By Alani Janeke
Instead of increasing their farm’s profitability by adding more hectares to their land, the Mandy family from Harrismith decided to maximise its capacity vertically – “like a double-storey house” – through intercropping.
“And we’re already seeing the results,” says Michael Mandy of Mandy Farming in the Verkykerskop district near Harrismith. “Our maize yields are improving, while we now produce only a fifth of the bales we used to make each year. Our livestock are also in better condition, especially during the winter months when grazing and feed are scarce.”
Mandy was a speaker at the 2025 Regenerative Agriculture Conference, hosted by Landbouweekblad and the Riemland Study Group in Reitz from 4 to 5 March.
He has been farming full time alongside his father, Francis, since 2015, producing maize, soya beans and cover crops, and running a Bovelder stud.
The Mandys chose to improve their farm’s profitability through interseeding a cover crop mix into their maize and soya beans.
“We plant every hectare of our farm twice a year – and we farm on dryland in the Free State,” Mandy says.
After years of experimentation, they determined that the ideal row spacing for their maize was 91 cm. Once the maize reaches the V4 to V5 growth stages – “about knee-high” – they sow a cover crop mix between the rows.
They use both the cover crops and the fodder from their cash crops for grazing. “The cover crops are particularly helpful during August and September, when natural grazing and forage are scarce on the farm,” Mandy says.
The Mandys have observed improvements in their soil’s ability to retain water and reduce runoff, and water filtration. The quality of the water flowing into their dams has improved, and the soil has become more drought-resistant. “During the dry period of the current season, we had an extra week of planting time thanks to the soil’s moisture-retention capacity, while some of our neighbouring farmers had to wait for sufficient rain.”
The cover crops also help to reduce insect pressure on the cash crops planted alongside them.
Thanks to the abundance of plant material on their land, Mandy says, their livestock are able to maintain their condition during winter. “We also save on input costs for making bales. We now bale a fifth fewer bales than before. While baling will always be necessary, we have more plant material available for the livestock to graze on.”
They apply biological solutions such as acids, soil supplements containing sugar, and seaweed-based products to improve crop health and yields.
