Senwes Scenario August/September 2018 | Page 30

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. 28 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]).