King's Glen Farms - Home Page - Farming for the future

Peter and Pippa Gordon Grant purchased the farm King’s Glen (Post Houers Hoek) at the end of 1984 and moved on to start farming in January 1985. Their two children Heather and Conrad were 3 and 1 years old respectively.

The owner had been a farm manager for the past ten years in the Viljoenskroon and Port Elizabeth districts.

King’s Glen was originally 1500 hectares but with additional purchases is now 4200 hectares

of prime mixed sweet and sour grassland situated approximately 15 kilometers south of the town

of Molteno in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

The undulating grassland ranges up to mountainous grazing in the Bamboesberg, the southern

end of Drakensberg, between 5500 ft above sea level to 7000 ft above sea level. The climate is

extreme with short hot summers and long cold winters. Average rainfall is about 650mm per annum and the temperatures range from minus 15 degrees Celsius in the middle of winter to 34 degrees Celsius in summer. Snow is a common occurrence in winter.

Grade Sussex cattle and Dohne Merino sheep are raised on the property.

Holistic Resource Management has been practiced on the property for the last 20 years. Approximately 200 kms of electric fencing is used in the grazing system.

Blesbok, (Damaliscus dorcas phillipsi) Steenbok, (Raphicerus campestris) and the Grey Rheebok

(Pelea capreolus) are found on the properties. The Swainson’s partridge (Francolinus swainsonii) is found in the large numbers and in the mountains the Black Eagle ( Aquila verrauxii) is often seen. During the summer a Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus Vocifer) is often seen around the large irrigation dam. Numerous other species are also found. Lynx, Black Backed Jackal, Cape Fox and the Bat Eared Fox are also seen.

5 Families are employed full time and extra labour is used for shearing and any other work where extra help is needed. The permanent staff is housed in cottages on the property.

It is also the home of King’s Glen Steel, a light steel engineering business run by Conrad Gordon Grant. (www.kingsglensteel.co.za)

The “Touch the Sky” 4x4 trail is also situated on the farm and the trail incorporates visits to various San Rock Art sites. Separate tours to the sights can also be arranged.

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