2023 Young farmer winner seeks the positive in every situation

Free State Agriculture’s 2023 Young Farmer of the Year is an optimistic young farmer who believes in seeking the positive in every situation. Lukas Lessing (26) from Marquard was announced as the 27th winner of the competition on 18 April 2023 during a grand event in Bloemfontein.

Lessing has been farming for a decade and doesn’t want to do anything else. He believes the fact that his father involved him in important decisions about farming from a young age is now producing positive results.

He is currently the general manager of the family farm and mainly operates crop farming (maize, soya and sunflower) and a smaller livestock branch.

The father of two also does not hesitate to step in himself where necessary and has therefore repeatedly scraped farm roads himself so that the farming activities can continue.

The emotional and financial well-being of their workers is important to Lessing and therefore the workers are encouraged to contribute to the farming which also benefits them.

Prof Pieter Fourie, convener of the judging panel and Head of the Department of Agriculture at the Central University of Technology (CUT), believes the three candidates were excellent and left the judges scratching their heads. “These are really three excellent young farmers. In addition to the fact that their separate farms are handled professionally, they are also each an asset to their respective communities.”

The other young farmers against whom Lessing competed were Hennie Geldenhuys from Excelsior and Hansie Müller from Viljoenskroon.

A quick profile of Lukas Lessing –  https://youtu.be/2sM8HfjzxB8