Women in Agriculture: Farming requires resilience - Tamsin Davids, Krystal Farming and Consulting
The founder and MD of Krystal Farming and Consulting, Tamsin Davids, grew up in a small town called Ceres in the Western Cape. As a result of working for a food company, her interest in agriculture was further stoked.
"My family has always enjoyed growing its own food," she says. "But it was during my time working in the beverage and snack industry that I became interested in farming. This was the best decision of my life!"
"The beginning of 2021 marked the beginning of her farming journey. My motivation for starting was the need to provide safe food to customers," she says. "Working in the food industry helped me recognize the lack of knowledge our farmers have in terms of food safety and quality standards. This alone motivated me to create safe products."
The West Rand is home to Crystal Farming and Consulting. Tamsin currently
runs a small operation with 1500 layers, but will soon be moving into the
broiler space. As is the case with many small agricultural businesses,
Tamsin says starting the company was expensive, but she was lucky enough to
receive assistance from a family member. She is grateful for that support.
"Poultry kind of fell into my plate unknowingly," she said. "I took the
opportunity that was presented to me and made the most of it, and now sell
eggs. We have highline silvers and Lohman browns as layers."
In her opinion, Highline Silver layers are the best to breed due to their
long lifespan and high quality eggs. Her business currently employs three
workers, and being the owner requires her to work 14-16 hours per day.
"We don't stop until everything is done," she says. "We start at six in the
morning by inspecting the birds, making sure all feeding trays and water
stations are clean and full, picking eggs, and then delivering
orders."
Marketing and Managing the Business
Tamsin sells her produce at her farm. Additionally, she sells to an online
retailer, Spaza and Kota shops as well as a wholesaler nearby.
"All of my products are labelled, unlike many smaller suppliers in my area,"
she says. "I also offer delivery to your door, something that most of my
competitors do not provide."
She says that they track their egg production to try and keep their
production rate above 90%.
"Chickens are like kids and anything that makes them uncomfortable
will affect your production," she says. "Production is sometimes
impacted by external factors such as cold, heat, or wind. We cannot plough
money into a business that is not providing returns. Over 60% of our input
costs come from feed feed, which is why efficiency is key."
Her challenges include accessing a bigger market, establishing pricing
competitively with retail, and high input costs!
"Farming requires resilience, and when things go wrong, you should be able
to lead from the front," she says.
Government and Advice for Female Farmers
According to Tamsin, transferring skills should be the government's top
priority.
"The government should focus on providing farmers with the tools they need
to succeed. Following that, we need land, capital or inputs for that land to
prosper."
Although currently she doesn't have a mentor, she has learned to rely on
those who know better than her.
"Don't think that you know more than farmers who have been doing it for
longer. Stay flexible! Be willing to learn. Also, chickens are like
children. Anything that makes them uncomfortable is going to affect their
performance.
Tamsin believes that women can become effective and active participants in
the industry only if they take up space.
"Make yourself visible and make yourself known among your male counterparts.
We get scrutinised more because we are females. Do what you do with gusto!"
She recommends that women who want to get into the industry read and do as
much research as possible before starting.
"Don’t start if you don’t have a production/execution plan," she says. "Have
enough starting capital. Don’t take on the journey if you think it’s going
to bring you loads of money in a short space of time. Ask for help when you
feel like you don’t know how to."
Future Plans
As an introverted extrovert Tamsin likes spending time outdoors when she is
not working.
"I love hiking and swimming," she says. "Having fun with friends and
spending time with my family are also important to me."
In the future, she says, she will expand capacity and move into my own space
by 2022.
"Farming and educating black farmers is a passion," she says. "It’s a fire I
cannot tame even though my bank account might disagree."
You can connect with Tamsin via Twitter and Instagram.
