The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) announced the winners of the 2025 National Master Dairyman Awards on Thursday, 13 November, at Lanzerac Estate in Stellenbosch.
This prestigious annual competition – a highlight of South Africa’s agricultural calendar – recognises outstanding performance by the country’s top dairy farmers. Winners are honoured across various categories for breeding genetically superior animals and for applying performance recording and testing as essential tools in herd improvement.
The winners of the 2025 ARC National Master Dairyman Awards are:
- Large-Scale Master Dairyman of the Year: JK Basson Family Trust, Darling, Western Cape
- Medium-Scale Master Dairyman of the Year: Van Niekerk Boerdery BK, Caledon, WC
- Small-Scale Master Dairyman of the Year: Letsolo PT Dairy, Sebokeng, Gauteng
- A new category, ARC Correctional Services Master Dairyman Of The Year: Goedemoed Correctional Services, Maletswai (Aliwal North), Eastern Cape
- Herd with the Best Somatic Cell Count: Packwood Farm, Knysna, WC, with 170 000 cells/ml
- Herd with the Best Intercalving Period: JK Basson Family Trust, Darling, WC, with an inter-calve period of 375 days
An honorary award was presented to Boy Blanckenberg of Klipheuwel near Durbanville, Western Cape, in recognition of his visionary leadership, tireless advocacy for dairy farmers, and decades of dedicated service to the South African dairy industry.
GLOBAL INSIGHTS FOR LOCAL EXCELLENCE
The awards ceremony also featured insights from the 2025 International Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit, held in Santiago, Chile, in October. Christine Leighton, Project Manager of Milk South Africa, shared key takeaways from the global event, which brought together more than 2 000 participants from across the world to discuss issues such as succession planning, rising input costs, labour shortages, and advances in robotic milking.
PARTNERS IN AGRICULTURAL EXCELLENCE
ARC President and CEO Dr Litha Magingxa and ARC Chairperson Joyene Isaacs congratulated the winners and reaffirmed the ARC’s commitment as a science and innovation partner to South Africa’s dairy farmers – working together towards a sustainable, equitable and future-ready industry.
The 2025 awards event was hosted by Agri-Expo on behalf of the National Milk Recording and Improvement Scheme of the ARC, with support from partners including the Department of Agriculture, Nedbank, Nova Feeds, Agri-Expo, Afgri, Semex South Africa, Dairy Management consulting (DMC), Meadow Feeds, World Wide Sires South Africa, Ecolab, Chemuniqué, Axiota® Animal Health, Hollard and the South African Society of Dairy Technology (SASDT).
The ARC’s National Milk Recording and Improvement Scheme plays a critical role in the dairy industry through the provision of genetic improvement services, accredited by the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR). The objective of the scheme is to enhance the sustainability and profitability of production, ultimately contributing to food security, job creation and human capital development.
A livestream of the awards can be viewed at https://www.agriexpo.co.za/arc. For more information, contact Hendrik de Waal at [email protected] or 082 775 7703.
