Go back to the basics for best production

Bennie Diedericks, head of consultants at Resalt, said at the SA Olive field day that farmers would succeed if they focused on the things under their control.

- Glenneis Kriel

Climate change, geopolitical tension, economic insecurity and changing market standards and demand can make one feel overwhelmed and uncertain about the future. At times like this, says Bennie Diedericks, head of consultants at Resalt, farmers are advised against wasting energy on the things they can do nothing about, or chasing the “next best thing”, and instead to focus their energy on the things they have control over and equip themselves with knowledge.

“Take a lesson from the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. He once complained in a newspaper article that people always asked him about changes to expect instead of what would stay the same in the future. He considered variables that stayed the same more important as these were usually the things people had some control over,” Diedericks said at the SA Olive field day held recently near Wellington.

Farm management should be holistic, it should take the economy, society and ecology into account, he said. To be sustainable a famer should maintain a balance between these three interactive components. 

FAST FACTS

Soil biology will improve once the chemical balance and soil structure have been restored. 

Build the soil’s organic content.

Bring back animals on farms. 

“The ecology is the biggest driver of a farmer’s success as it determines the size of the economy it can support. A farm is not a mine: if you only chase money without looking after the environment, the soil will become depleted and it will cost more and more to produce a viable harvest, until the sums no longer add up,” he said.