The Team

Cobus Burger, managing director of NviroCrop, obtained his BSc(Agric) degree in 1991, majoring in soil science, agronomy and agricultural engineering. On completion, he started his own soil classification business and managed it successfully for four years. He then spent 12 years at a major fertilizer company as senior agronomist and manager of precision agriculture. Cobus has been closely involved with agronomy and precision agriculture in many African countries and abroad and with almost any type of crop. He is a registered professional natural scientist and member of professional societies of soil science, soil surveying and crop production.

Schalk Lubbe is a professional engineer and holds master's degrees in chemical engineering and business administration. In a 15-year corporate career, he has held positions in production, materials and project management, followed by a six-year stint as managing director of a major fertilizer company. Since 2005 he has been a private entrepreneur.

After completing bachelor's and honours degrees in accounting, Isabel Naude qualified as a chartered accountant at an international audit firm. She spent time in management and financial accounting in listed companies in the agricultural and telecommunications sectors.

Erik de Vries completed his Hons BSc(Agric) degree majoring in horticulture and agronomy/irrigation. As a student, he gained practical experience in the Netherlands and in Australia. After completing his degree he worked at a private fruit export company and as agronomist at a fertilizer company. He is an experienced agronomist in fruit, vegetable and cereal crops and a member of the Citrus Research Institute. At NviroCrop, Erik is the manager responsible for the Western Cape region of South Africa and other major fruit growing areas.

Jannie Putter completed his BSc Hons degree in plant ecology and pedology, followed by an MSc in urban ecology. He has also received formal training in resource identification and utilisation, focusing on geology, soil classification, field classification and resource planning. For most of his working career, Jannie has specialised in soil classification and has gained wide and intensive practical experience in this field. He is a member of the South African Soil Surveyors Organisation and the South African Society of Crop Production.

Deon van Zyl completed his BSc(Agric) degree majoring in agronomy and soil science. He is an experienced soil scientist and has had more than four years' intensive practical exposure to soil classification and precision agriculture.

After completing his four-year BAgric degree (majoring in agronomy and soil science), Louis Strydom worked in the USA for a year. He then returned to full-time farming on his family farm. Since joining the agricultural industry as a full-time soil scientist, he has been exposed to many different soil types and the effects of these on a variety of crops. He is a member of the South African Soil Surveyors Organisation.

Martin Harris holds a diploma and BTech degree in agriculture. After completing his full-time studies, he gained hands-on experience on a farm in the USA. He has also undergone rigorous practical training in soil classification and precision agriculture technologies.

Adri Meistrè completed her BSc Degree in Geography and Environmental Management in 2001 and started her career as a researcher in a seed laboratory. Six years ago she started to specialise in the Agricultural Geographic Information Systems. During this time she also completed her BSc Hons Degree in Geography and has undergone advanced GIS software training in the USA. She is a member of the Geo-Information Society of South Africa (GISSA).

Mariska Combrink specialised in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) while completing her BSc and BSc Hons degrees in Geography and Environmental Management. She has several years' experience in the application of GIS systems, particularly in agriculture. She is currently a council member of the Gauteng chapter of the Geo-Information Society of South Africa (GISSA).

Charmaine Wilson worked in the Netherlands for a year before joining a major agricultural laboratory in South Africa as a chemical analyst. She has subsequently gained experience in client liaison and GIS processing positions. She is currently completing a GIS Diploma and is a member of the Geo-Information Society of South Africa (GISSA).