Taking on the farming industry

Breaking the glass ceiling step by step
Chantelle Mouton is a young farmer who started tapping into the industry at 21 years old.
Monique Adams
Born and raised in the busy city of Windhoek, Chantelle Mouton went to Elim Primary School and completed her secondary education at Delta Secondary School.

Once completing high school, she studied beauty therapy at the Beauty Therapy Institute and is currently a beauty therapist by profession.

Mouton mentioned how strict her parents were when she was growing up.

“I never wanted to disappoint my parents; from an early age I was taught to work hard and to be independent.

“My parents allowed me to make my own decisions and with this upbringing, I acquired a diverse set of skills, with me willingly wanting to learn more,” she said.

A beauty therapist and a part-time farmer

At the age of 21, Mouton started to develop a passion for farming. On weekends, she would go to the farm with her parents as her father was born and raised on the farm.

After her father made a purchase of his own farm, as a family they all got into the farming industry.

“I remember I once went to a Bonsmara auction hosted by Dr Joggie Bredenham and it was amazing to see the quality and condition of the Bonsmara cattle.

“It was fascinating to see how much they invest into these Bonsmara and the returns,” Mouton said.

She added that that was the day that inspired her. After that, her father bought a bull and a few heifers and this was when she got to learn old traditional way of rearing cattle. She has also attended a few agricultural courses such as farm management at Agra-Provion.

One of the challenges the young Mouton has faced so far was the Covid-19 pandemic. She said the last two years have been very challenging for her business and personal life.

How she overcame this challenge was by intentionally focusing on giving herself more ‘me time’.

After a heavy storm, a rainbow shines through, she said, adding that one of her highlights so far is obtaining her CE [truck] licence and recently buying a stud Bonsmara bull.

Six fun facts

1. I have a dry sense of humor

2. I cannot swim

3. I am very adventurous

4. I am absolutely in love with the South African personality Bonang Matheba

5. I have a passion for racing horses

6. I am a truck driver

“In the next five years, I want to be successful on my own farm and be able to live off my farm. I also want to inspire young people to get into the farming industry,” Mouton said.

Her advice to young people is to always be a learner and to follow their dreams.

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Republikein 2024-11-23

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