Grassroots September 2016, Vol. 16, No. 3

Congress The tour party then enjoyed a good lunch at Arendsrus restaurant (sponsored by Capstone Seed), which provided some warmth from the cold wind. d. After lunch the tour proceeded to the farm Uitkyk of Alfie Louw. This is also mainly a dairy farm, but the production of macadamia nuts has recently been added to the enterprise. The interesting aspect of Alfie Louw’s farming operation is the extensive use of compost and a focus on recycling and utilising all by by-products within the system. For example, dry dry-land and marginal fields dominated by Eragrostisplana are cut to be used for calf pen bedding, which is in turn utilised within compost heaps. He has also invested significantly in specialized equipment to allow for high quality compost to be produced. To process the slurry from the dairy, he uses an extruder which separa tes out the solids. These manure solids are then incorporated with other organic material aterial such as old grass bale silage and bedding from the calf pens into long compost heap rows. The combination of materials is carefully managed according to a recipe as is the so so-called inoculant for optimal composting. The compost is regularly turned using equipment specifically designed for this purpose. The final product is then spread onto the pastures, and will in the future also be utilised in the macadamia production system. Alfie has a strong interest in biological soil processes and health, with th the management of his soil forming the basis of many decision making processes relating to thee management of pastures on the farm. A compost-turner. turner. Compost is turned on a daily basis for the firstt two weeks followed by turning every second day. The delegates could see three very different approaches to pasture ture production in the southern Cape all of which are successful in their own right. Van Greunen dairy pastures consisting of perennial ryegrass ryegrass-clover, clover, lucerne and kikuyu depending on the characteristics of the field, are grown for a number of years followed by a break crop such as rape mixed with oats. Grassroots September 2016 Vol 16 No.3

Grassroots September 2016, Vol. 16, No. 3 | Page 44