached out to Linda Nielsen, the CEO of the Horticultural Development Council in Zimbabwe.  Not only is Zimbabwe booming in the sector, but it's, literally, ripe for investments! Not only...

We meet up with Ebbe Rabie, Managing Director for Price Forbes(South Africa). Ebbe and his team specialize in insurance for the agriculture sector and they are currently the insurer to some of the biggest agriculture companies in South Africa. Everyone thinks it's just an insurance policy, but it's way more than that. With the modern use of the technology available, insurance can even be done of p...

We sat down with Dané Joubert.  She is the current Senior Marketing Manager at Sunworld International. Dane is one of those inspirational women in Agriculture. She moved to the USA at a young age to pursue a career as a tennis star.  From a small town in South Africa to an international job in agriculture.  Please listen and share it with the young people to expose them to the possi...

The Dicey family in South Africa can be called one of the forefathers of the South African fruit industry. We speak with Nic Dicey, a pome and stone fruit farmer in the Western Cape. Nic is also the current chairman for Hortgro, the industry body representing the Deciduous fruit industry in South Africa. Nic is also the current chairman for SIZA, The Sustainability Initiative of South Africa. We d...

Episode 2 of the Lucentlands Podcast is out now and it's another good one.  We chat with Anton Viljoen from ASV Farms in the Hexriver Valley and he is also the current Chairman of The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI).   We talk about challenges with the current Table Grape market, how economic sustainability is vital for business survival and as important as environmental sustai...

We kick off our podcast with Justin Mudge, who is the current Chairman for BerryZA, the Berry industry body of South Africa.  He is also at the helm of Chiltern Farms in the Vyeboom district just outside Villiersdorp in South Africa.  It was a rocky start to the 2022 Blueberry season and Justin has truly championed the cause of the growers during these challenging times.   We though...