sometimes Pioneer as well. “We use both GMO and non-GMO seeds in the maize fields but I find the non-GMO crops more labour-intensive,” he said. “Using GMO seeds gives us higher yields for less cost, so that’s better for the financial bottom line.”
Higher yields Clifford rotates the crop pattern on his land every two years, first growing maize, then sunflowers, then soybeans, followed by oats for the livestock. During the growing season Clifford has a few pests to contend with including guineafowl, meer- kats and rats. He carries out soil sampling every two years and adheres to a programme of spreading lime on around 30 to 50 hectares every year. Normally, on average, the maize yields 4 tonnes per hectare, the sunflowers 1.5 tonnes per hectare and the soybeans 1.3 tonnes per hectare, but this year, thanks to good management skills, the yields were slightly higher. Clifford said: “This year my maize harvested an average of 5.6 tonnes per hectare, the sunflowers came in at 1.8 tonnes per hectare and the soybeans at 1.6 tonnes per hectare, which was a really good harvest for us. “We sell most of the crop immediately, but some is kept for feeding the live-
stock. After the land is harvested the cattle and sheep can graze over the land, which really cleans it up and of course it provides them with a good feed,” he said.
Opportunity due to Covid-19 Due to the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic was throw- ing up Clifford saw an opportunity to protect his harvest price and forward sold most of his tonnage. He said: “This year we had agreed contracts in place for most of my crops, as I antici- pated that Covid-19 would affect the markets. This was a good plan and helped me achieve 2350 Rands (€ 124) per tonne for my white maize, 2500 Rands (€ 132) per tonne for my yellow maize, 5700 Rands (€ 300) per tonne for the sunflowers and 7000 Rands (€ 369) per tonne for the soybeans,” Clifford added. Good returns mean that he can invest more in newer farm ma- chinery and has recently purchased a John Deere 7200 four-row planter and a John Deere 7200 six-row planter. He favours the John Deere brand, saying their equipment is strong and lasts a long time if well cared for. With South Africa now in its spring season Clifford and his team are already out in the fields preparing the soil for planting again.
▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 28, No. 10, 2020 19
Most of the har- vesting takes place from June to August.
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