GATEWAY TO AGRICULTURE ANNUAL REPORT
Wine Industry SA Young Wine Show Veritas Dairy Industry South African Dairy Championships Du Pont Qualité Awards Dinner World Jersey Cheese Awards SA Cheese Festival Livestock Agri-Expo Livestock Equestrian Industry Lanzerac Ready To Run Sale Ready To Run Sale Inanda Club Cape Premier Yearling Sale March Yearling Sale Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale PAGE 1-2 PAGE 3-6 PAGE 7 PAGE 8-9 INDEX Member Shows Agricultural Writers Association Cape Women s Agricultural Association (CWAA) Conservation Royal Agricultural Society Of The Commonwealth (RASC) Youth Youth Shows Agricultural Schools PAGE 10-11 PAGE 12 General Personnel Finance Conclusion PAGE 13 PAGE 14 PAGE 14 PAGE 14 AGRI-EXPO IS A PROFESSIONAL PROMOTION AND MARKETING ORGANIZATION FOR THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN THE WESTERN CAPE, FOCUSING ON EXHIBITIONS AND OTHER PUBLIC RELATIONS INITIATIVES, IN THE INTEREST OF ITS MEMBERS, AGRICULTURAL ROLE PLAYERS,THE GOVERNMENT, THE MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC.
WINE INDUSTRY S A Y O U N G W I N E S H O W THE SOUTH AFRICAN YOUNG WINE SHOW GIVES WINEMAKERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE THEIR BEST WINES OF THE CUR- RENT VINTAGE. The show dates back to 1833 when the Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Society presented the first wine show in South Africa. This makes the SA Young Wine Show the oldest wine competition in South Africa. In addition to the 17 SA championship trophies, the impressive General Smuts Trophy introduced in 1952 for the overall SA Champion Young Wine, are also at stake. This year the General Smuts trophy went to Boland Cellar with their Chenin Blanc. Agri-Expo hosted the awards ceremony at the Grand West Casino Complex. Entries are adjudicated by specialist panels of seven judges drawn from winemakers or wine experts with a formal qualification and specialist knowledge of specific wine styles. An eighth junior judge per panel has been introduced to train future judges. The mission of the South African Young Wine Show is to judge the quality of wines that are still in their infancy, i.e. within the year of production before they are finally blended and bottled. In this way, the industry can give recognition to the production capabilities of a wine cellar. Very few of these wines are for sale or in their final form at the time of being judged. The eight participating wine regions are Robertson, Worcester/Breedekloof, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Oranje-Vaal, Olifants River, Swartland and Little Karoo and champions are crowned in the following categories: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Other White Cultivar, Dry White Blend, Sweetish Wine, Noble Late Harvest, Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Other Red Cultivar, Dry Red Blend, Port, Dessert Wine and Muscadel. Boland cellarmaster Bernard Smuts celebrates overall victory at the 2014 SA Young Wine Awards Agri-Expo also took initiative to invite 10 students from the University of Stellenbosch and 10 from Elsenburg Agricultural College to attend the tasting and awards function. This initiative is to promote the Young Wine Show to young and upcoming winemakers. WINE INDUSTRY 2015 1
WINE INDUSTRY V E R I T A S THE VERITAS AWARDS IS THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS WINE COMPETITION IN SOUTH AFRICA AND IS SYNONYMOUS WITH EXCELLENCE IN WINE. The organisers, the South African National Wine Show Association (SANWSA), represents the full spectrum of the industry. Agri-Expo, as a partner of SANWSA is represented on the Board and sponsors the awards ceremony. After two decades the Veritas Awards has earned its reputation as South Africa s most authoritative and credible competition for market ready wines. The Awards with its coveted Veritas emblem, has become synonymous with top quality wines. The first National Bottled Wine Show in South Africa was introduced by the SANWSA in 1990 and renamed the Veritas Awards from 1991. This year 1 767 wines and brandies competed for Veritas glory. Red Blends, with 252 entries, was the largest class followed by Shiraz with 190 entries and Sauvignon Blanc with 189. The category for brandy drew 31 standard and pot still brandies. After five days of rigorous appraisal, a total of 51 double gold, 155 gold, 538 silver and 601 bronze medals were awarded. KWV triumphed as best wine producer for the fourth consecutive year winning 7 double gold and 10 gold medals. Spier scooped 7 double gold and 6 gold medals followed by Nederburg with 6 double gold and 10 gold medals. VERITAS / QUALITÉ CHEESE TASTINGS To further extend the partnership between Agri-Expo and the South African National Wine Show Association (SANWSA), Qualité cheeses are tasted with the double gold and gold Veritas wines during three exclusive public tastings, introducing this combination to approximately 1 200 members of the public. The tastings were held in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban and the events serve as the ideal platform to promote the Qualité mark as a trustworthy indicator of dairy quality in South Africa. Charles Hopkins, president of Veritas, gives his speech at the dinner. WINE INDUSTRY 2015 2
DAIRY INDUSTRY S O U T H A F R I C A N D A I R Y C H A M P I O N S H I P S The South African Dairy Championships took place on 11 March 2015 in the Cape Town International Convention Centre. 61 Judges participated in this event that was sponsored by DuPont and made history with a record number of 879 product entries from 80 producers. The judges agreed that South African dairy products are of exceptional quality and although this is a unique competition in South Africa, it is still of world-class standard with outstanding quality products. The growing interest in the competition resulted in a 17 percent increase in producer participation, which shows a growing need to benchmark their products at a national standard. Francois Colyn from Clover SA judging the cheese catagory. The aim of the championships is to continuously improve the quality of dairy products, to measure products against each other and to utilise the awards in marketing campaigns. The SA Champions are winners in each of the 95 classes in the eight categories, namely cheese, butter, yoghurt, dairy dessert, cottage cheese, ice cream, cultured and flavoured milk and dairy dips. The Qualité mark is awarded to products of excellence and the overall winning product receive the Dairy Product of the Year accolade. Back: Johan Ehlers, CEO of Agri-Expo and organisers of the SA Dairy Championships; Craig Cormack, Chef:Goose Roasters; Kobus Mulder, Chief Judge; Rudi Liebenberg, Executive Chef: Mount Nelson; Ian Bergh, Chef: De Grendel Restaurant; Christo Pretorius, Executive Chef: Azure Restaurant. Front: Tanja Kruger, Chef: Makaron Restaurant; Pete Goffe-Wood, Chef: Kitchen Cowboys; Abigail Donnelly, Editor: Eat Out Magazine & Food Editor: Taste Magazine; Darren Badenhorst, Executive Chef: Grand Provence. Charl du Plessis from Parmalat SA judges the milk products catagory. DAIRY INDUSTRY 2015 3
DAIRY INDUSTRY D U P O N T Q U A L I T É A W A R D S D I N N E R Marcel s Frozen Yoghurt scooped away top honours from all cheeses, butters, ice creams and milk by winning the prestigious title of the 2015 South African Dairy Product of the Year for their Woolworth s Tropical Fruit Frozen Yoghurt. This was announced at the DuPont Qualité Awards Dinner at Grand West Casino on Wednesday 22 April 2015. The event was sponsored by Du Pont. Qualité is the mark of excellence for dairy products in South Africa and twelve products received the award this year. They are a Baby Gouda from Ladismith Cheese, Karoo Crumble from Langbaken Karoo Cheese, Renosterbos Estate from Foxenburg Estate, Food Lover s Market Low Fat Butter Toffee Flavoured Milk from Fairfield Dairy, Woolworths Tropical Fruit Frozen Yoghurt from Marcel s Frozen Yoghurt, Huguenot matured for 12 months from Dalewood Fromage, Lanquedoc from Dalewood Fromage, Woolworths Cream Cheese Roulade from Fairview Cheese Company, Woolworths Chevin with Garlic & Herbs from Fairview Cheese Company, Salmon Flavoured Low Fat Cream Cheese from Parmalat SA, Simonsberg Low Fat Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese from Parmalat SA and Woolworths Matured White Cheddar 18 months old from Parmalat SA. It is the first time since the inception of the Qualité Awards in 2001 that a Frozen Yoghurt achieved this accolade. What makes this award so special is that it was achieved in a year with a record number of 879 entries from 80 producers. Sixty one Judges, consisting of sensory evaluators, manufacturers, chefs and food writers had a challenging task to judge 879 products in the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 11 March 2015. Ninety five of these products were awarded South African Champions and twelve received the Qualité award. Front: Kieran Quinn (DuPont), Marianne Hemmes (Foxenburg Estate), Tracey Falconer (Dalewood Fromage), Jolette Wilmont (Dalewood Fromage), Biyela Bulelwa (Parmalat SA), Leonore Daniels (Parmalat SA). Back: Keith Steainbank (Fairfield Dairy), Jacques van de Haar (Marcel s), Johan Ehlers (Agri-Expo), Ernest Slabber (Ladismith Cheese), Bruce Rowbotham (Fairview), Michael Visagie (Fairview) DAIRY INDUSTRY 2015 4
DAIRY INDUSTRY W O R L D J E R S E Y C H E E S E A W A R D S The judging of the 4th World Jersey Cheese Awards took place on Friday, 12 September 2014 in Stellenbosch. It is the first time that this competition was hosted in South Africa. Cheese makers from around the world were invited to enter their cheese, which must be made from 100% Jersey milk. 66 Cheese products from the Netherlands, Denmark, South Africa, USA, Switzerland, Italy, the United Kingdom and France were entered this year and competed in eight (8) different classes. A competition of this nature, where perishable products are transported and handled under specific temperature controlled conditions and have to comply to strict international and South African regulations, requires expertise of a very high standard. The composition of the judging panel for the category World s Best Jersey Cheese included cheese makers, chefs and sensory and technical experts. The chief judge was Kobus Mulder, an internationally renowned cheese judge. The other judges were James Godfrey from the World Jersey Cattle Bureau, Leonard Majampa, Cheese Maker and Factory Manager of the Dairy Department at Rhodes Food Group, Bruce Rowbotham, Head Cheese Maker at Fairview Cheese, Mark Pepper, Operations Manager at Fair Cape Dairies, Alan Fourie, Senior Applications Specialist at DuPont Nutrition & Health, Claire Goosen, Cheese Culture Specialist and Sales Manager at Lake Foods, Graham Sutherland, Speciality Cheese Production Manager at Simonsberg Cheese and Tanja Kruger, Head Chef at Majeka House s Makaron Restaurant. Agri-Expo, presenters of the annual and world-renowned South African Dairy Championships, has the knowledge and systems to ensure adherence to the high standards required for a competition of this stature. The gold medal winners in each class competed for the prestigious title of World s Best Jersey Cheese. An additional category was judged to determine the Best use of the Jersey Brand. Winning an award in this competition, especially a gold medal, has a direct impact on cheese producers in terms of marketing opportunities and increased sales. The judges of the category Best use of the Jersey Brand include Kobus Mulder, James Godfrey, Gielie de Kock from Jersey SA, Johan Ehlers from Agri-Expo and Elma Brand from Agri Mega Group. The winners were announced at the National Jersey Gala evening and Prize giving dinner on 19 September 2014 during the Agri Mega Week, Bredasdorp. DAIRY INDUSTRY 2015 5
DAIRY INDUSTRY S A C H E E S E F E S T I V A L NEARLY 30 000 CHEESE LOVERS ATTENDED THE 2015 SOUTH AFRICAN CHEESE FESTIVAL AT SANDRINGHAM IN STELLENBOSCH. AN EVENT OF THIS MAGNITUDE IS A MAJOR BOOST FOR THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND IMPACTS MUCH FURTHER THAN THE FESTIVAL GROUNDS. The theme of innovation inspired exhibitors to present creative products at the festival. Kasselshoop Cheddar Melts was voted Most Innovative Product at the 2015 SA Cheese Festival by the public. Media partnerships definitely boosted the marketing and advert budget with media coverage generated for the festival exceeding 17 million rand. Social media increased significantly with Facebook likes, increasing from 6194 to 7916 and Twitter followers increasing from 1113 to 1665. Festival goers enjoyed a wide variety of over 400 cheeses, ranging from national cheese brands to unique artisanal cheeses and it was encouraging to once again see new brands featuring at the festival. Galbani, winner of the Best Stand award in the National Cheese category, is a newcomer to the SA Cheese Festival. A new addition to this year s festival was the Cape Made: Taste the Alternative project, in association with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. Due to the success of this partnership, the project will be expanded in 2016. The South African Cheese Festival remains the biggest platform for cheese makers to showcase their products to a captured audience and to stimulate market growth. DAIRY INDUSTRY 2015 6
LIVESTOCK AGRI-EXPO LIVESTOCK Agri-Expo Livestock took place from 6-8 November 2014 at Sandringham, Stellenbosch and this new showcase of the dairy and meat industries is regarded as the gold standard of the livestock industry since its inception. This new event is supported by Breeder s Associations such as Ayrshire SA, SA Holstein, Jersey SA, the Western and Southern Cape Angus Club, as well as industry organisations such as MPO (Milk Producers Organisation) and RPO (Red Meat Producers Organisation). Some of the highlights included the Breed Championships, with close to 100 classes where in animals were showed and the Santam Youth Show that took place in the Nova Show Arena. The crowning of the Absa Dairy Queen and the BKB Red Meat King and Queen were the ultimate highlights of the event. The BKB Red Meat King is a black Angus bull (FG12-132) of the Fredericksburg Angus Stud in Franschhoek and the BKB Red Meat Queen is a red Angus cow (Vredenheim Nelmari) of Coenraad and Basie Bezuidenhout s Vredenheim Stud in Stellenbosch. Both stud farms are renowned for the extraordinary animals they breed annually in the Western Cape. Brett Puttergill of Puttergill Holsteins in Thornhill, Eastern Cape is the proud owner of the Holstein cow (Puttergill Goldwin Sweety 969) that was crowned as the Absa Dairy Queen on Saturday. The team of experienced judges was Mary Creek from Maryland, Washington DC in America, Klasie Loubser from Vredenburg in the Western Cape, Piet Delport from Sweizer Reineke in Nort West, Niel Jansen van Rensburg from Secunda, Mpumalanga and Wikus van der Merwe from Bloemfontein in the Free State. VISITORS HAD A PRIMARY AGRI- CULTURE EXPERIENCE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME WERE EXPOSED TO THE PRODUCT CHAIN OF THESE INDUSTRIES. Dairy and red meat demonstrations took place in the Woolworths Dairy Pantry and the Meat Kitchen respectively. A Milk Goat Information Day, focussed on milk goat breeders, emerging farmers, milk goat processors and cheese makers was hosted on Friday, 7 November by experts in this industry. The programme was convened by Donald Mouton of Fairview, a well-known leader in the milk goat industry. The Western Cape Elite Dairy Farmer of the Year Awards Dinner took place on Thursday, 6 November. The event was sponsored by SA Studbook to promote and award excellence in the industry. Agri-Expo and Cadek Media signed a collaborative agreement that entails the co-location of Agri-Expo Livestock and Agriworks Farmers Expo. The two shows complement each other and add more value to producers, exhibitors and visitors. The Puttergills with their champion, the ABSA Dairy Queen. LIVESTOCK 2015 7
EQUESTRIAN SALES CAPE THOROUGHBRED SALES (CTS) once again contracted Agri-Expo to run five different auctions. Agri-Expo was contracted to run all the logistics and setup for the sale, as well as the welfare and safety of the horses, prior, during and after the sale. CTS was responsible for the actual sale itself. All the sales are recorded and there was live web-streaming on the CTS website while the sale was taking place. READY TO RUN SALE INANDA CLUB SANDTON JOHANNESBURG: 30 OCTOBER 2014 This was the first time that CTS ran a sale in Gauteng and the first time that Agri-Expo worked in Johannesburg, although not the first time outside of the Western Cape (2004 to 2009 we ran sales in Natal for the TBA). 146 Horses were catalogued. The gallops took place in Natal on the Summerhill Stud Farm 10 days prior to the horses arriving in Sandton. LANZERAC READY TO RUN SALE DURBANVILLE RACE COURSE: 4 OCTOBER 181 Horses were catalogued. Agri-Expo ran the gallops on Thursday 2 October, with CTS serving a lavish breakfast in the marquee tent overlooking the 50m straight to the winning post. Each of the gallops were captured on video and then later uploaded to the CTS website. Friday was the main viewing day for the buyers and the sale run on the Saturday together with the Kuda Race Day. The aggregate was R32 510 000.00 A 1250m² marquee tent was set up on the Polo Field for the sale. Viewing of the horses took place the week prior to the sale on the Friday evening. The aggregate was R24 680 000.00. EQUESTRIAN 2015 8
EQUESTRIAN CAPE PREMIER YEARLING SALE CTICC CAPE TOWN: 22 & 23 JANUARY This was the 5th anniversary of this sale and 200 yearlings were catalogued. This sale continues to grow in stature in the international market even though South Africa is still hampered by moving horses out of the country to Europe and America. At the time of going to print, SA horses have had to do quarantine in SA and then fly to Mauritius to spend more time in quarantine before they could depart to their destination. The trend for foreign buyers is now to buy at the sale, race them for the start of their career and then assess whether they are worth moving to foreign countries. Despite this, there was still very strong interest and foreign buying power at the sale. 2015 saw an all time South African record price of R5 200 000.00 for a yearling from Highlands farm. The aggregate was a record R120 450 000.00 MARCH YEARLING SALE DURBANVILLE RACE COURSE: 22 MARCH There were 258 yearlings catalogued and CTS invited trainers from all over South Africa for the sale. Each year the sale is growing in stature and this year it had to be moved to a marquee tent on the inside of the track to cater for the increase in attendees. The aggregate was R28 235 000.00 EMPERORS PALACE SELECT YEARLING SALE GAUTENG: 17 APRIL This sale was for the top 123 yearlings who were too immature for the Cape Premier Sale at CTICC, but were still judged to be select. The stables were set up in a car park alongside the D oreale Grande Hotel and a small walking ring was built for the horses to exercise in. The sale was run at the Emperors Palace on the lawns of the 5 Star Hotel. It is a truly magnificent garden centralised around a swimming pool. To fit in all the guests a deck was built over half the pool and a huge bedouin erected over the deck. The aggregate was R44 450 000.00. EQUESTRIAN 2015 9
MEMBER SHOWS WESTERN CAPE POULTRY CLUB Agri-Expo sponsors 21 agricultural shows that are members of the Society and promotes the image of agriculture in their environment. A variety of national, provincial and regional championships of exceptional quality are presented annually at these shows. Animals and products improve annually and the National Championships attracts large numbers from across South Africa as well as overseas. In addition to these, youth shows, emerging farmer shows and poultry shows are also presented. The annual Western Cape Poultry Club championships was held from 13 to 15 June 2015 in Villiersdorp and the total entries were 1 117 from 31 exhibitors. These entries represented 89 different breed varieties of chickens, geese, turkeys and eggs. Agri-Expo presented a member show conference on 4 and 5 June this year at the Protea Hotel, Stellenbosch. The focus of this year s conference was the future challenges with a younger generation that thinks and acts differently. Agri-Expo staff members exchanged ideas and tips with member shows to assist them to better position themselves in terms of social media, registration and other future challenges. The conference was well received by delegates and a spirit of optimism was clearly visible. The annual general meeting was held during the conference on 5 June. At this meeting, show dates for the next year, challenges in the show industry and opportunities relating to shows, were discussed. It was the first time that this championship was held in Villiersdorp and the exhibitors were very impressed with the layout and safety of the show grounds. Various schools were invited to attend the show and they fully enjoyed it. This year the show attracted huge interest amongst the general public and judges were impressed with the quality and condition of the poultry. Agri-Expo is proud of the manner in which the Western Cape Poultry Club promotes the pure-bred poultry. Agricultural shows in the Western Cape are an integral part of the rural communities and play a huge role to create a platform where agricultural products can be measured against each other for quality improvement. MEMBER SHOWS 2015 10
MEMBER SHOWS NATIONAL POULTRY SHOW The Western Cape Poultry Club presented the National Championships in 2010 and 2013 and was privileged to host this prestige show again at Mega Park in Bredasdorp this year. A floating trophy for the best small club in the Western Cape was made available by Agri-Expo to serve as incentive for the most enthusiastic club. This year the trophy was won by Ceres / Koue Bokkeveld Club. 97 Exhibitors from across the country entered 3054 chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys and eggs, representing 124 different breeds. Agri-Expo annually supports the Western Cape Poultry Club during their shows and is also the patron of the Club. WESTERN CAPE VETERAN TRACTOR & ENGINE CLUB The annual club show took place on 8 and 9 August in Malmesbury. This organisation preserves the history of our agricultural practices and therefore Agri-Expo sponsors this show. The Ceres/Koue Bokkeveld Club won the Agri-Expo trophy. Cordré Smith, secretary of the club, is holding the trophy. This year more than 3000 visitors had the opportunity to see about 200 veteran tractors, 50 stationary engines and a huge amount of farm implements and vehicles. The theme was LANZ and 22 of these special Lanz tractors were displayed. The impressive grain industry exhibition and donkey-baler was very popular. MEMBER SHOWS 2015 11
YOUTH YOUTH SHOW Agri-Expo acts as main sponsor of the Western Cape Agricultural Youth Association. This is an independent organization working for the promotion of agriculture among the youth in the Western Cape through youth shows. Seven regional shows were presented with 701 learners who participated, the most ever in the history of youth shows in the Western Cape. These regional shows were presented at: Swellendam 146, Eden 140, Cederberg 145, Overberg 56, Swartland 77, Herold 50 and Boland 87. Participants must qualify at these regional shows to be invited to the Agri-Expo Western Cape Championships. Learners participate in the following divisions: Swellendam: Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Horses, Milk Goat, Wool Sheep, Mutton Goat, and Mutton Sheep Eden: Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Angora Goat, Wool Sheep, Mutton Sheep, Poultry and Horses Cederberg: Milk Goat, Mutton Goat, Angora Goat, Wool Sheep, Mutton Sheep and Cullinary Arts Overberg: Mutton Sheep, Dairy Cattle, Milk Goat, Wool Sheep and Mutton Sheep Swartland: Beef Cattle, Wool Sheep, Mutton Sheep, Milk Goat, Mutton Goat and Angora Goat Herold: Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Wool Sheep, Mutton Sheep, Mutton Goat, Milk Goat and Angora Goat Boland: Beef Cattle, Mutton Goat, Angora Goat, Horses, Wool Sheep, Mutton Sheep and Milk Goat Training and development was presented at a sports day at FD Conradie, Prince Alfred Hamlet for new entrants and interested learners and keen interest currently prevails in this region. The Agri-Expo Western Cape Youth Show Championships took place on 30 April and 1 May in Clanwilliam and the standard of participation across the Western Cape was of outstanding quality. A total of 119 participants took part in these championships. The National Youth Show Championships was presented in Vryburg, North West in September this year. The Western Cape team again prevailed and was crowned champions of this competition for the ninth consecutive time. AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS Agri-Expo annually supports three agricultural schools in the Western Cape with bursaries during their prize-giving. These bursary allocations are awarded to students who excel on academic and agricultural levels throughout the year. The utilization and management of these funds was thoroughly investigated and the outcome was particularly positive. Agri - Expo has a long relationship with these three agricultural schools and believes that this relationship will grow from strength to strength. YOUTH 2015 12
GENERAL AGRICULTURAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION Agri-Expo is a member of the Western Cape branch of the Agricultural Writers Association and Porchia Adams, Corporate Communications Manager, currently serves as vice-chairperson of the branch. Agri-Expo hosted the 34th Agricultural Writers SA annual national BKB photo competition for agriculture media. All the logistical arrangements and entries for the competition is handled by the Agri-Expo staff. CAPE WOMEN S AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION (CWAA) The CWAA s 85th Annual Congress took place in Upington from 19-21 August 2014. Agri-Expo is a proud financial partner of the assocation. CONSERVATION Agri-Expo supports different projects of the WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature), of which one is the conservation of the riverine rabbit, whose habitat is threatened by agricultural practices. The WWF was once again one of the beneficiaries of the SA Cheese Festival. Agri-Expo also supports the Eco-School s programme to make learners aware of conservation in rural areas. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF THE COMMONWEALTH (RASC) The congress theme "The sustainability of today's Agriculture Shows " was well received as new ideas are needed in the challenging show industry around the world. The congress was opened by the RASC's President, HRH the Crown Princess Anne, with a message of hope to every agricultural society across the commonwealth. The Chief Executive Officer, mr Johan Ehlers and Commodity Manager, mr Breyton Milford attended the conference on behalf of Agri-Expo. Strategies to keep pace with changes, bio-security, crisis management during a show, optimal utilization and planning of showgrounds and the relevance of competitions in the 21st century were some of the topics that were discussed by a group of distinguished speakers from around the world. Mr Breyton Milford was also approached by the New Generation Forum to take part in a panel discussion at the congress that specifically focused on what should be done to keep people in rural areas. He used the South African wine industry as an example where winegrowers established cellars on their farms to promote tourism and create jobs. The RASC aims to bring together more than 60 agricultural shows from 25 countries around the commonwealth during this bi-annual congress to exchange ideas, network, to find solutions to challenges in the show industry and to strengthen the relationship between agricultural shows. The 27th RASC congress will take place in Singapore in 2016. Agri-Expo is a member of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) and was invited to attend the 25th congress in Brisbane, Australia from 21 to 24 October 2014. ALGEMEEN 2015 13
PERSONNEL Agri-Expo took strategic decisions in terms of the personnel after the resignation of two staff members, ms Mariana Rabie, Sponsorship Administrator and ms Lara Manig, Client Co-ordinator. Ms Elsa Visser was promoted to Client Co-ordinator and we welcome ms Claudine Wagner in her new position as Events Assistant. The position of Sponsorship Administrator was vacant at the end of this budget year. We wish to congratulate ms Porchia Adams with her appointment as the first female member on the Milk SA board since January 2015. FINANCES Against a background of volatile returns over the past 12 months, it is with great relief that we can report that Agri-Expo's investment portfolio has reached the pre-discussed performance objective. During the period there were many changes to the portfolio in an effort to diversify risk factors and to adjust asset class allocations to accommodate changing market conditions. The portfolio for the 12 months up to 30 June 2015 scored a total return of 8.32 %, while the JSE over the same period achieved a total return of 4.79 %. Current market conditions offer many challenges for South African fund managers because our economy is so dependent on foreign factors. Among other things, commodity prices over the period referred to came under severe pressure and the JSE RESI index lost an alarming 28.84 % for the 12 months to 30 June 2015. The expectation that interest rates in the United States will increase, as well as internal issues (such as lack of electricity and unrest in the country's labor market) has led to the Rand being under pressure last year and weakened overall by 13.52 % against the US dollar. In an effort to curb the associated risk of excessive inflation, the Reserve Bank increased the interest rates by 25 basis points. It is expected that the country will remain in an upward interest rate cycle, regardless of the prospect of struggling internal growth. CONCLUSION The 2014/2015 financial year had many highlights and successes and we are proud of the accomplishments achieved and the new heights that were reached. Each staff member did more than their share and the team tackled each project with great enthusiasm. We look forward to the year ahead, especially all the new projects that await us, but in particular the celebration of our 185th anniversary. We have a rich and proud heritage to look back on. Following our cautious outlook on the valuations of domestic stocks, it is important to highlight that the portfolio achieved the said proceeds with only a 20 % allocation to South African shares and an additional 12 % allocation to foreign equities. The investment was well positioned for the period to take advantage of the excellent returns of the domestic and foreign property market, with an average allocation of between 5 % and 8 % over the period. Hedge funds that currently consist of close to 30 % of the portfolio flourished under volatile market conditions and was the largest contribution to the total return of the portfolio. PERSONNEL CONCLUSION 2015 14