From Canada to the Cape: Exploring South African Agriculture with Winfield United | Villa Botcast

In this episode of the Villa Botcast, Winfield United Canada’s team embarks on an unforgettable journey through South Africa’s diverse agricultural landscapes. From the Cape Winelands to the Kruger National Park, the group explores local farming practices, mango production, and innovative crop protection solutions with experts from Villa Crop Protection and Winfield United South Africa.

Amid scorching summer temperatures, the delegation experiences the country’s agricultural richness, hospitality, and culture—gaining valuable insights into permanent crop management, adjuvant technology, and the shared challenges of farming across continents.

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Transcript

Hi there and welcome to the Villa Botcast. You're on-the-go audio hub for smarter crop protection. Just a heads up: this episode is voiced by AI, which means it might get a little creative with pronunciations now and then, but don't worry. All our content is written by real experts at Villa and carefully reviewed for accuracy. That means you get reliable, expert-backed information anytime, anywhere.

After the better part of 24 hours in transit, having crossed eight time zones and spending four hours in a trademark Cape Town traffic jam, Winfield United Canada's group of visitors faced one final challenge: stepping out of the air-conditioned tour bus into the oppressive, violent heat at Curitivo South in Wellington, where the mercury climbed to 37°C.

Most of the 45 Canadian visitors participating in the company's ultimate field trip—employees of Winfield United Canada, along with retailers, agents, growers, and clients—had never been to South Africa before. They arrived from some of the coldest parts of Canada in the depths of winter: Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, the company's Canadian base, where temperatures routinely plunge well below -20°C and can remain below zero degrees Celsius for weeks on end.

During a whirlwind tour that started on the 26th of February and ended on the 4th of March, the group explored the rich history of the Cape Winelands and the iconic sights of Cape Town before flying to Hoedspruit. They braved more heat as they viewed wildlife in the Kruger National Park and got acquainted with a crop they'd never encountered before: mangoes.

Thanks to the expert planning of Namaste Corporate Events, Winfield United SA's events partner, the itinerary struck a perfect balance, allowing ample leisure time to help the visitors adjust to the extreme temperature difference.

While navigating six jam-packed days of taking in the best South Africa has to offer, including an introduction to the pride of local agriculture, this group of retailers of Winfield United Canada visited South Africa as part of their incentives program to get acquainted with the Winfield United business in South Africa, says Jan Vermaak, CEO of Winfield United SA.

The group members are chiefly involved in the production of canola, wheat, soya, maize, and lentils. Winfield United is known for its strong adjuvant technology in crop protection, particularly on permanent crops, on which the company's South African business has done pioneering work in the past 6 to 7 years.

"This opportunity to immerse ourselves in South Africa's agricultural landscape was truly invaluable," says Alexandra Jewell, marketing lead at Winfield United Canada. "Our team, along with the retailers, was eager to understand the intricacies of local farming practices and how agriculture plays such a pivotal role in the country's economy. The warmth and hospitality we experienced from the locals made the entire trip even more memorable."

Official business started with an introduction to Winfield United SA's operations, with an overview by Dr. Todd Caldwell, veteran Land O'Lakes agronomist and liaison between the company's head office and international operations. Villa MD, Marius Boshoff, and Intellegro MD, AJ Griesel, discussed various aspects of Worcester's extensive business activities and the characteristics of South Africa's agricultural conditions and industries.

No visit to Worcester Western Cape operations is complete without a braai at Curitivo South's scenic farm premises in Wellington, and this time was no exception, giving the Canadians and the South African hosts ample opportunity to get to know one another.

Next up was a brandy blending experience at KWV in Paarl. While the Canadians on this tour were mostly involved in field crop production, they are not entirely unfamiliar with winemaking thanks to Canada's own world-class and successful wine industry in Ontario, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.

After spending the next morning and lunchtime at Webersburg in the Helderberg, one of the country's oldest wine estates, it was time to board a flight to the opposite end of the country: Limpopo, on the doorstep of the Kruger National Park.

"You've invested in top-tier crop protection. Don't let it go to waste. And MASTERLOCK—the adjuvant that unlocks true orchard performance. It's built for permanent crops with increased canopy penetration, reduced drift, and better spray coverage across every leaf. More absorption. Less bounce. Real impact. MASTERLOCK. Unleash the true potential of your orchard."

Here, they were treated to a talk about the wildlife of Kruger, followed by a late afternoon game drive and sundowners, while getting an up-close and personal account of Kruger on the ground from Villa agronomist and Kruger honorary ranger Vivian Butler.

The following day, the group visited the award-winning Malaysian mango farm and processing facility, where farm manager Jaco Viviers led a tour of the high-density, high-yield mango orchards. The farm produces several mango cultivars, including Tommy Atkins, Kate, and Sensation.

The visitors toured the packhouse, which is in use for only about four months of the year, the drying unit, which dries mangoes and other fruit throughout the year, and the Achar unit, which produces between 150 and 600 tonnes of Achar per year, depending on how much fruit is available for processing.

"What struck the group about Morality was the dedication behind cultivating such a unique and vibrant crop," Alexandra says.

Following another game drive, it was time to bid the Bushveld farewell and get ready to fly back to O.R. Tambo International Airport.

The group spent the last two days in Pretoria doing some last-minute gift shopping at Menlyn Park, one of Africa's largest shopping malls, and touring the imposing Voortrekker Monument, soaking up the history and the spectacular views from the top of the monument.

The camaraderie between the Canadians and their South African counterparts was truly heartwarming, and it felt like a celebration of shared creativity and laughter over a few brandy and Cokes.

Of course, that's it for this episode. Remember to ask your chemical advisor which products are best for your farm at Villa. Our products are almost always within reach and priced to compete thanks to our strong network of distributors. If you don't see it in one place, you'll find it in the next. You can also visit our website to get in touch with our trusted distributors.

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