The John Deere planter originally had an APV seeder unit. J.P. van Reenen relocated the fertiliser coulters (double-disc openers) to an extra toolbar.
Biological features back The biggest thing that scared the farmer, was that when he took his soil in for sampling, they reckoned that he needed to put 280kg of MAP over the whole farm. “I said that is going to cost me about R2 million, I can’t spend that kind of money. So, I’m now looking at compost to bump up the phosphorous in the soil. I’m
No-Till enthusiast
J.P. van Reenen does a lot of study and re- search and is not afraid to try different tech- niques and systems. “I’ve been experiment- ing for three years now, concentrating mainly on inter-row cropping. On a centre pivot I’ve planted 50 ha. I plant 2 rows in-be- tween my maize, basically a Stooling Rye mix, the Stooling Rye has worked the best. Other things I’ve planted include clover, which didn’t really work, it came through a bit and then more later in the spring. This year I’ve put a bit of sun hemp in and I’ve put in some cow-peas as a companion crop.”
looking at the compost route to bring the bio- logical features back. I have a supply of ma- nure from a local feedlot and I put it in piles to make compost and add hay to try and get the carbon/nitrogen relationship right. Initially I will try to spread 5 tons/ha and at the same time I am trying to increase my earthworm population, so I will feed compost to my
earthworms to make vermicast and then spread 2 tons/ha of it.”
Cover crops This is where the cover crops come in. You can add organic matter, but you can also create your own. “So, I’m trying a lot of things and in five years’ time I may have the whole cover crop rotation right, then I won’t have to rely so much on compost. I just want to use it as a stepping stone in the beginning so that I can get my soil to a point where it becomes self-sustainable.” Mr van Reenen is also thinking of planting a 5ha block of maize on 152.4cm rows with a summer cover crop in between, instead of the usual 76.2cm. Research in the States has shown a very low yield lag with this type of cropping. “I will plant a mixture of cow-peas, sun-hemp and beans. Maybe even add some squash. Maybe there is synergy between the roots? I may only grow 10 tons/ha, but if I use less fer- tiliser and very little spraying, it should still show a good return. It will certainly be a more peaceful life that having to jump up and spray all the time.”
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 24 May 2019 19
PHOTO: VAN REENEN FARMING
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52