Field Crops

Hanro and Karin Knoetzen produce two varieties of figs on 8ha of their 600ha mixed-crop farm near Porterville in the Western Cape. While most of the crop is bound for the export market, surplus ripe figs are transformed into fig-based products for the local market.

In 2000, farmer Wilfred Stephan became one of the first producers in the Western Cape to grow table grapes under nets, a system that offers a multitude of benefits. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how he has adapted his infrastructure to save costs and improve its efficiency.

Pitso Sekhoto and his daughter Nono farm apples near Senekal in the Free State. The Sekhotos spoke to Gerhard Uys about orchard production, climate change and drought.

Dying trees in plum orchards, just a few years after planting, recently sparked alarm among Western Cape farmers, especially those in the Berg River region. Prof Piet Stassen, a private consultant and stone fruit rootstock expert, shared his recommendations on the subject with Jeandré du Preez.

The Ceres Plateau, only recently incorporated into South Africa’s Wine of Origin scheme, is establishing itself as one of the best wine-producing regions in the country. Kallie du Plessis and Hendri Carstens of the farm Dennekruin spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this exciting development.

Stephan Fourie, who produces potatoes near Frankfort in the Free State, believes that three pillars support success in farming: an excellent product, sound management and good labour relations.

Sugarcane farmer Brad O’Neill won the 2015 Nedbank Eston Show’s Farmer of the Year and Best Milling Cane award in the category 10 000t to 20 000t delivered in the 2014 season.

Fruit farmers in the Ceres Valley will have to manage their water strategically this season, as parts of the region received less than half the annual rainfall. Louis Reynolds of Fruitful Crop Advice provides some tips on reducing water losses.

The farm Matroozefontein has the most westerly citrus orchards and table grape vineyards in Southern Africa. In this arid area, farming under nets has proved a success.

All the production processes in the Uys family’s mixed farming enterprise, from grazing management to cash crops and cover crop production, occur in rotation to benefit one another as well as the soil.

Recently named the Agricultural Writer of SA’s Farmer of the Year for 2015, Piet Karsten has built a farming empire on the Orange River, where some of SA’s top export fruit is grown. Susan Marais visited the Karsten Group’s headquarters in Kanoneiland in the Northern Cape to learn more.

Soil quality determines the quality of produce, the volume of water needed to produce it and ultimately the production cost. Restoring degraded soil takes time, but thereafter production costs plummet. Jay Ferreira spoke to organic nut farmer Jeremy Bryant to learn more.

Viewing the current drought in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal within its historical context allows us to understand it better – and forecast more accurately what is to come. This is according to Dr Johan Malherbe from the Agricultural Research Council’s Institute for Soil, Climate and Water.

CEO of Agrivan Farming in North West, Werner du Plessis, spoke to Gerhard Uys about farming seed potatoes and how his business has remained at the top of its game for over 25 years.

A farmer can significantly reduce climate-associated risk with conservation farming practices. Western Cape farmer, Michael Dippenaar, shares his journey with Glenneis Kriel.

While Kakamas seedlings and Marianne are old favourites amongst stone fruit producers, new higher-producing rootstocks are becoming available. Dr Piet Stassen shared his findings with growers at an information day near Robertson.

Raka Wines started diversifying its farming business three years ago by introducing winter grains and canola. This was so successful that the enterprise’s canola crop achieved the highest yield in the 2014 Southern Cape canola competition.

The use of chemicals to control pests and diseases in crops is bad news for the environment and the farmer’s bottomline. During a visit early this year to South Africa, Graeme Sait, CEO of Nutri-Tech Solutions in Australia, offered cheaper, natural alternatives.

Last year, Gert Cilliers from Stella in North West decided to plant cotton for the first time since 1993. Gerhard Uys spoke to him about his decision.

The nature of the soil in the southern parts of the Western Cape has up to now limited the full implementation of no-till. However, Human Landboudienste recently tested a disk planter near Riviersonderend that shows a lot of promise in addressing this problem. Glenneis Kriel investigates.