Management: the key to improving soil health

Healthy soil is a crop farmer’s most important asset. Farmers Danie Bester and Tyson Zunckel, both of whom produce maize, soya bean and wheat, spoke to Magda du Toit about their soil-management practices.

-  Magda du Toit

Danie Bester farms on Rietbult near Balfour in Mpumalanga, and his scientific approach to production is well known in the industry at large. He does a great deal of research on soil health, and says that his entire farming operation is based on the improvement of his soil. “My whole operation changed the day I decided to focus on soil health, and I haven’t looked back since,” he explains.

Bester also stresses that South African farmers are actually farming water: “We must manage our available water resources effectively and optimally. For plants to grow, they need moisture in the soil, and for optimal moisture retention, we need healthy soil. Healthy soil is full of nutrients, and this forms the base of my production system.

“Sustainability and profitability are interlinked; you can’t have one without the other. However, both are dependent on a holistic approach to soil health and productivity.”

He says that proper water and soil management are two of the most important elements for carrying a farmer through difficult seasons.

According to him, 80% of his yield is determined by soil condition.

“Productivity is inherent in the soil. The availability and uptake of plant nutrients, as well as soil practices and moisture, are the factors that determine your yield and profitability. A healthy soil biology will unlock your soil’s potential, as it’s only through biological actions that the nutrients become available to plants in a usable form.

“The remaining 20% of my yield is determined by cultivar choice, my implements, and planter precision.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE