Four years ago, JP de Villiers, who farms on Goedemoed in the Keisie Valley near Paarl, realised he could not continue farming as usual. He was applying more and more herbicides and fertilisers, and double doses of insecticides, with poorer and poorer results.
“I was struggling with weeds and red spider mite, and of the 83ha I have under fruit and wine grape production and 25ha under apricots and plums, the yield was less than 10t/ha,” he says.
“I was barely breaking even despite following production advice to the letter.”
Then Hardie Brink of Real IPM introduced De Villiers to Fritz Breytenbach in the Robertson Valley and Ted Stanford in Wolseley. Both farmers had achieved good results with farming practices that embraced nature, instead of trying to subdue it with chemicals.
Breytenbach used weeds as cover crops in his orchards and vineyards, and produced almost double the regional wine grape average.
De Villiers realised that soil health was at the root of his problem. He started researching alternative production methods on the Internet and visited 22 farmers to see what they were doing to improve their soil. “Many of these farmers still use conventional farming practices, but each of them did at least one thing that resonated with the regenerative farming philosophy, be it the use cover crops or mulch to keep the soil covered, minimum- to no-tillage to disturb the soil as little as possible, maintaining living roots in the ground year round, or the integration of livestock into their production systems,” says De Villiers.
REVELATIONS
This story is from the November 12, 2021 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 12, 2021 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Care of newborn lambs and goat kids
It may be a relatively simple task to successfully get rams to mate and for females to give birth, but the first couple of weeks of the life of a lamb or kid is a crucial period in livestock farming.
Don't ignore ChatGPT for one more day
If you are not using the free artificial intelligence app you’re missing out on assistance from the most potent personal assistant you could ever have.
Afternoon tea at the famous Mount Nelson
Brian Berkman says there’s not much to beat afternoon drinks and snacks served in the gardens at the newly refurbished Mount Nelson.
Starting a small-farm vegetable project: Part 4
Bill Kerr says that increasing the organic and microbe content of your soil is the first step to ensuring healthier crops and greater yields.
Luxurious and powerful workhorse at a great price
The new JAC T9 is certainly great value for money by offering features and driver comforts that compare with brands twice its retail price.
Are there solutions to antibiotic resistance, or are we running out of time to find new antibiotics?
Free State regional sales manager for Alltech, discusses how farmers can mitigate the use of antibiotics in cattle.
Dream stud Merinos
This stud was winning awards and attracting top prices, thanks to a quality sire imported from Australia eight years ago.
Choosing a breed that goes along with your lifestyle
Jarred Hodgson gives farmers advice on choosing the dog breed best suited to them, their families and operations. Although only four specific breeds are highlighted here, other breeds can also be considered.
Wheat production in South Africa
Master’s in Integrated Pest Management candidate at North-West University Zunel van Eeden explores the increasing importance of wheat production and the challenges experienced on the way to harvest time.
Sorghum essential for South Africa
Magda du Toit discusses Grain SA’s focus on sorghum as an important grain crop to cultivate, research and develop further in the country.