Farmer’s Weekly – 09 August 2019

“Thetrialwillincludewinter

andsummercovercrops,high-

intensitygrazing,cashcrops,

pollinatorstripsandevenhoney

production,”saysStrauss.“We’ve

alsointroducedbiocharonhalf

ofeachofthelandsthatform

partofthetrialtotrytobuild soil

carbonasquicklyaspossible.

“Theideais toproducecash

cropswithnoartificialinputs

withinthreeseasons.”

• EmailDrJohannStraussat
  [email protected]. ▪FW

Don’tgocolDturkey

Graduallyreducechemicalusageas the

healthof yoursoilimproves.Simply

stoppingwithouta back-upplanto

replenishlostnutrientswillaffectyield,

andhenceprofit.“Goingchemical-

freeis a journey,nota destination.It

takestime,”saysDrJohannStrauss.

testbeforeyougobig

Soilandclimaticconditionsvaryfrom

oneregiontoanother.Whensomebody

recommendsa productoryouseea

productortechniqueworkingonyour

neighbour’sfarm,testit ona small

scalebeforeusingit onyourentire

farm.In thisway,youcancomparethe

effectof theinterventionswithwhat’s

happeningontherestof yourfarm.

usealternativeforms

offertiliser

Manyregenerativefarmersin the

UShavebeenabletodownscaleand

sometimesgocompletelychemical-

freethankstotheuseof chicken

manure,compost,compostteasor

otheralternativematerial.Animals

suchas chicken,cattleandsheepform

anintegralpartof thesefarms.“A

combinationof syntheticandorganic

is alsoanoption,”saysStrauss.

builDsoilhealth

Investin practicesthathelpimprovesoil

structureandhealth,suchas reduced

tillage,stubbleretentionandcroprotation.

Theseultimatelyresultin healthier

plants,improvedsoilstructure,higher

availabilityof soilnutrientsandgreater

biodiversity.In turn,thisleadstoa lower

fertiliserandpesticiderequirement.

avoiDcompaction

Problemscausedbyimplements,suchas

compaction,cannotbecorrectedwith

implements.“Theeffectof ploughing

onsoillifeis similartohumansgetting

hitbyanearthquake,tornado,volcanic

eruptionandhurricaneall at thesame

time.Souseminimum-tillas faras possible

andcarefullymanageanimalsonlands

toavoidcompaction,”saysStrauss.

makethesystem

workforyou

Don’tcreateoneblanketfarm

managementrecipeandfollowit blindly.

Observewhat’shappeningin yourlands

andadjusttheprogrammeas needed.

use other crops

Crop rotation helps reduce disease

threats by bringing more diversity to

production. In addition, however, each

crop has its own benefits. Some, for

example, help improve the nutrient status

of the soil. Various trials in the Western

Cape have shown that wheat planted

after lupines, faba beans, vetch and peas

produce a higher yield than when planted

after wheat or even after canola.

Tips for going chemical-free

48 farmer’sweekly 9 AUGUST 2019

soil health Crop Rotation

Averagewheatyieldsandpercentageimprovementsin

uniquecroprotationcombinationsat theLanggewens

ExperimentalFarm,runningfrom 1997 to2015.(M= medics,

C =canola,Mc= medicsclover,L = lupines,W= wheat)

Orderofrotation Yield(kg/ha)

Percentage

improvement

MCMW 3546 37

MWMW 3473 34

McWMcW 3422 32

CWLW 3415 32

WLCW 3390 31

LWCW 3179 23

WWCW 3074 19

LCWW 3064 18

WCWW 2913 13

CWWW 2694 4

WWWW 2589 0

rows, giving a farmer the
opportunity to earn income from
two crops rather than one.
Companion cropping is
another useful practice. Here,
two crops are planted, the first
being the cash crop and the
other playing a supportive role.
The combination of maize and
clover is an example of this.
Ideally, however, at least
three crops should be
rotated, says Strauss.
The choice of crops and the
manner in which they are
incorporated in a rotation will
depend on production goals as
well as production conditions.

regenerative
agriculture
The Western Cape Department
of Agriculture this year started
trials on regenerative agriculture
at its Tygerhoek Research
Farm near Riviersonderend.
“In my opinion, regenerative
farming is a more refined version
of conservation farming, with
the primary aim being to restore
the soil so that all ecosystem

services are in full working order.

Livestock forms an integral part

of the system,” says Strauss.

The general philosophy behind

the approach is that healthy soils

equal healthy roots and plants,

with healthy plants being less

susceptible to pests and diseases.

Regenerative agriculture has

produced good results on various

farms across the world, with

US farmers reportedly being

able to produce the same crop

with little to no input costs.

The trial at Tygerhoek was

launched to determine whether

this production approach

would be viable for South

African farmers, specifically

in the Western Cape.

the aim of

regenerative

farming is to

restore the

soil’s ecosystem

e n t i r e ly