AGRICULTURAL
Planning
for the new season
The rainfall distribution over the past season created huge challenges for producers,
which resulted in the late planting of various crops. It had a big impact on the quality and
drying of the crops.
By Petrus van Staden
and Ian Bothma
IDEAS TO FACILITATE PLANNING FOR
THE NEXT SEASON:
As soon as all the crops have been
gathered, producers can analyse the
past season in terms of what was
planned last year and what actually
materialised. Use yield data and eval-
uate it with soil physical and chemical
data in order to analyse, inter alia, the
following:
• Financial loss as a result of soil
potential or nutrient status. Soil
potential and soil analysis are very
important decision-making resour-
ces to determine fertilisation for the
coming season.
• The cultivar package which you
choose. Plan for the long-term ave-
rage in a semi-arid area.
• Plant polutation and row width.
• Planting date on the basis of the
historic data for each field.
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SENWES SCENARIO | SPRING 2018
•
Re-evaluate the tillage system and
use practices which preserve soil
moisture. A yield difference of 500
kg/ha at current price levels, can
have a huge impact on profitability.
Maintain the liming programme (third of
the fields every year) to ensure that the
acid saturation percentage does not
have a negative impact on the yield.
Take soil samples as soon as possible
after the harvest in order to prevent
bottle necks at laboratories.
Where yields were good, do spot
checks analyses, which can assist with
fertiliser recommendations.
It is important to identify potential loss-
es in the total production process in
order to maximise profits.
Time is a very important factor and for
this reason the production process
must run smoothly. Contact specialists
to determine where precision equip-
ment would benefit you. Make sure you
have the right tractors and implements
to execute every action effectively and
efficiently. Make sure your system is
flexible.
Should strategic decisions be taken
in respect of alternative crops, do
thorough research and implement it
step by step.
It is advisable to adjust financial
budgets, which relate to the summer
production season (September –
Augustus), without delay in order to
obtain more certainty regarding yield
and price. By doing this, timeous
arrangements with creditors can be
negotiated, if necessary. Potential sur-
pluses and the application thereof can
also be determined and planned with
more accuracy.
For any enquiries regarding pre-
cision analyses, please contact
Ian Bothma (0829044110; ian.
[email protected]) or Petrus van
Staden (0762193778; petrus.van-
[email protected]).